Research Advisor – Ethiopia Resilience Platform for Adaptive Management (R-PAL)

Overview: IBTCI is seeking a Research Advisor, with extensive experience in the food security, nutrition, livelihoods, and resiliency sectors, for the five-year Ethiopia Resilience Platform for Adaptive Management (R-PAL) Activity. The purpose of the R-PAL is to support the USAID/Ethiopia Transition into Graduation through Enhanced Resilience (TIGER) Project – both its staff and its key stakeholders – to be more efficient, effective, transparent and skilled in achieving development outcomes through the use of evidence, adaptive management techniques, and Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) practices that enable increased resilience for the chronically vulnerable in the Highlands.

Ethiopia R-PAL is expected to achieve four objectives:

• Objective 1: Collaboration and coordination among USAID Ethiopia Highlands Resilience partners and investments is established and facilitated to support collective impact;
• Objective 2: Highlands resilience investments are informed by learning, evidence, and research;
• Objective 3: Adaptive management processes and solutions for USAID Highlands Resilience investments are adopted and employed towards evidence-based program iteration (and ingrained in the partnership’s culture);
• Objective 4: Innovation within USAID’s Highlands programming drives early adoption and scaling of new rigorously tested approaches.

This position is contingent upon award and anticipated to start in fall 2021.
Ethiopian nationals are strongly encouraged to apply.

Essential Duties/Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Conduct desk research and review of work plans to determine opportunities for TIGER partner collaboration.
• Work with the team to develop a scaling strategy and methodology to scale the most promising interventions.
• Support local capacity building and increase knowledge and skills of stakeholders and relevant actors.
• Assist in establishing a mentorship program for junior Ethiopian agricultural and resiliency researchers.
• Provide technical support to USAID/TIGER for systematizing internal reporting, including aggregated standard health indicator annual reporting.
• Work with USAID/TIGER to improve recruitment, productivity and performance management of human resources and research activities.
• Provide targeted technical support to USAID/Ethiopia and TIGER implementing partners to build their capacity for the systematic and effective collection, analysis, and utilization of evidence-based research for decision-making and to strengthen the skills of implementing partners.
• Work with the project technical team and managers in the development, documentation and dissemination of the project’s findings, best practices, lessons learned and scale up efforts for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education: Master’s degree in agriculture, social sciences, livelihoods and resiliency, statistics, or a related area from an accredited institution required; PhD preferred.

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in food security, livelihoods, and resiliency research, involving a range of research activities and products.
• Previous qualitative and quantitative research experience required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience conducting research in developing countries.
• Wide range of publications and conference presentations.
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English, including evidence of quality report writing and presentations. Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines with quality products.
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills.

Working Environment: Work is typically performed in an office environment, with short-term periods for data collection in the field.

Physical Requirements: This is largely a sedentary position that requires the ability to speak, hear, see, and lift small objects up to 20 lbs.

Supervisory Responsibility: This position does have supervisory responsibilities.

Travel: Travel in and around Ethiopia is essential. Regional travel may be necessary.

About the Organization:

IBTCI has been in business since 1987. We specialize in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL), Institutional Support (IS), Financial & Risk Management (FRM), Supply Chain Management & Procurement (SCMP); Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Capacity Building. We provide these services across many sectors including, but not limited to, agriculture, resilience & food security, conflict & crisis, democracy & governance, economic growth & trade, education, energy & Infrastructure, environment & climate change, global health & WASH and humanitarian and disaster assistance. At IBTCI, our colleagues are encouraged to collaborate and be part of the solution while getting the tools and guidance needed to grow and support our clients’ missions.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

IBTCI is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identification, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable anti-discrimination laws. We prohibit and do not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment. VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

If you are an applicant with a disability that requires a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability, or unable to use the online application system and need an alternative method for applying, you may contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected] (Do not send your resume to this account, for consideration please apply in our career page).