Humanitarian Research Manager at Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for - and respond to - crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Humanitarian Research Manager

Location: Nigeria
Functional Area: Disaster Risk Management and MERL
Reports To: Global Humanitarian Director and Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (matrix managed)
Type of Role: 12 month fixed term contract
Grade: GH4

Role Purpose

• Reporting to the Global Humanitarian Director and Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning- in a matrix management arrangement, this role is situated in the Disaster Risk Management Department and is expected to work effectively with a wide network of DRM and MER specialists, both internal, as well as external and lead & manage humanitarian research work as directed by the Global Humanitarian Director and Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research.
• In addition, the Humanitarian Research lead is expected to work with the Head of Research and other MERL team members in implementing the MERL Policy and Standards.
• The Humanitarian Research Manager will lead and deliver high quality research on Plan’s International’s humanitarian focus area set in terms of the Global Strategy in collaboration with MERL and DRM team members, MER and DRM specialists from the 75+ Programme Countries, Regional Offices and National Offices and external consultants who may be appointed from time to time.

Dimensions of the Role

• This post is based at the Global Hub and the incumbent will work between the MERL department and DRM department, working in a shared budget, bringing together research in humanitarian contexts.
• The role must keep up to date with the developments on disaster risk management issues and the sector; collate evidence and conduct analysis,deliver humanitarian research products for external positioning, develop recommendations, ensuring they align with Plan International’s positions; scope priorities for DRM policy and advocacy programme and support the advocacy work done by the organisation to maximise impact.
• In addition, although the role has no line management authority, the role is expected to supervise and help guide junior research staff as they develop within the organisation.

Accountabilities

• With the Global Humanitarian Director, Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning and  Head of Research uphold the MERL Policy and Standards and deliver a humanitarian research for external positioning Plan International to further the Global Strategy objectives at international, country and regional level:
• Identify and develop expertise on Plan’s priority policy issues through research and analysis, key informant interviews and literature reviews leading to well-researched recommendations for internal and external audiences.
• Enable Plan to respond locally on policy issues in our portfolio - through analysis, updates and recommendations aligned to our key advocacy messages and policy positions.
• Drawing on Plan’s footprint and expertise in the field, develop proposals, conduct or commission research and produce products to communicate Plan’s policy and advocacy positions on humanitarian emergencies, DRR and related thematic issues. Products will include formal reports and policy papers, talking points, briefs and case studies.
• Establish and convene internal reference groups of experts across relevant Plan offices to formulate organisation-wide recommendations based on evidence for external positioning aligned to Plan International key advocacy messages and policy positions, ensuring a coherent and informed analysis of Plan’s ongoing work in addressing children’s rights and girls rights in humanitarian contexts.
• Collaborate with the GTPP policy and advocacy specialists to strengthen Plan’s influence through evidence by conceptualising evidence products and recommendations to target international governments, national host governments, major donors, UN Specialised Agencies, NGO Consortia, and other Nongovernmental Organisations on specific DRM issues..
• Develop, analyse and produce recommendations for policy changes based on learning from evaluation and good practices.
• Manage contracts and consultants, develop TORs and job descriptions.
• Develop, co-ordinate and launch publications.
• Gender issues in Disaster Risk Management will be a specific area of focus of this post holder.
• Represent Plan in relevant networks and improve Plan’s profile and influence. The result will be that Plan contributes to the sector’s knowledge of how to address the needs and vulnerabilities of adolescent girls and so develops a reputation for this work.
• Represent disaster risk management in Plan’s global gender equality network and share information on gender equality with DRM networks. 
• The result will be that DRM networks are informed about the requirements to implement Plan’s gender equality policy, and that gender equality guidance is suitable for use in disasters
• Identify, manage and conduct high quality research projects in support of programmes and influence for humanitarian work within the global strategy
• Design and manage all aspects of the research process under the MERL Policy and Standards for humanitarian research projects conducted at the Global Hub, including analysis of findings, writing up findings, conclusions and recommendations and managing the publication process
• Interacting with other offices and entities within Plan International to facilitate and manage research on humanitarian issues on their behalf when requested to, facilitating their feedback and participation in the process
• Leading the communication and articulation of the research results together with the relevant teams, in particular the Communications team at the Global Hub
• Ensure that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the relevant Global Policies including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships:
Internal:

• Liaise with technical and MER specialists in Regional. Country, Liaison and National office teams
• Work in partnership with the Disaster Response Management Department and Gender Transformative Policy and Practice Department and Area of Global Distinctiveness Networks to provide subject matter expertise on specific research projects as relevant
• Collaborate with the Global Partnership department, the Global Youth and Campaigns Department, including the Disaster Risk Management team on the needs for research and to feed lessons learned from internal or external research into improved practices.
• Work with the Communications department to disseminate humanitarian products effectively both internally and externally.

External:

• Working with a variety of consultants to achieve the research objectives of the Global Strategy as well as individual research initiatives
• Attend forums and conferences to present Plan International’s humanitarian research results.
• Liaise and network with key research institutes and universities and NGOs working on humanitarian issues

Technical Expertise, Skills and Knowledge
Essential:

• Master's level or equivalent, preferably with research methods, in humanitarian or development studies or a related subject.
• Good knowledge of disaster risk management issues, ability to analyse and prioritise.
• Good understanding of positions taken by other actors on key DRM issues
• Experience working in advocacy and policy positions dealing with complex humanitarian and/or emergency settings.
• Ability to represent, network and increase the influence and profile of Plan International
• Understanding of networks and their dynamics.
• Emergency preparedness practice
• The Humanitarian Sector and its key current debates in particular in regard to responding to children’s and girls needs with high quality responses
• Knowledge of key donors for emergency responses
• Knowledge of research operations, principles, practices and processes.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills.
• Must be adaptable and able to work independently on multiple tasks, prioritise workload effectively and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical skills and robust problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail; accurate and observant.
• Ability to work within a multi-cultural environment and find creative solutions for successful regional and national knowledge management initiatives to promote learning and information sharing across the organisation
• Good project management skills and constructive flexibility
• Ability to make connections and build relationships within Plan and externally
• Commitment and adherence to humanitarian values and standards
• Fluent in English with strong verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.

Desirable:

• Arabic, Spanish and/or French verbal and written communication skills is an advantage.

Salary

• We will be happy to disclose the salary and applicable benefits to applicants as part of this process, however, please kindly note that the salary and employment benefits will be set according to your location and therefore it is not possible to include full details here. 
• As an indication if this role was based in the UK the salary would be circa £45,000 per annum.

Application Closing Date
4th December, 2022.

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

Click here for more information (MS Word)

Note

• Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.
• We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
• Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.
• We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.
• Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.
• A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.
• Please note that Plan International will never send unsolicited emails requesting payment from candidates.