Over the past 16 years, the IRC has pioneered and implemented programs that prevent and respond to violence against women and children, as well as other vulnerable groups in refugee settings and in other conflict-affected contexts, making the IRC a global leader in this field. IRC is one of the first humanitarian organizations to bring together specific expertise involved in violence prevention and response in conflict affected settings to ensure collaborative and still specialized support to survivors and those at risk of violence. This expertise is housed in the Violence Prevention and Response Unit (VPRU), which is responsible for ensuring overall quality and communication of VPR work within the IRC through support to the field and promulgation of global best practice.
Violence Prevention & Response Unit (VPRU)
The Violence Prevention and Response Unit (VPRU) works to reduce people’s vulnerability to and support their recovery from violence and promote transformative work for a future free from violence. The unit houses expertise in the fields of Child Protection, Protection and Rule of Law, and Women’s Protection and Empowerment to support women, children and other vulnerable groups through violence prevention programs that help stop violence before it happens and violence response programs that ensure lifesaving services for people affected by violence. IRC supports programs in 35 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe the Middle East and Latin America.
Airbel Impact Lab
The Airbel Impact Lab – the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC’s) research and innovation team – designs, tests, and scales life-changing, cost-effective solutions for people affected by conflict and disaster. By applying deep technical expertise and field experience with a range of skills from research to human-centered design, we take a multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving in humanitarian contexts. We are a leading contributor of impact evaluations and other research in humanitarian settings. Our portfolio consists of nearly 300 research and innovation projects across 40 countries; and we’ve collectively published over 150 journal articles in peer-reviewed publications on education, nutrition, violence prevention, health and economic programs. We use this research to increase the IRC's impact and to change the way humanitarian aid is delivered around the world.
The Purpose of the Role
This Violence Prevention and Response Researcher would sit within VPRU with a dual reporting line into the IRC’s Airbel Impact Lab, to provide oversight, guidance and support to VPRU’s research portfolio on the prevention and response to violence against women in crisis and conflict affected contexts. This role will work specifically on The What Works 2 Impact at scale Program- (WW2), a global flagship seven-year Program funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to improve prevention and response to violence against women and girls. The WW2 Program is located within the Violence Prevention and Response Unit (VPRU) at International Rescue Committee and is implemented by a consortium of five partners namely IRC, Raising Voices, CARE, SD Direct and SAMYA/ Breakthrough. The role will coordinate with a research consortium that will deliver impact evaluations and operational research to identify what works in preventing violence, from the interventions supported by the What Works 2 Program and then communicating it to decision-makers and a range of different audiences to influence a more effective, scaled-up global response to end VAWG. The position will also be responsible for supporting the development of a research strategy for VPRU including proactive engagement of university partners, especially from the Global South, and identifying potential pipeline of research funding,
Key Accountabilities:
Violence Research strategy design and implementation (20%):
•Co-lead with the Child Protection researcher the development of the VPRU research strategy, in collaboration with VPRU GPLs, MEL colleagues and other VPRU and Airbel colleagues, including the establishment of annual objectives and workplans to deliver the research strategy
•Support research related business development activities, including developing concept notes and proposals, and support new partnerships with Global South Researchers for new opportunities.
Work Works 2 (50%)
•Ensure all studies adhere to the What Works ‘ways of working’ including collaborative decision-making and management procedures and others
•Support grantees and the Learning Partnership pillar technical advisors in brokering researcher-practitioner relationships as well as mediating researcher-practitioner challenges
•Lead the scoping of possible projects/ research ideas for scaling VAWG prevention and support evaluation of grantee proposals for research potential and strategic value towards filling globally identified evidence gaps in violence against women and girl to be presented to join t consortia, FCDO and IAB
•Support Learning Partnership pillar to advance standardization of capturing practice-based knowledge for VAWG prevention and response
•Steward articulation and adherence of research-focused feminist principles and values in studies and document lessons learned for feminist-grounded research within a large consortium and use insights to influence donors, academics, and policymakers.
•Ensure clear communication and knowledge management of coordination and communications across studies, pillars, and consortia, including transparent note-taking and sharing during monthly meetings.
•Synthesize available evidence and disseminate it to the field of VAWG prevention in conjunction with the What Works External Engagement and Influencing pillar
•Be a part of the What Works Programme Management Unit and the learning partnerships pillar
Key Working Relationships
•Position Reports to: The researcher will report into the Senior Director in VPRU and the Senior Director of Research in Airbel.
•Direct Reports: N/A
Key Internal Relationships:
•VPRU Deputy Director
•What Works 2 Project team and partners
•Child Protection Researcher
•VPRU MEAL Lead
•Global Practice Leads for Child Protection, WPE and PROL
•VPR Regional Leads across 6 regions, and regional Technical Advisors
•VPRU Inclusion Lead
•VPRU Policy and Advocacy Lead and WPE Policy Officer
•VPRU Business Development and Partnership Lead
•Airbel Impact Lab
Key External Relationships: CP Alliance, CP AoR, GBV AoR, GPC, UNICEF, UNHCR
Person Specification:
Education: Masters or PhD; in social epidemiology, public health, economics, sociology, quantitative or quantitative sciences
Work Experience: Candidates with a PhD 3-5 years of experience or Master’s with 6-8 years of experience working in research on topics related to violence against women, humanitarian emergencies or other violence focused related topics
Demonstrated Skills and Competencies
•Ability to work across sectors coordinating research studies and bring people together from different perspective to work collaboratively
•Knowledge of ethical principles related to sensitive study topics, such as women protection and violence research
•Robust network of Global South researchers
•Proven qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis skills, with a stronger focus on participatory qualitative approaches
•Experience conducting research and evaluation in violence prevention in humanitarian settings
•Excellent oral and written communication and attention to detail
•Strong research publication and funding track record
•Commitment to adhere to Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion principles and uphold Child Safeguarding standards.
•English is required, French is highly preferred, and Arabic, Spanish, Swahili or other language would be beneficial.
Working Environment: Standard work environment. The position will require approximately 25% travel. This position could be based in UK, Lebanon and Cote D’Ivoire.
Compensation:
Posted pay ranges apply to US and UK-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.
US Benefits:
The IRC offers a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. All US employees are eligible for sick time, a 403b retirement savings plans: up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus an 3-7% additional IRC contribution, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support in times of crisis and mental health struggles.
In addition, full-time employees are eligible for 10 US paid holidays, 20-25 paid time off days, disability & life insurance, medical, dental, and vision insurance (employee contribution starting at $135, $7, and $5 per month respectively) and FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs. Part-time employees are eligible for a proportionate amount of paid time off. These additional benefits apply to employees who work at least 6 months within a 12 month time period.
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