BACKGROUND:
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a non-profit, research-for-development organization that works with governments, civil society and the private sector to solve water problems in developing countries and scale up solutions. Through partnership, IWMI combines research on the sustainable use of water and land resources, knowledge services and products with capacity strengthening, dialogue and policy analysis to support implementation of water management solutions for agriculture, ecosystems, climate change and inclusive economic growth. IWMI is headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, with regional offices across Asia and Africa. IWMI is a CGIAR Research Center and leads the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). www.iwmi.org
THE PERSON AND THE JOB:
The Research Officer – Policy and Water Governance will work mainly on the project “Solar Irrigation for Agriculture Resilience (SoLAR)” based in Pakistan. The incumbent will contribute to the research activities that include literature reviews, field data collection, data analysis, coordination with stakeholders and project partners. She/he will also take part in organizing project related events, workshops, trainings and field visits involving various stakeholders.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Be part of the research team during fieldwork, participating in interdisciplinary research activities, including data collection, processing and analysis, in the thematic issues such as policy, institutions, water governance, rural livelihoods, impact evaluation, gender equality and social inclusion issues of SoLAR project.
- Play a key role in coordinating project activities in different case study sites in the province of Punjab, Pakistan.
- Provide support to the project partners (Government counterparts) in collecting primary and secondary data, both qualitative and quantitative.
- Work closely with local farmers and be the key communicator with them on weekly basis.
- Assist in data collection from different project sites by conducting field surveys, phone calls, physical measurements through instruments, choice experiments and digitize the data for proper archival.
- Provide support to organizing and facilitating capacity building training and interaction in the project sites.
- Contribute to building positive relationships with the government, civil society and other stakeholders.
- Provide support to organizing meetings, dialogues and workshops for the project.
- Assist in preparing high quality project reports according to project timelines.
- Provide support to preparing project-specific communication materials.
- Provide support to increasing the visibility of IWMI through the preparation of blogs and articles in local newspapers, and participating in local knowledge forums.
- Arrange the logistics for the research site visits by IWMI and other international project partners.
Requirements QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE: - Master’s degree in development studies or a related social science discipline, or agriculture, water resources management or agricultural engineering with specialization in social science approaches (e.g., economic geography, rural sociology, impact evaluation, governance, public policy and institutional analysis) in these sectors.
- A minimum of 2 years’ experience in development and/or research project management in the field of natural resources management.
- Extensive experience in conducting field research in impact evaluation studies and/or social science applied in natural resource management.
- Experience working in the field of rural development and/or research and willingness to live in rural areas for long periods, at least two weeks.
- Ability to prepare high quality project reports and publications.
- Good working knowledge of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI).
- Familiarity with both qualitative and quantitative research methods in the field of social science research, particularly in the areas of public policy, impact evaluation, institutions and governance issues of water resources and/or natural resources; economic geography or agricultural water management.
- Knowledge of rural livelihoods, farming/agricultural systems, surface and High Efficiency Irrigation systems (HEIS) and solar-powered irrigation.
- Familiarity with technologies for efficient use of water in the face of climate change and other drivers of change.
- Knowledge on critical social, economic, ecological, technical, institutional and policy issues faced by the agriculture sector in Pakistan.
- Good working knowledge, experience and sound understanding of Geographic Information System (GIS) applications for natural resources and water sector (desirable).
- Understanding of water governance and management in the context of Pakistan.
- Ability to travel regularly between research sites situated in different districts of Punjab, and to support project activities on the ground and work with IWMI office in Lahore.
- Ability to deliver project outputs on time with guidance from the supervisor/project leader.
- Ability to interact effectively with officials in other agencies.
- Knowledge of diversity, inclusion, discrimination and gender issues in Pakistan.
- Respect and practice organizational values and work with professional integrity.
- Excellent written and spoken English.
- Ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment.
- Ability to demonstrate effective teamwork skills.
- Sound personal organization and priority setting skills.
- Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
- Good written and spoken Urdu. Punjabi desirable.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work as part of a team.
Benefits This is a
nationally recruited position based at IWMI Lahore office in Pakistan. The duration of the contract will be for a two-year period with the possibility of extension based on performance, availability of funds and institute requirements. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a transport allowance, medical insurance for self and eligible dependents, as well as life, AD&D and long-term disability insurance.
Your application must include a copy of your curriculum vitae, cover letter which addresses IWMI's requirements stated above, and contact information of three professional referees, who will be contacted if you are short-listed for the position, and must be attached as one file. IWMI is an equal opportunity employer and emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusiveness in identifying candidates for this position and its staff more generally.