Oxfam America is hiring a Research, Policy and innovation Advisor.
Company Description
Oxfam is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive.
Job Description
Job purpose
The Research, Policy and Innovation Advisor will support the better practice of the programme by Oxfam in Senegal and other actors through undertaking and supporting research that generates evidence, knowledge and innovation that is taken up and used by practitioners (programme and influencing staff).
The post holder will get information from the research and innovative practices that is taking place across the region and that has a link with Senegal. S/he will undertak new research and ensure coherence, quality control and responsiveness to MEAL and uptake into practice and facilitating flow of research between external actors and Oxfam.
Key responsibilities (Technical, Leadership, People and Resource management)
- Build capacities of programme and policy teams on research and policy analysis skills and methodologies, and to provide dedicated support to national-level policy work.
- To provide support to country programmes to develop effective policy and research papers that meet high standards.
- Coordinate with country teams on the delivery of agreed annual research priorities and supporting country teams or provide support in managing commissioned research.
- Coordinate research work with external consultants to be aligned with Oxfam.
- Support campaign leads on the development of policy positions for Senegal country and the West Africa region on key poverty and inequality issues and help produce research and policy materials in support of existing campaigns, as well as to help scope future work.
- Ensure that key Oxfam priorities, especially issues relating to gender, are supported by rigorous research at all levels.
- Develop and deliver a research strategy that supports the national and regional strategies, as well as wider organisational programme, campaigning and policy priorities.
- Monitor major external economic, poverty, social development and vulnerability trends in the West Africa region, and provide regular updates and written briefings on relevant issues to programme staff and senior management in order to support programme and policy advocacy work, and promote strategic and innovative thinking.
- To monitor influential research produced by others (e.g. Governments, UN agencies, IFIs, research institutes etc) relevant to Oxfam’s interest and provide timely written critiques and responses where appropriate.
- To develope strategic partnership for Oxfam Senegal to be able to deliver research/studies with key partners when it makes sense as well as to establish and maintain relationships with key policy think tanks, academic and research institutions in the country and the region and draw external expertise or develop partnership for Oxfam’s policy and research work.
- To engage in high level lobbying and represent Oxfam in Senegal at critical policy and research forums when appropriate.
- To ensure high standards are met in Oxfam public research and policy briefs in Senegal.
- To work and collaborate effectively with other key staff in the Country, notably the campaigns and policy team and regional research and policy team. To collaboration with other internal research/policy colleagues within the confederation at OI and affiliates levels.
- To serve as the primary focal point for in terms of country policy and research in order to maximise synergies between country research priorities and regional capacity, as well as linking with Oxfam International colleagues regionally and internationally as relevant.
- Set up the framework conditions so that innovation is encouraged in the organization and can take place successfully. Specifically, this involves an analysis of the opportunities, risks, strengths and weaknesses, as well as the derivation of important issues of the future and the purpose and vision of what we want to achieve with innovation. All this leads to the innovation strategy.
- To develop and implement a fundraising strategy to attract sustainable resources for research work in Senegal
Qualifications
Experience, knowledge & competencies
Essential
- Self-awareness: We are able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviors to control and channel our impulses for good purposes.
- Influencing. Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organization. Spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities, we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner
- Relationship Building. Understand the importance of building relationship, within and outside the organization. Ability to engage with traditional and non-traditional stakeholders in ways that lead to increased impact for the organisation
- Listening. Good listener who can see where deeper levels of thoughts and tacit assumptions differ. Clear messages to others, and consider different preferences.
In addition
- A strong thinker on development, humanitarian and poverty issues, with a proven track record of producing high quality research.
- Skilled in isolating viable research questions from highly complex situations; can quickly assemble a comprehensive overview of secondary data and present an insightful synthesis
- Ability to rapidly and accurately assess the comparative quality of quantitative research and triangulate between findings. Able to design robust quantitative data collection processes, including sampling strategies. Familiar with main statistical software packages and their use in analysis.
- Expert and confident facilitator of group processes, even on sensitive issues. Able to train others and lead research teams. Can apply a range of established methods of qualitative data analysis
- Understands the major ethical issues in research, including the legal framework and process around research in Senegal
- Proven experience in policy analysis and production of policy briefing papers based on evidence and research.
- Experience in communicate and exchange with other researchers and be part of research projects, ensuring high standards of delivery.
- Strong understanding of and proven commitment to gender and diversity issues.
- Demonstrates ability to identify and implement opportunities for innovation.
- Fluency in written and spoken English and French.
- A sound grasp of issues relating to economic justice and social justice as they relate to poverty and development.
- Experience in lobbying and playing representational roles.
- A well-developed network of relevant academic and applied research contacts.
Desirable
Experience of work in an international organization like Oxfam is an asset.
Closing date : 17 February 2022.