ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) project at Internews has an immediate opening for a lead researcher to lead a participatory research initiative. The GIF project is currently conducting an ecosystem research of the Internet freedom community that aims to the highlight opportunities and provide recommendations to sustain and grow the collective community. This research is being undertaken in three phases and we are in the process of concluding the first phase. We would like to bring on a lead researcher to support with the next two phases of this research initiative.

The lead researcher will spearhead and manage the research initiative along with the GIF team. They will liaise with the research advisory board, coordinate, and conduct the research along with program associates and regional coordinators of the GIF project.

As the research moves into phase two, the role of the lead researcher will include:

This position will support a global, Internet freedom initiative funded by USAID. Internews launched this three-year initiative in August 2020 to enhance digital security for civil society and media organizations, to engage citizens in internet governance debates, and to advance human rights online. The effort will place regional and local organizations at the forefront of the fight to preserve an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet. By supporting localized Internet freedom initiatives within a global, community-based Internet freedom strategy, the GIF Consortium will construct strong local and regional bulwarks against a rising wave of digital authoritarianism.

LOGISTICS

This is a remote-based position. All remote candidates will be considered; however, you must have work authorization in your location that does not require sponsorship from Internews.

Wherever possible, we work to try to find solutions for international hiring that work for both the company and the candidate. This means that some of the particulars around the offer for a role will be dependent on several factors, and that the benefits and salary structure that apply to a position will ultimately be based upon the candidate's location and where the role is hired.

Our Commitment to Fostering a Culture of Belonging

We are an organization of dynamic, mission-driven individuals who are passionate about our core values and about supporting positive change in the world. We pride ourselves on our commitment to innovation and flexibility. We believe that diverse teams are strong teams and work to support an ethic of belonging, dignity, and justice for all people. Our current team includes a mix of genders, parents, and non-parents, and people of multiple races, nationalities, ages, sexual orientations and socio-economic backgrounds. We are EEO employer and encourage candidates of all races, genders, ages, orientations, ethnicities, and national origins to apply, and welcome those with alternative backgrounds and experiences.

SCOPE OF WORK

• Align research methodologies with research goals;
• Lead the revision of GIF’s current research methodology;
• Develop a code for current interview transcripts, code transcripts, and produce relevant research findings and briefs;
• Develop and refine research questions for the second phase of the research, conduct interviews and focus groups with selected groups;
• Using a variety of tools, produce a creative and interactive outputs, such as practitioner stories, interactive graphics, short blogs, final research report, presentation deck and other non-traditional outputs.

QUALIFICATIONS WE’RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• At least 5-years of research related work experience and at least 1 year experience as a lead researcher;
• Demonstrable experience conducting interviews, focus groups discussions, data analysis, and publications with policy implications and recommendations (non-academic publications preferred);
• Sound understanding and experience undertaking qualitative and quantitative research;
• Knowledge of ethical guidelines and experience working with and conducting research related to vulnerable communities;
• Demonstrated ability to manage time-bound research;
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal in English;
• Experience conducting or being part of a global research project;
• A Master’s degree in social sciences or other related fields.

Preferred

• Experience with participatory action research;
• Experience working with research advisory boards;
• Familiarity with the global digital rights and digital safety communities;
• Expertise related to understanding digital technologies and policies;
• Familiarity with data analysis tools.

TO APPLY

Candidates should submit a cover letter, resume with links to their publications through the Taleo application portal. The cover letter should be no longer than one page and the resume no longer than 3 pages.