JOB DESCRIPTION

Title : Research Officer
Reports to : Head of Research
Based : Dhaka, Bangladesh
Duration : 6 Months with strong likelihood of extension
Start Date : ASAP

Summary of the Role:
BBC Media Action is recruiting Research Officer (RO) to support research activities in the Bangladesh office. The role will be based in the BBC Media Action office in Dhaka with frequent travel to Cox’s Bazaar and other field locations. The RO will be responsible for managing, compiling and analysing large scale data sets. S/he will be responsible for identifying the trends over time, needs and gaps of the information from the existing data sets, In addition s/he will be responsible for assisting with the design, monitoring and supervision of quantitative research as well as acting as a point of contact between the research team and external research agencies. S/he will also manage the analysis of data and report and disseminate key research findings to appropriate audiences. As such, candidates for this role are expected to have substantial knowledge and experience in quantitative analysis and research skills.

Context:
Established in 1998, BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development charity. Working with media and communication to help reduce poverty and support people in claiming their rights, our aim is to inform, connect and empower people around the world. BBC Media Action reaches some 200 million people through local broadcast partners, BBC channels (especially the BBC World Service), online, mobile and print platforms and through interpersonal communication. We are currently delivering projects in 28 countries, including in Bangladesh. BBC Media Action has been working on communication for development projects in Bangladesh since 2005, giving us a well-developed understanding of Bangladeshi audiences and significant experience of producing and evaluating media content on a range of issues to diverse target audiences.

The Research & Learning (R&L) Group based in London and in each of our country offices, focuses on four key activities: (1) providing BBC Media Action projects with audience and market insights to guide project strategies; (2) conducting quantitative and qualitative research studies to capture the impact of all of Media Action’s interventions; (3) building capacity in research skills and methodology and (4) documenting and disseminating the insights and learning from BBC Media Action’s projects internally and to the wider development community.

Job Purpose
The Research Officer (RO) will support the delivery of research activities conducted to inform and evaluate BBC Media Action's media development and development communications projects, under the supervision of the Head of Research. The RO will be responsible for managing, compiling and analysing large scale data sets with a keen eye for identifying trends, needs and gaps of information from data. The RO will be responsible for the quality of quantitative analysis and interpretation, ensuring that the research is useful and used by BBC Media Action and other partners. The RO will be coached and mentored by the head of research, who will provide technical support on research activities where appropriate and professional development opportunities.

Main Duties

  • Lead the analysis of large-scale data sets using statistical software packages, interpreting and communicating the results through the production of reports and other information products.
  • Prepare and give research presentations for internal and external audiences, including partner organisations, donors and NGOs.
  • Prepare research designs and RFPs/research briefs, evaluate proposals and supervise external research agencies to carry out data collection and other research fieldwork.
  • Design and review research instruments such as questionnaires and discussion guides prepared by agencies/internal clients/research assistants.
  • Liaise with agencies/field teams in conducting fieldwork, including briefing the field team and supervising the pretesting/piloting of the research instruments, and recruitment of research participants as needed. Monitor and control the quality of fieldwork/data collection.
  • Review the latest trends and developments in research methodologies related to behaviour change, impact assessment and communications research, and evaluate their suitability to Media Action’s Research and Learning work.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience

  1. A minimum Bachelor Degree from statistics/applied statistics/bio statistics or other relevant discipline.
  2. Highly competent in quantitative data analysis using statistical software, particularly SPSS and MS Excel. Experience with R, Strata, Power BI or other statistical software will be an added benefit.
  3. Good knowledge of research and data base management, with an emphasis on quantitative methods.
  4. Strong IT skills, including Excel and Power point
  5. Strong written and spoken Bangla and English.
  6. Strong report writing skills, with the proven ability to communicate complex technical ideas using non-technical language to a wide range of audiences including journalists, production staff and development practitioners.
  7. Good time management skills, with a track record of delivering research findings to deadline.
  8. Demonstrable understanding of cultural diversity and cross-cultural research within Bangladesh.
  9. Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills: ability to communicate and conduct business at all levels from grassroots to the highest levels of governments and media.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience

  1. Previous experience in international development or media research.
  2. Previous research experience working with NGOs

Applications: Interested applicants should carefully complete the BBC Media Action job application form by downloading from the link and email to applications@bd.bbcmediaaction.org mentioning the position in the subject field. The deadline for submitting applications is midnight on 21 August 2018.