RESEARCH OFFICER

The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is an African-led and Africa-based international research institution headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. APHRC conducts policy-relevant research on population, health, education, urbanization and related development issues in sub-Saharan Africa.

APHRC seeks to recruit five (5) Research Officers to work within the Human Development (HD) Theme of the Research Division. The HD theme research work focuses on education, youth empowerment, and early childhood development. These are new roles arising from the implementation of the current five-year strategic plan which has, subsequently triggered tremendous growth in our programs. 

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage the routine activities of HD research projects such as leading the development of field and training manuals, obtaining ethical approvals and research permits, training and supervision of field workers, and data management and scientific writing;

• Contribute to proposal development to strengthen scientific knowledge in HD theme research work or related fields;

• Coordinate policy engagement and dissemination of project research findings to appropriate audiences; 

• Take lead in preparing progress and end-of-grant reports to donors;

• Develop study tools on topical issues in education and skills development, training manuals and field guides to use for data collection;

• Coordinate the recruitment, training and supervision of field teams;

• Coordinate field work and be responsible for data quality;

• Mobilize and sensitize education and/or youth empowerment stakeholders about research projects;

• Participate in the development of research proposals, with a focus on HD areas of work;

• Conduct literature review and participate in writing scientific papers especially on key issues in education and training systems in Africa;

• Carry out policy analysis on specific issues in HD areas of work;

• Prepare regular field and project reports;

• Participate in dissemination of research findings and policy dialogue with relevant HD theme audiences; and

• Prepare policy briefs and fact sheets from the projects’ findings.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience 

• Master’s degree in any of the following areas: Education, Economics of Education, Education Psychology, Educational Planning, Applied Statistics, Sociology of Education, Measurement and Evaluation, Early Childhood Education, Curriculum Studies, Teaching Methods, or related disciplines.

• At least 3 years’ post qualification experience, preferably in education research or education policy analysis setting.

• Good computer literacy skills.

• Knowledge of multiple statistical and/or qualitative software packages such as STATA, SPSS, NVivo or ATLAS.ti. will be an added advantage.

• Experience in conducting field research in education and managing research projects and teams.

• Experience in engaging policy makers with research evidence.

• Excellent oral and written communication in English and/or French, and at least one African language.

• Ability to work independently, set priorities, juggle tasks and meet tight deadlines.

One position will be based in Garissa county while another will be based in Turkana county. Priority will be given to candidates willing to be stationed in either county.

This position is classified under Nationally Recruited Positions (NRP), Grade V in our scales.

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply through this link. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted; shortlisted candidates will be required to have a Police Clearance Certificate. 

APHRC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the protection of vulnerable persons