Organization: NEAR (Network for Empowered Aid Response); (Hosted by Adeso – African Development Solutions)

Position: Research Coordinator, 8 month consultancy

Reporting To: Director of Policy

Working With: NEAR Secretariat (including Executive Director and other project team members), NEAR members and stakeholders

Duty Station: Remote

ABOUT NEAR

NEAR (Network for Empowered Aid Response) is a movement of local organizations with a bold ambition – to reshape the top-down humanitarian and development system to one that is locally driven and owned, and is built around equitable, dignified and accountable partnerships. NEAR is a membership based organization with members coming from four regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

ABOUT ADESO

NEAR is currently hosted by Adeso, an expanding and vibrant African based international development and humanitarian organization. Adeso and NEAR both aspire to prevent and overcome situations that adversely affect community well-being by: Influencing policy change and enacting systemic change through innovative solutions led by local and national actors.

POSITION PURPOSE

This eight-month consultancy, working approximately 105 days, is for NEAR’s Research Coordinator as part of the Global South Humanitarian Research Institutions (HRI) Project, done in conjunction with Tufts University Feinstein International Cener (FIC).

The HRI Project aims to

1 - Develop a database/catalog of Global South (GS) humanitarian research institutions (HRI), so as to:

Increase the visibility of GS HRI and the knowledge they generate

Facilitate the donors, INGOs and others funding humanitarian research to identify and invest in researchers based in the countries/regions of interest

Encourage more research groups based in the Global North (GN) to establish more partnerships with researchers and research groups based in the Global South

Lay the foundation for future efforts to increase the coordination and collaboration between HRIs and initiatives in both the GN and the GS.

2 - Write qualitative research products, to better:

Understand the barriers that GS researchers face in getting investments, visibility, and uptake for their research, as well as potential strategies to face those barriers

Leverage this knowledge to influence donors to invest in GS researchers, to modify their interactions with these actors to engage in a more respectful and effective way, and to encourage practitioners to pay greater attention to knowledge generated in the GS

Encourage more research groups based in the GN to establish more equitable partnerships with researchers and research groups based in the GS

Incorporate findings into existing knowledge supporting South-South learning.

The consultant will be expected to support in the delivery of research, analysis, development of research publications, and dissemination/research uptake, in accordance with the agreed research design.

SPECIFIC ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Mapping and database development: Support in identification of humanitarian research institutions (HRIs) in the Global South and their inclusion into the database

Qualitative inquiry: (i) Conduct key informant interviews; (ii) Support in analysis and codebook development; (iii) Write results into joint NEAR-FIC reports

Research launch and uptake: support in launch plan development and launch/dissemination, including presentation of reports to specific audiences.

Coordinate and support linkages with the HRI Project to other NEAR research initiatives.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

At least 2 years research experience

Language skills: English, as well as Spanish and/or Arabic

Published research

Desirable

Certification of research and ethics training (CITI or other)

How to apply

All applications should be sent with “Research Coordinator” on the subject line. The selection committee will review all applications as they arrive.

Each application package should include the following:

• Cover letter with the applicant’s current contact information (limited to one page)

• CV

• Two Professional References, with complete contact information