Field Researcher at Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future.

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40 countries around the world, we partner to put bold solutions into action - helping people triumph over adversity and build stronger communities from within. Now, and for the future. Mercy Corps has been present in Nigeria since 2012, focusing its interventions on humanitarian assistance, economic development, and conflict mitigation.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Field Researcher

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Position Status:Full-time, Regular
Reports to: NCAT Team Lead
Work Closely with: NCAT Analyst/Field Coordinator; Program Teams; Field Managers; Security Team

Program / Department Summary

• Mercy Corps’ Crisis Analytics teams aggregate and analyze data to improve decision making and access in complex crises. The teams support our programming in Nigeria, Syria, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo and other locations. The teams directly contribute to data-driven decision making by layering information from primary sources, open sources and responders’ programmatic data, where it is analysed by subject matter experts and data scientists. This analysis is grounded in Mercy Corps’ status as an operational NGO, keeping products constructive and relevant.
• Typical products and services range from informal briefings to weekly products, contributions to risk assessments, in-depth assessment of the political economy of defined geography, deep-dives on specific thematics, etc., ranging in themes from conflict to market systems to governance, in line with programmatic needs.
• Nigeria Crisis Analytics (NCAT) works with programmatic teams, the wider humanitarian community, and other stakeholders to provide actionable research and analysis to inform the ongoing response. The goal of NCAT is to bring a nuanced understanding of the context to relevant actors and help shape thinking on everything from localized security and programming to larger-scale program design and policymaking.

Position Objectives

• Under the supervision of the NCAT Team Lead and Field Coordinator, the community Field Researcher will be responsible for:
  • The day-to-day situation monitoring in their location and reporting on access, displacement, humanitarian needs, market prices, response efforts, relevant conflict incidents, infrastructure, historical economic drivers, social relationships, perceptions, informal dispute resolution mechanisms, local authorities, power dynamics, and laws/regulations,
  • The verification or monitoring (if possible) of partners’ projects activities at activities sites, including beneficiary verification, monitoring of delivery and distribution of commodities and submission of routine reports to the M&E focal point, and conducting field visits to carry out qualitative and quantitative data collection along with field observations and consultations with key stakeholders and Mercy Corps staff.
• The Field Researcher will receive training on identifying relevant information, and collecting it in a responsible, accurate and sustainable manner. Relevant information would typically include economic activity and prices of goods; the structure of local communities; relative happiness or otherwise of people within the community; people moving out of or into the local area; etc.
• The Field Researcher will receive weekly updates on the priorities for information collection. They will occasionally be asked to confirm whether an incident reported in rumours or the media was accurate.

Essential Job Responsibilities
The Field Researcher will:

• Conduct interviews with key informants
• Respond to requests for information
• Proactively identify relevant information
• Support triangulation and confirmation of events
• Attend all required team meetings
• Support in the design and planning of data collection work
• Draft thorough qualitative notes and field journals following any data collection activity
• Support in writing NCAT products

Regular Field Researcher Outputs:

• Draft sections of Monthly Reports.
• Draft sections for Situational Reports.
• Collaborate on Thematic Reports.
• Incorporate and overlay humanitarian access, security, and humanitarian needs data.
• Gather, validate, and organize data from several different data streams.
• Qualitative notes and field journal entries.

Timeframe / Schedule:

• This is a full-time 3-month engagement with the possibility of extension contingent on performance and funding.
• The Field Researcher will report to: NCAT Team Lead
• Field Researcher will work closely with: NCAT Analyst/Field Coordinator; Program Teams; Field Managers; Security Team

Required Experience & Skills

• Possess a Bachelor's Degree in relevant fields.
• At least two years’ experience in the aid and development sector, with a level of experience in a conflict-affected environment;
• Functional knowledge of Excel and data collection software (ONA, ODK, etc.)
• Extensive experience living / working in northeast Nigeria
• Knowledge of local languages, including Hausa and Kanuri; knowledge of other languages is a plus.
• Data analysis experience a plus
• Experience organizing and maintaining databases, cleaning data
• Competency in Internet and Microsoft Office systems including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; knowledge of ArcGIS, Tableau, and PowerBI is a plus.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken is required; previous experience writing reports is a plus.

Application Closing Date
2nd February, 2022.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Important Information

• This position is contingent upon funding approval.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.
• We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

• Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have a sustained global impact. We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics:

• Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity.
• We are committed to the core principles regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary-General and IASC.
• We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members.
• As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves professionally, respect local laws and customs, and adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct eLearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.