Regional Research Specialist, Asia (Anywhere in Asia) At Save the Children

The Opportunity

Save the Children International works in all contexts to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and create lasting change in children’s lives. Programe Quality, Evidence and Impact (PQEI) is a core function in all Save the Children International programmes globally, representing our commitment to accountability and transparency, and is crucial aspect of quality programme management within Save the Children. The primary role of the Research Specialist will be to design and conduct research to inform program design and planning and decision making at the regional and country level.

Key Responsibilities

Evidence-based programming and decision making

• Support project teams to develop Research, Evidence and Learning Agendas at the regional, country and program level.
• Design, conduct and commission systematic evidence reviews and literature reviews.
• Use standardised indicators and measures that support meta-analyses across projects and are valid, reliable, sensitive and culturally appropriate in terms of acceptability and interpretability in different contexts and communities.

Research

• Conduct planning and budgeting for research studies.
• Design research studies, including the sampling, recruitment, data collection and data analysis methods.
• Commission research studies, including writing of Terms of References and procurement of services.
• Lead, project manage and monitor both short and long-term research studies to ensure they are delivered on time, to budget and to a high standard.
• Develop data collection tools, such as surveys and interview or focus group discussion questionnaires.
• Develop participant recruitment and data collection implementation guidance for project teams to undertake.
• Conduct quantitative data analysis, including statistical analysis and modelling.
• Conduct qualitative data analysis.
• Produce research reports and learning products such as fact sheets, policy briefs, policy position papers, publications, etc. and, work with the Communications Team to identify attractive and child-friendly ways of packaging such products.

Ethical practice

• Lead study submissions to the Ethics Review Committee, ensuring ethical, inclusive, gender sensitive research practices and child-safeguarding and protection are at the forefront of all activities throughout the study cycle.
• Lead the development and approval of Data Protection Impact Assessments and Plans, ensuring responsible data management and GDPR compliance throughout the study cycle.

Partnerships and resourcing

• Participate in and develop external networks, for example to identify sources of funding, generate income, obtain consultancy projects or build relationships for future activities.
• Identify sources of research funding and contribute to the process of securing research grants.
• Identify research partners and contribute to the process of establishing new partnerships.
• Contribute to knowledge generation, knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer activities.

Capacity building and training

• Provide research training, capacity building and technical advice to MEAL staff across Asia.
• Coach, mentor and support colleagues in developing their research skills.
• Work effectively with large and diverse project teams comprised of Save the Children staff and external partners located in different countries and with multidisciplinary areas of expertise.
• Work across country offices across Asia to promote robust use of evidence and a strong learning culture is built systemically into the design, approval, implementation and review of programmes.

The Organisation

We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:

• No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
• All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
• Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information

If you are interested in this position, please complete this short questionnaire: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RE_Jobs and submit your cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document in our job portal. Please include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations to complete the application process.

A copy of the full role profile can be found at www.savethechildren.net/careers

Closing Date for Application: 31 July 2022

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our global anti-harassment policy.