Research Manager At Forcier Consulting

Forcier brings together academic-level research skills with real-world experience collecting data in logistically challenging environments. The South Sudan Research Manager is Forcier’s jack of all trades for all things research. They are a capable manager, decisionmaker, and communicator. They are responsible for the quality of data produced in the office that they are directing. The Research Manager is uniquely qualified to optimize research strategies with reference to 1) client needs, 2) academic standards and M&E best practices, and 3) budget.

Running research projects in South Sudan is no easy task. Nothing ever goes as planned or on time, but it is fascinating and rewarding. Adaptability is as essential as an understanding of best practices in monitoring and evaluation for international development work. Possessing a high level understanding of quantitative and qualitative research methodology, especially survey research methodology, brings the Research Manager a level of confidence to be able to lead Research Officers in order to complete projects in a country where the conditions are less than ideal. They know what resources are best suited to meet contractual obligations and ensure that staff are working to their strengths. They make research efficient, while also making it exciting. The Research Manager is able to design research and implement research, playing a key role in business development as the go-to research person on the ground.

What makes the Research Manager unique is their desire to organize, mentor and manage in pursuit of high quality research, rather than just doing it themselves. They love to teach, advise, and refine the research team and the work that Forcier does. They match personnel to projects in a way that accounts for staff capacities and technical project requirements; they ensure that their team always feels challenged, yet supported. They are teambuilders and advice givers, they know how to help their team look at a research problem and think through it practically and technically. They are resourceful, knowing the answer to “where do I go to find” for all Forcier resources needed to make projects successful. Their communication is grounded in their ability to digest high levels of intricacy and complexity and then create solutions and communications that are as simple and accessible as possible. The toolkit of a successful Research Manager is one of pragmatic problem solving, steadfast management, and the ability to make everyone from the enumerators to the client feel heard. The position is the ultimate test of one’s ability to bring together expert technical knowledge, management acumen, and adaptable creativity.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Research:

Actively track all ongoing and incoming/nascent projects, and appropriately match people/teams and their toolkits with projects
Provide input on local context and other practical aspects of research execution, both internally and with our clients
Learn, teach, and uphold Forcier’s existing systems for ensuring quality research, and aid with the roll-out and adoption of new research-related systems as necessary
Serve as the primary point of contact with clients during the proposal stage and continue high-level management of the client relationship during implementation of projects, including planning and attending client meetings as necessary

Leadership:

Lead, manage, and mentor all research staff in assigned office
Ensure daily monitoring and mentoring of all research staff
Look after training needs of staff
Ensure all research staff are adequately resourced to perform well in their roles and to maintain a healthy work-life balance
Business Development
Guide key decisions related to research aims and methodological design of projects at the proposal stage and during project implementation
Provide expert input on matters of sample design, questionnaire design, and analysis techniques/approaches
Guide key decisions related to statistical analysis, including choices of appropriate inferential-statistical tests, data structure, weighting, and other adjustments to account for survey design (including stratification and clustering)
Provide or appropriately delegate/assign the provision of quality assurance and quality control on all research-related deliverables (e.g. research protocols, analytical reports, datasets, and presentations)
Review proposals and provide feedback to the business development team to ensure that all bids are competitive, methodologically coherent, and can be executed fluently by available staff, within proposed budgets and timelines HR
Actively track all key research staff, their levels of utilization, and their skill sets;
Annual performance evaluations for all research staff
Daily supervision, coaching/mentoring and feedback to all Research Officers (ROs) and Fieldwork Managers
Periodic supervision and training of researchers/enumerators
Maintain performance database for contract researchers/enumerators
Maintain reasonable workloads and expectations for all research staff
Develop professional development plans for research staff to ensure appropriate skill-building and mentoring activities occur

Requirements

M.A. degree and at least 3 years of experience, or PhD and at least 1 year of experience. Appropriate graduate level education will be in political science, anthropology, international development, statistics, public health, or a related field. Irrespective of degree field, graduate level training in research methods and statistics is required.

Required Skills

Graduate-level coursework in econometrics and inferential statistics, ideally including applied regression analysis, survey data analysis, data visualization, and power analysis
Advanced knowledge of Stata required
Demonstrated ability to clean and interpret real-world data, generating publishable insights
Practical experience with data collection fieldwork in developing countries
Strong theoretical training in quantitative and qualitative research design and analysis
Background and training in survey methodology

Preferred Skills

Experience in managing teams and human resources to ensure successful completion of projects and objectives
Experience living and working in post-conflict settings
Teaching experience
Leadership experience
Knowledge of Open Data Kit (ODK), SurveyCTO, or KoboToolbox