Reports to: Climate, Peace, and Security Policy Scientist MENA Regional Climate Security Hub

Location: Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT-Cairo, Egypt

Main purpose of position

This position requires the performance of mainly qualitative research tasks related to the themes of climate change, peace, displacement, fragility, and conflict with a focus on food, land, and water systems performed by the Alliance’s FOCUS Climate Security Team, physically based at the CGIAR MENA Regional Climate Security Hub in Cairo, Egypt. The experienced candidate will contribute new scientific impulses and innovative research methods and approaches to the enthusiastic, diverse, and international FOCUS Climate Security Team, a team of 50+ climate, peace, and security researchers working in 16+ countries. The position requires systems thinking and the ability to link quantitative with qualitative research approaches in researching the complexity of compound risk in a global climate crisis.

The employer of record will be ICARDA and employment policies, compensation and benefits of ICARDA will apply to this position.

About ICARDA

The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is a treaty-based international non-profit research organization supported by CGIAR. ICARDA’s mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food, water, and nutritional security, as well as environmental health in the face of global challenges including climate change. We do this through innovative science, strategic partnerships, linking research to development and capacity development that take into account gender equality and the role of youth in transforming the dry areas. ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.

About Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT

The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) is a global organization that builds on the complementary mandates and long collaboration of the two entities to respond to today’s global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and malnutrition.

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. To do so, the Alliance works with local, national, and multinational partners across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa, and with the public and private sectors. With partners, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations in large-scale programs to create food systems and landscapes that sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis.

The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, dedicated to reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security, and improving natural resources and ecosystem services. For more information: https://alliancebioversityciat.org/.

Main responsibilities

The Research Associate will work with the research teams of the FOCUS Climate Security Team and MENA Regional Climate Security Hub on the following tasks:

· Generating, compiling, and analysing scientific data using mainly qualitative research methods (this includes methods such as thematic content analysis, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, participatory research, gender and social inclusion methods, case study research, as well as and discourse analysis), with some application of mixed methods approaches.

· Contributing to the planning and implementing of field research.

· Contributing to the development of scientific databases and performing qualitative data analysis processes using research analysis programs and tools.

· Drafting and contributing to scientific knowledge outputs including peer-reviewed papers, briefs, and blogs.

· Contributing to research proposals and the design of research methodologies.

· Delivering training sessions, presentations, and facilitating workshop, conference, and seminar sessions.

· Translating research-related texts and data from Arabic to English and vice versa.

· Contributing to the integration of science and policy through the MENA Climate Security Hub’s policy advocacy in the region.

· Contributing to the establishment and development of a growing partner network for CGIAR’s MENA Regional Climate Security Hub by building and maintaining partnerships with key entities and players across the region.

· Contributing to the production of a regional strategic plan for research and policy impact.

Requirements

Education, qualifications, and experience

· Master’s Degree in the Social Sciences (Climate Security, Peace and Conflict Studies, Migration, Geography, Sociology, Gender and Women’s Studies or a related field). This can be compensated by a Bachelor’s Degree with at least 5 years of additional experience on the job and relevant certificates of relevant additional training.

· At least 7 years of work experience the field of qualitative research, preferably in the context of a research or academic institution, or with an international organization working in the field of climate, fragility, peace, security, migration, displacement.

· Ability to apply a variety of qualitative research methods, including innovative methods that foster inclusive and participatory research for food systems transformations.

· Familiarity with qualitative data analysis programs and software (Atlas.ti, Cockatoo)

· Outstanding research skills and grasp of theories and concepts related to climate change, peace, and security.

· Outstanding writing skills for publication of peer-reviewed articles.

· Outstanding organizational skills, as well as the ability to work independently and to proactively lead tasks and processes.

· Excellent presentation, communication, and academic writing skills.

· Excellent teamwork capacities and interest in working as part of an international and dynamic team.

· Fluency in Arabic and English, written and spoken.

Benefits

Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits

This is a nationally recruited position open to Egyptian nationals for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, five months’ maternity leave, 15 days’ paternity leave. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 1 year, renewable subject to continued need for the position and satisfactory performance. The first six months will be probationary period.

ICARDA is committed to increasing women representation in its workforce and strongly encourages applications from women.

Applications will be acknowledged, but we apologize in advance as due to the large number of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.