Vacancy: Program Officer, Research

Democracy International, Bangladesh

Democracy International, Inc. (DI), a USA based international organization, is implementing Democratic Participation and Reform in Bangladesh (DPR) under a 5 years cooperative agreement with United States Agency for International Development (USAID). DI’s DPR program activities seek to promote broader participation in Bangladeshi political parties, especially among women and youth, encourage support for internal political party reform, strengthen the capacity of parties to access and utilize information and research, and improve the environment for more responsive politics.

A core objective of this program is to enable political parties to increase their capacity to use evidence-based research in decision-making. DI has successfully developed and deployed multiple national public opinion surveys as well as other geographically or demographically targeted surveys. Under direct supervision of Senior Research Manager and Director of Research, the Program Officer will work with Democracy International (DI) research team to manage all aspects of DI’s research program in Bangladesh.­

Key Responsibilities:

  • Assist DI research team in all aspects of research activities as required;
  • Design research instruments such as survey questionnaires, research methodology, analyze survey results, conduct focus group discussions and write reports;
  • Monitor and control the quality of fieldwork/data collection by research agencies commissioned and/or data collected by in-house researchers;
  • Search for ways to improve data collection, research design, moderation and analysis of data;
  • Work closely with senior researchers in analysis of qualitative and/or quantitative data;
  • Review the latest trends and developments in research methodologies related to Bangladesh politics.

Required Skills and Experiences:

  • Program Officermust be able to pay meticulous attention to detail and have strong analytical skills;
  • Demonstrate an active commitment to research;
  • Demonstrated ability to research policies and data, and present findings in a clear and concise manner;
  • Experience in conducting both quantitative and qualitative research;
  • High level of skills with qualitative data analysis software (SPSS);
  • Able to maintain confidentiality & neutrality;
  • Ability to communicate at all levels of personnel including vendors, trainees, experts, and consultants.

Required Qualifications and Competencies:

  • Bangladeshi Nationality;
  • Bachelor degree in Statistics from reputed university (advanced degree preferred);
  • Minimum 5years of related experience with professional research organizations;
  • Advanced expertise in Excel and SPSS;
  • Excellent command of English, verbal and writing;
  • Ability to work well within a fast-paced environment with minimal supervision;
  • Good interpersonal skill and problem solving abilities;
  • Well organized, strong filing and archiving skills;
  • Ability to multi-task and strong commitment to meet deadlines.

Application Instructions:

  • Interested and qualified persons are requested to:
    • Send an application letter/emailaddressing relevant skills and qualifications as highlighted above;
    • Attached updated resume;
    • Send these to infobangladesh@democracyinternational.com or by mail Democracy International, House # 11/A, Road # 99, Apt. # 5/A, Gulshan-2, Dhaka-1212.
  • Please write “Program Officer, Research” as the subject on the email or on the envelope’s top left corner of your mail application. Our system will not process your application unless you write this accurately in the subject line of your email.
  • Emailed application and its attachment should be less than 200Kb. Please do not attach anything other than application letter and resume.
  • Deadline for application submission is 8 PM Dhaka local time, Thursday April 24, 2014.
  • Only short listed candidates will be contacted.
  • Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.
  • No phone calls please.

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