Research Officer – Malala Fund, Abuja

Abuja, Nigeria | Islamabad, Pakistan | London, UK | Washington, DC or New York City, US | Full-time; Permanent

I. Position Summary

This role sits within Malala Fund’s advocacy team, carrying out research on girls’ education and providing data insights and statistical analysis across our key themes of education financing, education quality and social norms. Reporting to the Research and Policy Manager, the Officer will produce research briefings and reports, provide support to Malala Fund grantees, and be the point person within the organisation for data insights and statistical analysis on girls’ education and gender equality.

The ideal candidate will be a quantitative researcher with a track record of working with data to influence policy and practice. The successful candidate will have an eye for creative uses of existing data sources to persuade decision makers, whilst making facts and statistics accessible and understandable to all.

Salary range:

US: $70,000 to $74,200

UK: £49,000 to £52,000

Nigeria: ₦18,910,652 to ₦20,849,100

Pakistan: Rs7,660,670 to Rs8,853,000

II. Responsibilities

Developing the evidence base for Malala Fund’s advocacy and thought leadership

• In line with Malala Fund’s research strategy and agenda, produce research reports, position papers, briefings and fact sheets.
• Bring data to life through creative presentation methods such as visualisations, dashboards, score-cards, indices and generation of striking comparisons/”killer statistics”.
• Develop understanding of data gaps and why they exist, and provide proposals for creative work-arounds given the constraints.
• As directed, design or commission quantitative research, surveys and polling to support Malala Fund advocacy and communications.

Relationship management on data and indicators

• Lead Malala Fund’s engagement with the leading data organisations and processes relevant to our work (e.g., Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goals Indicators (SDG); UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
• Foster partnerships for Malala Fund that enable us to access and work with additional data, and use new technologies to facilitate this.
• Scope out potential partners to enable Malala Fund to make use of non-traditional data sources and data mining methods.

Supporting the Malala Fund family on research quality assurance

• Advise Malala Fund grantees on quantitative research and statistical analysis to support their advocacy at national and sub-national levels.
• Keep other Malala Fund departments up-to-date on data trends in girls’ education and related fields, and build their understanding of how they relate to our strategic plan.
• Ensure all research is conducted to the highest standards of research ethics, including compliance with the Malala Fund Child Protection Policy.
• As requested, support with the preparation of funding proposals.

Organisational Culture

• Upholds the values of Malala Fund.
• Actively contributes to making Malala Fund a diverse and equitable workplace through inclusive practice and openness to different perspectives, cultures and ideas.
• Maintains behaviour and conduct that uphold the highest standards for safeguarding, professionally and personally.
• Acts as a role model for a ‘learning organisation’ culture by seeking insight and using problems as opportunities to learn.

III. Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours

Essential

• Graduate degree in a related subject.
• Knowledge of data sources for international development research and advocacy.
• Demonstrable understanding of how data and evidence can be used and presented to influence policy.
• Confidence in using statistics software packages such as Stata, R to generate data insights and communicate them effectively.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complex ideas and large amounts of data into clear and concise reports and presentations.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
• Strong commitment to Malala Fund’s mission, purpose and values.
• Strong commitment to gender equality, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, decolonisation and social justice.
• Strong commitment to professional development and continued learning.
• Excellent team player with ability to work independently and in collaboration with colleagues at all levels across departments and external stakeholders.

Desirable

• Knowledge of data sources for international education and development finance.
• Working knowledge of any language(s) relevant to Malala Fund’s work.

IV. How to Apply

Please submit your CV/resume and cover letter through the application link by 21 February 2023.

Click here to Apply: https://malala.org/hiring/research-officer