Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Department Summary
Mercy Corps is committed to generating and using evidence to understand and improve our impact, and to enhance the humanitarian and development community’s ability to address the world’s most complex challenges. The Research and Learning team advances Mercy Corps’ commitment to produce and use evidence to improve our impact, scale what works, and influence others. We know that our internal learning about our programs and our external influence are most effective when underpinned by substantive research on issues where we have effective programming and a credible voice.

Mercy Corps’s 10-year strategy– the Pathway to Possibility– focuses our efforts on addressing conflict and climate change as drivers of fragility, and partnering with communities, local NGOs, governments, and the private sector to build towards a more inclusive, resilient future. As part of this strategy, Mercy Corps has made a commitment to helping communities adapt to climate change while working towards four core outcomes: peace and good governance, economic opportunities, food security, and water security.

As a key part of this strategy, we have launched an organization-wide research agenda on climate change. The role of migration and mobility in the context of climate change has emerged as a major cross-cutting theme within this research agenda. One of the core thematic areas within the climate change research agenda focuses on how to protect and improve livelihoods alongside climate adaptation. Supporting productive migration can be an important adaptation strategy with positive outcomes for individuals, households, and communities faced with climate impacts. A second thematic area within this research agenda focuses on building evidence about how to reduce conflicts related to climate and the environment, including conflicts related to changes in mobility due to climate variability, as well as conflicts over natural resources such as water and land between all types of displaced populations and host communities.

Mercy Corps has already started advancing these research and programming priorities by securing external grants to evaluate innovative programming approaches related to climate adaptation and mobility in Central America and the Sahel. In the coming years, we are looking to complete and disseminate these studies, while also growing our portfolio of programming and research related to climate adaptation, mobility, migration, and displacement.

General Position Summary

Mercy Corps is seeking a Senior Researcher to lead our existing research studies on climate adaptation and migration and to build and grow a research portfolio that contributes to the broader Climate Change Research Agenda and organization-wide priorities within the Pathway to Possibility.

The ideal Senior Researcher will have a proven record of designing and executing independent research on development and humanitarian programming issues related to climate adaptation, with a focus on themes related to mobility, migration, and displacement in the context of climate change and conflict. The researcher must have familiarity with a range of research methods (including randomized controlled trials), strong writing skills, and a deep understanding of how to link research findings to programming decisions and policy debates. The researcher will serve as a thought-partner to Mercy Corps program teams in their efforts to design and implement climate-smart programming. The Senior Researcher will also serve as a public thought leader, helping to disseminate Mercy Corps’ evidence related to climate adaptation, especially on themes related to mobility, migration, and displacement. Finally, the researcher will contribute to new research proposals and partnerships, to help expand the scope and impact of our programming, research, and influence around these topics.

Essential Job Responsibilities

EVIDENCE GENERATION

• Lead the design, implementation, and dissemination of rigorous research and evaluations focused on Mercy Corps’ programs related to migration, displacement, and mobility in the context of climate change and conflict. Lead and support data collection efforts and analysis and publications related to these projects. At the outset, the priority projects in this research pipeline include:
  • An evaluation of anticipatory remittances responding to climate shocks in Central America.
  • A RCT on a program that aims to facilitate migration as a climate adaptation strategy in West Africa.
• Manage and coordinate the work of external researchers, co-authors, data analysts, research assistants, and consultants to execute studies.
• Collaborate with Mercy Corps technical, research, policy, and program teams, as well as key academic and think tank partners, to develop and execute new research studies.

RESEARCH STRATEGY AND PRIORITY SETTING

• Collaborate with key actors across the organization to identify and prioritize research studies that contribute to the climate change research agenda, as well as to evidence and learning agendas all four of Mercy Corps prioritized outcomes: peace and good governance, economic opportunities, food security, and water security.
• Build alignment across teams within the organization around research priorities and plans, including through regular communications to senior leaders in HQ and the regional and country offices
• Identify and actualize research opportunities that respond to Mercy Corps’ priority questions on climate adaptation– with an emphasis on mobility, migration, and displacement.

COMMUNICATION AND USE OF EVIDENCE

• Produce 2-3 major Mercy Corps research reports per year on topics highlighted in the climate adaptation research agenda, with an emphasis on mobility, migration, and displacement in the context of climate change and conflict.
• Actively promote use of research and evidence to inform program design and implementation and organization-wide strategies and priorities, including through internal communications and forums
• Act as leading external voice in contributing to and influencing policy and practice on climate adaptation issues based on our research, including through representing and presenting at conferences, advocacy meetings, and in other fora.
• Promote awareness and uptake of research through publishing in accessible outlets, participating and presenting in high-profile forums, and leveraging connections with policy makers and thought leaders
• Support Research and Learning, Policy and Advocacy, and Technical Support Unit leadership in developing policy documents and communications as needed, including assisting with the drafting of policy and practice-related talking points and key messages.

PARTNERSHIP AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

• Develop strong relationships with Mercy Corps internal stakeholders, particularly program teams, technical support teams, media and communications, and humanitarian analysis teams.
• Establish and maintain strategic relationships with key external actors including peer NGOs, think tanks, academic institutions, and government officials, and conduct collaborative research and influence with them.
• Identify and lead the development of grant proposals for research funding to further priority topics and questions.

Supervisory Responsibility

• None on a regular basis

Accountability

Reports Directly To: Climate Change Research Lead

Works Directly With: Research Officer, Director of Research and Learning for Peace and Governance, other Research and Learning Team members, Regional and Country Teams, Technical Support Unit, Policy and Advocacy team, Media and Communications Team.

Accountability to Participants and Stakeholders

Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our program participants, community partners, other stakeholders, and to international standards guiding international relief and development work. We are committed to actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.

Minimum Qualifications and Transferable Skills
The ideal candidate will possess many, though perhaps not all, of the following qualifications and characteristics (preferred qualifications are noted in parentheses/italics):

• Advanced degree in a relevant field including international development, economics, geography, political science, environmental science, sociology, or others (PhD preferred).
• At least 3 years relevant experience conducting independent research, analysis and publishing on displacement and migration related topics with a focus on low income conflict-affected or fragile countries (5-7 years preferred).
• Working professional proficiency in French or Spanish (Fluency in both languages preferred).
• Experience with quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and experience applying them in a development or humanitarian context (Experience with randomized controlled trials preferred).
• Familiarity with statistical analysis software (STATA and/or R) and qualitative analysis software (NVivo or Dedoose) (Expertise with at least one quantitative and one qualitative software preferred).
• Professional experience working in countries in Africa or Latin America/Caribbean.
• Familiarity to humanitarian and development programming, the international humanitarian system, and/or relevant policy bodies and processes.
• Extremely strong writing skills, including past experience publishing pieces targeted to practitioner or policy audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate to multiple audiences, including policy makers, practitioners and academics.
• Demonstrated sensitivity, skill and experience in working diplomatically and effectively within diverse cultural settings and in public relations and correspondence with a wide variety of public constituents.

Success Factors

• Ability to design and implement original research that answers questions of relevance to development and humanitarian practitioners and policymakers.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues, peer groups, and officials; and motivation to seek out and establish new relationships.
• Ability to quickly and effectively summarize complex information into clear, concise writing.
• A clear understanding of Mercy Corps’ mission and collaborative style of operation.
• Ability to work simultaneously on multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment and meet deadlines under those conditions.
• Strong grasp of links between research findings, policy outcomes, and program impact.
• Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate with both HQ and country team personnel.
• Computer literate with strong organizational skills.
• Ability to operate with a significant degree of autonomy within agreed upon parameters.
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing conditions and requirements

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions
This position will be based in a Mercy Corps headquarters location, or as a remote position in a jurisdiction where Mercy Corps is able to employ team members. The role will involve travel to Mercy Corps country offices and program sites to support research efforts up to 35% of the year. Mercy Corps team members represent the organization both during and outside work hours when deployed in a country posting or on a visit/TDY to a country posting. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

Ongoing Learning
In support of our belief that learning organizations are more effective, efficient and relevant to the communities we serve, we empower all team members to dedicate 5% of their time to learning activities that further their personal and/or professional growth and development.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer that does not tolerate discrimination on any basis. We actively seek out diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be collectively stronger and have sustained global impact.

We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

Safeguarding & Ethics

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC and have signed on to the Interagency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. We will not tolerate child abuse, sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment by or of our team members. As part of our commitment to a safe and inclusive work environment, team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, respect local laws and customs, and to adhere to Mercy Corps Code of Conduct Policies and

values at all times. Team members are required to complete mandatory Code of Conduct elearning courses upon hire and on an annual basis.

As a safeguarding measure, Mercy Corps screens all potential US-Based employees. This is done following the conclusion of recruitment and prior to assuming full employment.

Our screening process is designed to be transparent and completed in partnership with new Team Members. You will have the opportunity to disclose any prior convictions at the conclusion of the recruitment process before the check is initiated. We ask that you do not disclose any prior convictions in your application materials or during the recruitment process.

Covid-19 Vaccine Policy for US-Based Employees

Mercy Corps has determined that, in an effort to protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Mercy Corps employees working in the United States, all U.S.-based employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, regardless of prior COVID-19 infection status. This policy is necessary to ensure not only the safety of our workforce, but the ongoing functionality of the organization.

This policy will be revised as needed to comply with federal, state, and local requirements, and to respond to changing guidance from public health authorities.

For new employees this requirement goes into effect within 10 business days of employment. Team members that travel are expected to comply with host-country requirements, including vaccinations. Failure to comply may impact your employment. Proof of vaccination or exemption must be provided.

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