Job Details

 
Areas of Accountability:
Research Operations

• Lead the planning and day-to-day implementation of research studies and assessments, ensuring that activities are delivered on time, within scope, and in line with approved methodologies.
• Coordinate logistics for fieldwork, including enumerator recruitment, training, and supervision, and ensure that field teams have the resources and technical guidance required to deliver high-quality data.
• Adapt and apply standardized research tools (e.g., surveys, checklists, FGD/IDI guides, observation templates) across different programmatic areas to ensure comparability and consistency of evidence.
• Oversee rigorous quality assurance mechanisms throughout the research cycle, including piloting of tools, spot checks during fieldwork, real-time data validation, back-checks, and daily debriefs with enumerators.
• Ensure all field activities comply with ethical standards, safeguarding protocols, and data protection policies, particularly when engaging with children and vulnerable populations.

Data Analysis

• Support advanced quantitative and qualitative data analysis using appropriate software (SPSS, STATA, R, NVivo, Kobo, etc.), applying both descriptive and inferential methods to generate actionable insights.
• Work closely with the Senior Specialist to validate and interpret results, ensuring analytical rigor and alignment with program learning needs.
• Maintain a strong repository of raw datasets, codebooks, transcripts, and analysis outputs for institutional memory and future secondary use.

Evidence Generation & Utilization

• Ensure findings are synthesized and communicated through analytical briefs, dashboards, infographics, and narrative reports that are accessible and tailored to different audiences (program teams, donors, policymakers, and communities).
• Contribute evidence inputs to monthly cross-departmental learning reviews and country office performance discussions, highlighting trends, risks, opportunities, and recommendations.
• Facilitate the translation of research findings into actionable programmatic and policy recommendations, ensuring evidence is systematically used to improve design, delivery, and reporting.

Coordination & Learning

• Engage proactively with program teams, thematic leads, and MEAL colleagues to ensure research priorities are aligned with learning agendas and information needs at project and country office levels.
• Facilitate structured dissemination of research findings through learning briefs, presentations, and workshops, ensuring uptake of evidence into program design, adaptive management, and donor reporting.
• Support capacity strengthening of program and MEAL staff in evidence generation, analysis, and interpretation through on-the-job mentoring, training sessions, and technical backstopping.
• Document lessons learned, promising practices, and innovations emerging from research processes, ensuring these are systematically shared and integrated into SCI Sudan’s Evidence & Learning agenda.
• Actively contribute to building partnerships with external research institutions, universities, and peer agencies to enhance knowledge sharing, methodological rigor, and credibility of outputs.

 Accountability & Participation

• Ensure all research and evidence-generation activities fully adhere to Save the Children’s safeguarding policies, Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), and ethical research principles, including informed consent, confidentiality, and data security.
• Design and apply participatory approaches that enable children, parents, and communities to shape research questions, validate findings, and co-develop recommendations, ensuring that their voices directly inform program design, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Promote gender-sensitive, inclusive, and disability-responsive research practices, with particular attention to marginalized groups such as girls, displaced populations, and persons with disabilities.
• Establish and maintain clear feedback and complaints mechanisms linked to research and learning activities, ensuring that community concerns are documented, addressed, and used to adapt programming.
• Monitor risks associated with sensitive research topics (e.g., GBV, protection), working closely with the Senior Specialist to implement mitigation measures, referral pathways, and robust ethical safeguards.
• Build staff and partner capacity on accountability principles and participatory evidence generation, providing technical guidance on integrating community feedback into decision-making and program adaptation.
• Ensure research findings are shared back with participating communities and stakeholders through feedback loops, learning events, and dialogues to strengthen transparency, trust, and two-way communication.
• Regularly report on accountability and participation outcomes, highlighting how community perspectives influence evidence, learning, and adaptation across the country program.

Capacity Development

• Support capacity building of MEAL staff, program teams, and partners on research design, data collection, analysis, and evidence use, ensuring alignment with SCI standards and ethical practices.
• Deliver training and mentorship on quantitative and qualitative methods, digital data collection tools, safeguarding in research, and accountability mechanisms.
• Strengthen partner and community capacities to participate meaningfully in evidence generation, including participatory monitoring and feedback systems.
• Develop user-friendly guidance materials, toolkits, and templates to standardize research and learning practices across the Country Office.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning within SCI Sudan, encouraging cross-team knowledge sharing, reflection sessions, and uptake of evidence into programming and decision-making.
• Support the establishment of peer-learning platforms and internal learning forums to exchange research practices, case studies, and innovative approaches.
• Provide technical backstopping during proposal development to ensure research and learning components are adequately designed, budgeted, and resourced.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree with honors in social sciences, economics, statistics, education, or related field (required); advanced degree (MSc/MA) in a relevant discipline is an asset.
• Minimum of 5 years’ practical experience in research, M&E system coordination, or implementation within international development or humanitarian organizations.