Protection Research Specialist At Danish Refugee Council

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Protection Research Specialist.

About the Job

Overall purpose of this role is that leading role in regards to continuous research and analysis of Protection issues faced by refugees and migrants in Turkey; and provide policy and programmatic recommendations based on research findings; Systematically inform the Danish Refugee Council’s (DRC) programming using research and analysis; Support country advocacy initiatives in collaboration with the Protection Coordinator, Head of Program and Country Director.

This role is based in DRC Country Office in Hatay, the role oversees protection research, needs assessment(s), and advocacy, especially in regards to refugees and migrants across the county in close collaboration with DRC operations as well as partners and other stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities:

This position will have day-to-day responsibility for research design as well as coordination, collection, analysis and dissemination of information in regards to protection issues of refugees and migrants. Additionally, the position holder will be responsible for ensuring findings are used to inform DRC programming and that advocacy initiatives are in line with DRC advocacy strategy. S/he will lead on advocacy efforts with DRC’s stakeholders, and will be responsible for drafting summary briefs and advocacy positions based on protection research findings and observations.

Main Responsibilities

In consultation with the Head of Program, Protection Coordinator, field teams and key external stakeholders, the position holder will lead DRC Turkey’s Research Unit to conduct and disseminate high-quality protection issues-focused research. More specifically she/he will:

• With support from the Protection Unit and Head of Program, identify relevant research topics;
• Devise research methodologies relevant to the topics; draft data collection guidelines where necessary;
• Train enumerators/data collectors on data collection tools; oversee and support data collection;
• Collect and process information with support from DRC field staff and implementing partners, including conducting focus group discussions and individual interviews, determining sample size and timelines, training DRC and partner protection teams to execute data collection exercises;
• Analyze data and draft narrative research reports based on findings;
• With support from the Protection Coordinator, suggest program and advocacy recommendations based on research findings;
• Present reports internally and externally adhering to information sharing protocols, including providing briefings on findings, recommendations and trends to staff and stakeholders;
• Coordinate with protection working groups and other partners as relevant on research topics and execution; disseminate findings of protection research reports to those groups and partners, as needed;
• Promote relations and coordination of humanitarian analysis with other humanitarian actors, donors, UN and civil authorities;
• Continuously identify potential research partners (local NGOs, CSOs, academia, think tanks, etc) and lead on research partnership process;
• Provide technical guidance and capacity building for implementing partners on research and advocacy related topics;
• Any other duties as directed by the Protection Coordinator, Head of Program, or Country Director.

About you

To be successful in this role, you must have a university degree in political science, international development, economics or other relevant field.

Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required qualifications

• Minimum 4 years of practical experience in academic research and/or equivalent experience in protection monitoring working for an I/NGO in a humanitarian setting.
• Excellent qualitative analysis and report-writing skills
• Experience in influencing and advocacy work including lobbying, policy development and information provision in humanitarian issues
• Excellent knowledge of research methodologies, experience in research design and roll-out, including experience in designing data collection tools
• Effective verbal communication and presentation skills
• Ability to develop good insight and understanding of the conflict, the human rights situation and the political environment
• Analytical and strategic thinking with proven ability to create and utilize qualitative and quantitative analyses in organizational planning
• Proven experience in capacity building of teams, including development of training materials
• Confident and decisive leadership, ability to work independently as well as cooperatively with team members
• Excellent skills in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint, knowledge of other analysis software an advantage
• Demonstrated attention to detail, ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently as well as cooperatively with team members
• Full professional proficiency (written and verbal) in English; knowledge of Turkish and/or Arabic a strong asset.

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies:

Striving for excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.

Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: Listening and speaking effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

DRC as an employer By working in DRC, you will be joining a global workforce of around 8000 employees in 40 countries. We pride ourselves on our:

• Professionalism, impact & expertise
• Humanitarian approach & the work we do
• Purpose, meaningfulness & own contribution
• Culture, values & strong leadership
• Fair compensation & continuous development

DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/about-us/job-and-career/support-for-job-seekers.

Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment without attention to race, age, ability, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other factor. At DRC we celebrate diversity and appreciate our employees for the people they are and their unique skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. We encourage all interested candidates to apply!