Research Lead – Operational Learning and Accountability

City/Country Location Details London, United Kingdom

Employment Status

Job Type Project

Research Lead – Operational Learning and Accountability

Background

The Centre for Disaster Protection works to prevent disasters devastating lives, by helping people, countries, and organisations change how they plan and pay for disasters. We focus on disaster risk financing to help ensure that money and plans are in place before a disaster strikes, so that the poorest and most vulnerable people are better protected. We are committed to work in partnerships across sectors and geographies to drive more impactful and more equitable disaster risk finance that leaves no one behind. Specifically, through a focus on:

· Delivering excellent client outcomes and promoting lasting disaster risk finance expertise.  We provide clients with impartial and evidence-based advice, quality assurance and training that meets their needs and drives more effective disaster risk finance.

· Quality evidence and learning.  We work to strengthen the evidence base for prearranged financing and document and share what shows the greatest potential to achieve system change. 

· Impactful communications and global policy engagement.  We seek to engage and influence through evidence-led policy and inclusive policy dialogue that bridges both ‘local to global’ and the humanitarian development climate nexus, targeting the bottlenecks key to effect transformative change of the international crisis financing architecture.

Additionally, we are focused on building effective systems and processes for people and operations that support the Centre to rapidly, yet strategically, scale and grow in a way that supports our people to do their best work through safe challenge, promoting and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion.

The Centre is funded with UK aid through the UK government. Read more about us in ourupdated strategy (https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61542ee0a87a394f7bc17b3a/t/639c9fb7ea712d52df9e711b/1671208891110/Centre_Strategy_24-11-22+%286%29.pdf) (2022-2025)and find out more at www.disasterprotection.org.

The role

The Centre’s Evidence programme spans two principal areas, Effective International Support for DRF and Operational Learning and Accountability.

The Effective International Support for DRF area includes researching disincentives and barriers international actors face in pre-arranging more of their financing and how these could these be managed better; and the structural, political and economic barriers to demand, including conflict, how these could be addressed; as well as understanding what realistic limits to demand, and realistic timelines might be.

Operational Learning and Accountability includes responding to research and evidence requests originated by the Centre’s own Advisory team and clients. This could include documenting and communicating guidance on emerging lessons and good practice in DRF and conducting operational or process learning evaluations. Over the last year, the Centre has decided to also concentrate on accountability and inclusion as a major theme across all functions as a means to drive greater effectiveness in DRF. This is a new and emerging field of action that builds on prior research conducted by the Centre.

Research Leads are responsible for conceptualising and proposing research ideas, drafting ToRs, compiling teams of in-house and external researchers and partners, coordinating with the Centre’s publications team and partners, and managing evidence projects to deliver high quality, rigorous and impartial evidence in support of the Centre’s strategy and work plan on time and on budget.

This role has a specific emphasis on leading the Centre’s programme of work on Operational Learning and Accountability. This includes developing and synthesising lessons from the Centre’s own advisory work and that of partner organisations to accelerate the effectiveness of disaster risk financing. It also includes overseeing and delivering process learning evaluations. And developing and leading a programme of work to advance accountability in disaster risk financing, building on the Centre’s existing guidance.

There is considerable scope within the role to contribute to the Centre’s strategic thinking and to help shape the Centre’s evidence agenda.

Role responsibilities

· Develop and lead the Centre’s Accountability and Operational Learning programmes of work.

· Conceptualise and design new research projects, developing research methodologies, implementation plans, drafting and managing project budgets.

· Convene and manage multi-disciplinary teams to deliver research projects.

· Support the commissioning and procurement of external expertise including drafting Terms of Reference, tenders and conducting interviews and bid analysis.

· Draft and contribute to publications including research reports, working papers, guidance and blogs.

· Help develop pathways for evidence to support and inform the Centre’s policy and influencing work.

· Support the publications process, including peer review, editing and promotion of evidence products.

· Represent the Centre’s evidence work externally in working groups, meetings and events.

· Support routine monitoring and reporting.

In addition to role-specific responsibilities, theResearch Leadswill be required to:

● Uphold the Centre’s values and contribute to a positive organisational culture.

● Build the Centre’s external reputation through managing relations with clients and partners

across the development, humanitarian, financial and academic sectors.

● Collaborate effectively with teams of Centre staff and consultants, coaching and mentoring colleagues as required.

Skills and experience

Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate a range of the following skills and experience:

• Experience designing and managing research projects with teams of internal and external partners.

• Experience in designing and delivering qualitative evaluations including process learning.

• Experience of producing research and evidence products to exceptional standards of rigour, quality and impact including leading peer review processes.

• Ability to communicate complex information in creative, precise and engaging written and visual formats.

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in one or more of the following programmatic fields: disaster risk financing, public financial management, social protection.

• A strong understanding of the key actors and policy environment of the international development architecture.

• Experience co-delivering research with partner organisations including universities, NGOs and research institutes in low- and middle-income countries.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Other languages, particularly French given our expanding portfolio in Francophone countries, should be highlighted.

Person specification

Successful candidates should:

• Demonstrate willingness to learn key principles, features and functions of disaster risk financing to a level where you can critically engage and challenge.

• Show an understanding of and commitment to the Centre’s values and mission.

• An ability to take initiative and work proactively and effectively as part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team in a hybrid working environment.

• Whilst a significant amount of travel is not anticipated, applicants should be willing, if required, to travel to Africa, Asia, and other international locations as needed including lower income and fragile, conflict-affected contexts.

• Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning, including technical and non-technical skills.

The offer

This role is expected to be offered on a fixed term contract basis, starting in May 2024 and running to June 2025 in the first instance, including an initial probation period of up to 4 months. There will be a possibility of extension beyond 2025. The role will be contracted by DAI Global UK (or local partner/representative), who are the Centre’s managing agent.

The position is offered in the first instance as a position based in the UK, Nigeria or Pakistan. Whilst the role is primarily remote, regular visits to the Centre’s office in the City of London will be required (UK based employees are encouraged to be in the office a minimum of five days per month). Flexible, part-time and remote working arrangements will be considered. Applicants for the role must already have the right to work in the UK/Nigeria/Pakistan as relevant.

Other locations of employment may be considered, subject to feasibility. Candidates based elsewhere who fulfil the above skills and experience and person specification criteria and have interest in the role, may contact the Centre on the enquiry e-mail below in the first instance, to enquire whether the role could be offered in their preferred location.

A competitive salary and benefits package will be offered depending on experience (indicative gross salary range between £60,000 and £80,000 per annum where the role is based in the UK). The proposed salary will be confirmed at the offer stage.

The Centre is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and so we particularly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds that are typically under-represented in this sector and from citizens of countries affected by disasters.

DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the USA, the UK, the EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine, and project operations worldwide. DAI tackles fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability; it works on the frontlines of global development, transforming ideas into action—action into impact. DAI is committed to shaping a more liveable world.

Application process

Interested applicants should apply via DAI’s recruitment portal (https://www.dai.com/careers/working-at-dai) , including a concise CV and a supporting statement (no more than 500 words) outlining your motivation for applying (250 words max) and the key qualities you would bring to the role (250 words max).

If you do not receive further communication from us for this opportunity, please understand that, regrettably, you were not selected for this position. Please keep an eye out for future roster opportunities.

Any reasonable adjustment requests or questions about the role or the recruitment process should be sent to: jobs_centre@disasterprotection.org (please do not send applications to this email address).

The deadline for receiving applications is 12:00 pm (UK time) on Friday 10 th May 2024.

Please note that your data will be stored confidentially on DAI’s corporate database, which has restricted access for necessary DAI corporate staff only. DAI takes your privacy seriously. If you choose to, you may opt out of inclusion in our database at any point in time by sending an email togdpr@dai.com. See our Privacy Policy for details. Your data may be held outside of the EU and/or UK by one of the other DAI group companies with sufficient safeguards in place regarding security and use.

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