Senior Researcher

The incumbent is responsible for spearheading the design and implementation of the Jahez project, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), considered a flagship project aimed at piloting inclusive and integrated early warning, community-based disaster risk management, and climate adaptation solutions which will incorporate nature-based solutions (NbS) to mitigate climate stress within both refugee and hosting communities.

As a Senior Researcher / Researcher, the role will also entail participating in designing and delivering high-quality research outputs as pertaining to the program. As the Project Leader, the incumbent will be expected to leverage their considerable project management and coordination skills to successfully work with IWMI staff, consultants, and partner organizations, as well as high-level government representatives and technical staff to deliver targeted support to the countries participating in this pilot project.

The person will be responsible for external representation and engagement with the donor (FCDO), and other key stakeholders at various levels as an essential element of scaling and implementing the solutions provided by the project.

Duties & Responsibilities:

As the Project Leader:

• Lead the delivery of agreed activities on time and in line with FCDO’s agreed planning and budget calendar and processes.
• Provide strategic leadership and, together with the project team, partners, and stakeholders, build a shared vision for the project, its goals, and how it will deliver impact.
• Oversee the planning and implementation of project activities.
• Oversee, manage and support the work of other project team members, including project partners and consultants.
• Facilitate the delivery of project outputs and contribute towards outcomes and impacts across the project.
• Sign off on key project deliverables and the release of funding as approved in the project proposal, work plan, and budget.
• Optimize financial resources, making decisions that maximize value for money, impact, and drive efficiencies.
• Be the internal and external “face” of the project, including interactions with FCDO, national focal points, project oversight bodies, as well as at events, project management and stakeholder meetings, etc.
• Liaise regularly with FCDO Project Management Unit for guidance and support.
• Coordinate to achieve synergies with other IWMI projects in the focal countries of implementation.
• Oversee project reporting processes and manage risks proactively and in line with the project risk register.
• Ensure implementation of the project’s communication strategy and gender action plan.
• Support a work environment that promotes a culture of collaboration, learning, effective knowledge sharing, knowledge transfer, and interdisciplinary teamwork.

As the Domain Expert:

• Analyse existing vulnerability and disaster risk information to identify risks to food, land, water systems, and other priority areas such as agriculture, livelihoods, and food security.
• Collaborate with in-country stakeholders to consolidate information on early warning data, decision-support systems, and priority risks.
• Develop disaster risk reduction strategies in partnership with local and national stakeholders, incorporating early warning/early action (EW/EA) and longer-term adaptation strategies.
• Define and establish early warning triggers with stakeholders, such as risk level thresholds for rapid allocation of financial resources to prevent and mitigate the impact of forecasted hazards on agriculture and food security.
• Formulate crisis timelines, overlaying seasonality and livelihood impact information to identify timings for early warning and anticipatory action.
• Define and establish protocols and standard operating procedures in collaboration with stakeholders for linking early warning to anticipatory action (early action as well as longer-term adaptation), clarifying roles and responsibilities for risk monitoring and early action implementation.
• Support the operational and timely implementation of anticipatory action at the country level, by conducting field missions, advising on appropriate actions, operational arrangements, and accessing the Early Action Fund.
• Strengthen partnerships and inter-agency efforts on locally driven disaster risk reduction (including EW/EA and climate adaptation strategies) at the country level, fostering collaboration on early warning and coordinated anticipatory action implementation.
• Assist in institutionalizing locally driven disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation strategies with key government partners.
• Support capacity building activities at the country level, including delivering the CGIAR-Anticipatory Action learning program.
• Represent and advocate for locally driven disaster risk reduction with donors, technical partners, and UN Agencies.
• Support communication efforts through tailored products using various channels such as the web, photo/video, social media, press releases, and other means.
• Lead proposal development and resource mobilization in key research areas relevant to the subject matter of the post.

Requirements:

Educational Qualifications & Experience:

At Senior Researcher level:

• PhD in water resources management, climate, environmental studies, economics, urban and rural development or a closely related field coupled with minimum of 10 years of relevant post-doctoral experience.

At Researcher level:

• PhD in the aforementioned fields coupled with a minimum of 05 years of relevant post-doctoral experience OR;
• Master’s degree in the aforementioned fields coupled with a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience.
• Experience working on research and development and/or public sector-funded projects that promote, plan, design, and implement water management and climate resilience.
• Experience managing large multi-partner, complex development projects.
• Experience in overseeing complex development projects in conflict-prone and socially fragile environments.
• Experience managing and navigating partner and stakeholder relationships with governmental, private sector, and community counterparts at various levels of organizational hierarchies (i.e., senior to lower management, and professional staff), and at the regional, national, and local levels.
• Proven experience undertaking participatory and/or co-development processes with national and local stakeholders.
• A record of peer-reviewed and/or technical report publications on subjects relevant to climate finance, nature-based solutions, policy, and water management, with a preference for interdisciplinarity.
• Experience in undertaking or overseeing hydrological, environmental, and social monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Experience in capacity-building and training programs for diverse participants.
• Proven experience of working with an international organization abroad.

Source:  https://apply.workable.com/international-water-management-institute/j/A8FFF4C389/