Job Description

Title: Qualitative/ Participatory Researcher

Company Name: Terre des hommes

Vacancy: Not specific

Job Location: Dhaka

Employment Status: Full-time

Educational Requirements:
∎ Master's in anthropology/social sciences/development studies or similar field

Experience Requirements:
∎ 5 to 7 year(s)

Job Context:
∎ Position based in: Dhaka, Bangladesh
∎ Desired date for taking-up duty: As immediate, 2021
∎ Post Type: Full Time
∎ Contract Type: Initially 12 months with possibility of extension
∎ Hierarchical and organizational links-
∎ Reports to : Senior Participatory Action Researcher
∎ Coordinates with : CLARISSA Country Coordinator, IDS focal person, MEL coordinator, Senior Social Protection Focal Point, Regional Administrator, Technical Expert and Head of Programme from Tdh, Advocacy Expert, Social Worker etc.
∎ Direct line manager of : N/A
∎ Project: Child Labour-Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA)
∎ Background:
∎ CLARISSA is a consortium partnership programme led by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and implemented in partnership with Terre des hommes, Child Hope UK and Consortium for Street Children to generate a strong evidence base on, and innovative solutions to, the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) in Bangladesh and Nepal. The programme focuses on surfacing key drivers of the worst forms of child labour and developing interventions to counteract them. The primary beneficiaries of the programme are children in the worst forms of child labour and those who are vulnerable to being drawn into it. The families of these children will benefit from greater resilience to shocks, better options for their children`s safe and healthy future and less intra-family stress and conflict.
∎ PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH including CHILDREN`S RESEARCH GROUPS will form a core programme approach. The action research process will generate evidence-based activities and innovations and pilots aimed at changing the realities and agency of child labourers and the development and scale up of child focused strategies.
∎ THEMATIC RESEARCH entails a rigorous and coherent research agenda for the overarching themes of urban neighbourhoods and supply chains. Very little work has been done to map the spatial, relational and commercial dynamics of child labour in its worst forms, obscuring potential points for intervention to shift urban and supply chain systems. In response to these knowledge gaps the thematic research has created a set of research questions which will help identify the dynamics which produce and reproduce the worst forms of child labour within neighbourhoods and supply chains. Some of the questions hold the space for action research to `test` points of intervention to reduce child labour in its worst forms. These actions may seek to transition the system away from use of child labour and / or focus on making child labour less harmful for the children.

Job Responsibilities:
∎ A Child Centred Programme:
∎ Children's agency is at the centre of this programme: The programme supports children to collect child-focused evidence and will generate child-focused and child-identified solutions. It undertakes a Child Rights approach with a strong emphasis on safeguarding. All programme actions takes into account and respects the right of the child, as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
∎ Action Research:
∎ The core driver of innovation in this programme is Participatory and Systemic Action Research.
∎ Action research is a programming modality which combines evidence gathering and learning from action. It is designed to enable diverse groups to meet over a period of time to consider evidence and generate theories of change about interventions; plan and programme innovative solutions; test the solutions in real time, and then evaluate them. In this way action research groups act as engines of new innovation. These cycles of action and reflection continue until a robust model of action is developed, trialed and can be scaled. The programme will link multiple and parallel action research groups to form a sophisticated architecture for adaptive learning and management (systemic action research) and will ensure that children are central to this process. Activities of action research groups will typically be oriented towards self-help and mutual aid activities but will also contribute to the development of local institutional solutions (including those of local NGO's/ employers etc.).
∎ A typical action research process involves multiple meetings over a period of between a year and eighteen months. It is necessary to go through the following phases in building action research groups:
∎ Contextual research to identify the drivers of child labour and consequently the different foci of action research groups;
∎ A series of trust building meetings (which can be accompanied by visits to households, street sites and or work sites);
∎ Local evidence gathering around the specific issues being explored;
∎ Generation of Theories of Change and Actions, and potential indicators of success;
∎ Implementation of actions and monitoring and assessment of intervention outcomes;
∎ Refining actions and developing new actions based on the assessment of the early phase actions;
∎ Bringing significant successes into cross action research learning groups with a view to scaling.
∎ Overall purpose of the role:
∎ The Qualitative Researcher will be primarily responsible for overseeing the thematic research component in Bangladesh. She or he will be responsible for independently leading qualitative research component of CLARISSA. She or he will also be the focal person to exchange learning between the thematic research and Action Research Groups and other participatory processes that form a critical part of the implementation of the CLARISSA programme in Bangladesh. She or he may also contribute to the facilitating some action research alongside the participatory facilitators as needed.
∎ Duties and Responsibilities:
∎ Liaising with IDS and consortium Thematic Research Team to ensure that the methodological approach designed for thematic research in the country is effectively implemented
∎ Lead and engage in spatial mapping to identify spatial dynamics which lead to worst forms of child labour
∎ Lead participatory mapping by providing children's research group with technical mapping skills, enabling analysis of the maps, identifying themes for neighbourhood-based action research, and supporting the generation of innovative action with a spatial focus
∎ Lead Reality Check Analysis (RCA) type shadowing of families and home stays in low-resource neighbourhoods, co-analyse observations, identify Action Research groups, generate evidence around key themes, generate activity level theory of change, and assess impact of actions
∎ Lead the shadowing of informal small businesses in supply chain and support participatory facilitators to collectively explore critical factors and to generate business level evidence and identify solutions to them within the group
∎ Facilitate Participatory Action Research groups, Children's Research Group and other participatory processes where appropriate
∎ Integrate the data of the thematic research with other data streams within the CLARISSA programme

Additional Requirements:
∎ 5 to 7 years' experience of doing qualitative research
∎ Strong participatory facilitation skills
∎ Proven experience of facilitating participatory discussions
∎ Proven experience of independently managing qualitative research projects or complex research-based programmes
∎ Proven experience of working with marginalized and disadvantaged communities, preferably in low-resource urban neighbourhoods
∎ Familiarity with a range of participatory tools and approaches with marginalized and disadvantaged communities including children
∎ Experience and knowledge of safeguarding and risk assessment with vulnerable and marginal groups
∎ Fluency in spoken and written Bangla and English.
∎ Knowledge:
∎ Good understanding of the realities faced by children in the worst forms of child labour and those who are vulnerable to being drawn into it
∎ Knowledge of the leather sector in Bangladesh
∎ Strong competence in using MS Office
∎ Use of NVIVO for qualitative coding
∎ Personal attributes:
∎ Passion for the programmed approach e.g. participatory approach, child centeredness
∎ Passion for qualitative research with vulnerable children and community living in marginalised context
∎ Interest in working with children in low resourced areas of Dhaka
∎ Self-motivated, goal-oriented, flexible and adaptive manners, enthusiastic, and entrepreneurial attitude
∎ Commitment to team and collaborative working
∎ Understanding of the value and importance of supervision and ability to accept supervision.
∎ Comfortable facilitating emergent processes, allowing outcomes to emerge through dialogue and action over time
∎ Willingness to accept new responsibilities as and when those are assigned by the line supervisor.
∎ Others:
∎ Accept new responsibilities as and when those are assigned by the line supervisor.
∎ The post holder is polite, respectful, honest, punctual (and respects deadlines), creative, pacifist, proactive, committed and - during office hours - non-political. S/he is in constant exchange with colleagues and supervisors, communicates problems and enriches discussions. S/he treats people of different religion, age, sex, and economic status appropriate and equally and actively ensures their wellbeing and raises his/her voice when required. S/he is willing to improve own capacities and is open for all topics Tdh is working on to actively contribute to a comprehensive programme implementation.
∎ S/he uses Tdh equipment, vehicles and premises, internet and electricity economically and responsibly. S/he positively represents Tdh to beneficiaries, stake holders and the general public.

Job Source: Bdjobs.com Online Job Posting.

Application Deadline: 20 Oct 2021

Company Information:
∎ 11 Oct 2021
∎ Terre des hommes
∎ Address : House 9, Apt. A3 & B3, Road 4, Block F, Banani, Dhaka-1213
∎ Web : www.tdh.ch
∎ Business : Committed to Child Health and Child Relief

Category: NGO/Development

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