South Sudan: RESEARCH MANAGER FOR STATE LEVEL POLITICAL ECONOMY AND CONFLICT ANALYSES

Country: South Sudan

Department: ATJP

Research Locations: Jubek with extensive travel

Position Type: Short term Consultancy

Reports to: Research Manager for State Level Political Economy and Conflict Analyses

Duration: 3 months

Background

The UK Department for International Development (“DFID”) has contracted a consortium led by the British Council to support the implementation of its South Sudan Access to Justice Programme (ATJP). The programme is designed to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable; particularly those affected by conflict, those in conflict with the law or in need of accessible and appropriate dispute resolution services. These include women and girls and displaced populations. Individuals in a number of selected communities will be able to access more responsible, accountable and effective justice services from a range of institutions / mechanisms that support the rule of law.

The British Council wishes to recruit an experienced research manager to lead the development of political economy and conflict analyses in the following locations in South Sudan: Jubek, Yei River, Jonglei, Wau, Twic, Gogrial and Imatong States. The research manager will be required to supervise field research teams as they conduct the state and county level analyses.The assignment is planned for April - June 2016.

Purpose

The purpose of political economy and conflict analyses is to provide ATJP with an up-to-date description and assessment of the context in each aforementioned state. These situational analyses will detail the current socio-economic, political, and judicial landscape; map key stakeholders; identify key areas of disputes, and channels and processes for resolving disputes. Based on findings, the research teams will be expected to outline implications for ATJP’s design and implementation, including its engagement and risk mitigation strategies as well as identification of entry points.

Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be expected to design, commission and manage the in-country field research and production of state level political economy and conflict analysis reports for Jubek, Yei River, Jonglei, Wau, Twic, Gogrial and Imatong States.

The state level political economy and conflict analyses are intended to be brief (20-25 pages), operationally focussed, practical and updateable. A research manager will be responsible for day to day oversight of researchers as they conduct in-depth assessments in specific counties, which will identify (1) vulnerable groups, especially women and children and individuals in each community; (2) key conflicts in each community; (3) existing structures and institutions that administer local level justice (e.g. CSOs, CBOs, church outreach committees,) and individuals (e.g. county commissioners, traditional leaders); and (4) what actors are doing, types of programming, and locations.

The methodology and core research questions will be drafted by the research manager with the research team. The methodology will likely include a combination of key informant interviews at the state level and below and desk review (including government data and statistics, reviews and analyses in the public domain). The value of data and analysis will need to be assessed against their potential to improve the design, implementation and impact of the ATJP.

Profile

Required

· Master’s degree in a relevant field.

· Experience conducting field research in South Sudan, with a minimum of 5 years field experience in the region;

· Experience working in fluid, politically sensitive, conflict and post conflict environments

· Track record of producing high quality research publications and managing research teams

· Experience conducting political economy and conflict analysis;

· Experience in research design, qualitative data collection, interview techniques, and analysis.

Preferable

· In-depth knowledge of and extensive contacts with key stakeholders: government, civil society, the media, and academia working in the county;

· Knowledge of South Sudan’s socio-economic, political, and judicial landscape and systems and how they function;

· Language skills specific to one or more of the research sites.

Deliverables

· Full state level political economy and analysis reports, according to a structure agreed with the research manager and the ATJP advisors, reflective of the research findings;

· List of stakeholders and interviewees, anonymised where necessary, with contact details where appropriate;

· Analysis and assessment tables

Timeline

Research fieldwork and outputs will run from April to June 2016.

Interested candidates should submit an updated CV and cover letter outlining their suitability for the assignment to info.atjp@britishcouncil.org. Applications should be received by March 18, 2016.