Lead Researcher at UNOY

Call for Lead Researcher

Deadline for applications: 2 January 2018

UNOY Peacebuilders is currently seeking an experienced researcher to lead a study into youth-led civic engagement in peacebuilding in Afghanistan, Libya, Sierra Leone and Colombia. In light of increasing interest in youth participation in peacebuilding among donors, policy makers and peacebuilding practitioners, the goal of the study is to contribute to an increasingly evidence-based approach to policies and programming related to peace and security by deepening the the existing knowledge base on the positive roles of youth-led civic engagement related to peacebuilding.

Summary

Position:Lead Researcher
Agreement type: Consultancy
Organisations involved: United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders)
Purpose: Analyse qualitative data, conduct desk-review and write an analytical report highlighting key findings. As well as facilitating workshops on the topics of peer-to-peer research and data analysis
Location: Home based and The Hague, the Netherlands
Duration: 20 days within the period January 2018 – November 2018

The study will document and examine young people’s roles in peacebuilding, and especially study the factors that enable or/and constrain these roles. The study will be a youth-led participatory action research in four countries: Afghanistan, Libya, Sierra Leone and Colombia. A comparative study in these four countries will allow an examination youth roles in civic engagement initiatives in different cultural, historical and geographical contexts where factors like gender and age may shape the roles of youth in peacebuilding in different ways.

The study will be centered on three guiding questions:

1. What are the boosters, motivators, and barriers that influence young people’s participation in civic engagement related to peacebuilding?
2. Does youth participation in civic engagement activities related to peacebuilding contribute to building peace and, if so, in what contexts?
3. What are the contextual factors that make these civic engagement activities successful, how transferable are they, and how scalable are they?

The lead researcher will work with two local researchers from each country, young peacebuilders who will be responsible for collecting data from their peers using the listening and learning methodology for youth-led research.

Role

The Lead Researcher will have overall responsibility for the research methodology, process and findings. Specifically, s/he will:

• Develop a detailed research plan.
• Lead a 4-day workshop to prepare the in-country research with one local researcher from each country.
• Undertake a desk review of relevant literature.
• Oversee in-country data collection by a team of two local researchers from each country. The local researchers are expected to conduct focus group discussions with young people involved in peacebuilding activities as well as key informant interviews with other stakeholders.
• Lead a 4-day data analysis workshop with one local researcher from each country.
• Write a report based on the findings of the research.

The Lead Researcher will work closely with a Project Manager, based at the International Secretariat of UNOY Peacebuilders.

Profile of Lead Researcher

• Excellent (qualitative) research, analytic and writing skills
• Understanding, and preferably experience, of youth participation in peacebuilding
• Good knowledge of current academic research in the fields of peace and security and civic participation
• Experience of developing and delivering workshops based on the methodology of non-formal learning, preferably focusing on youth-led research and data analysis
• Excellent written and spoken English, preferably also proficiency Spanish and Arabic

We encourage candidates under the age of 30 to apply.

How to apply?

To apply, please send your CV and a letter describing your motivations for working on this research project and how you would approach the data analysis task to vacancy@unoy.org by 2 January 2018 the latest.

Applicants are requested to indicate their daily consultancy rate as well as their availability in the application.

If you have any questions, please contact vacancy@unoy.org

Read more and apply here.