Research Manager
Location base: Phnom Penh with some regular travel to locations around the country as necessary.
Reports to: Country Director
Type of contract: Fixed Duration contract (start as soon as possible until 31 December 2024 – with the possibility of extension according to funding available)
- Ensure that BBC Media Action research projects in Cambodia are delivered on time, on budget, and to high quality standards.
- Ensure effective research management, monitoring and quality control—making sure research activities, the analysis, and the report are achieved.
- Lead and oversee the development of research plans, instruments, sampling design, and data collection for all research in-house and the commissioning of agencies for quantitative and qualitative research and ensuring the quality of research to inform media production, outreach, and capacity-building activities, and delivering evaluative research to meet donor requirements.
- Plan and monitor resource needs, including creation and input into Gantt charts and research, project and programme plans, and maintain and update delivery dashboard for projects.
- Undertake and oversee quantitative and qualitative data analysis and ensure that interpretation, reporting and dissemination of research findings is of high quality.
- Ensure AIM (BBC Media Action’s internal quality assurance process for research) is being used in every step of the research process.
- Manage the overall budget for research projects and work closely with finance and the project teams to develop, manage, and forecast research budgets; ensure research services and all research activities planned are delivered on time and within the forecasted budget.
- Engage proactively and collaboratively with non-research staff in the office, including the Country Director, and creative production, project and outreach teams to support the development and use of research in the production of BBC Media Action’s creative outputs.
- Understand the needs of the organisation to ensure that all research is tailored and relevant, to deliver simple and valuable insights.
- Prepare and deliver internal research presentations and reports to inform the creative process, monitor and evaluate project effectiveness, and contribute to project strategy.
- Synthesize insights from research findings for business development and overall organisation strategic development – also contribute to business development by developing research plans in proposals and engaging in donor discussions where appropriate.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with relevant stakeholders—academy, government, and civil society partners—for research partnerships and new business opportunities.
- Represent the Research team and BBC Media Action with external and internal stakeholders, including disseminating findings to donors and other interested parties.
- Liaise with colleagues in the London Research and Learning team to ensure research is delivered in line with organisational standards and requirements.
- Line management of Senior Research Officers; and oversee and support the research team for professional development, motivation and research skills improvement.
- Serve as a member of the BBC Media Action Cambodia’s Senior Management Team.
- Factor safeguarding issues into the research design and ensure that relevant safeguarding due diligence is conducted with any research partners.
- Report any Safeguarding concerns immediately, either to the CD, or using the Whistleblowing Policy.
- Understand and comply with the BBC Media Action policies, e.g., the Safeguarding policy and the staff Code of Conduct, and more.
- Participate in relevant mandatory training on Safeguarding and Respect at Work.
- Lead the documentation and dissemination of learnings from all the research projects.
- Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Cambodian citizens.
- Strong research management skills, including planning, budgeting, and resource management.
- Strong qualitative and/or quantitative research skills and experience, including method and instrument design, as well as data management, analysis, and reporting.
- Good quantitative analysis skills with knowledge of Microsoft Excel and other statistical software packages such as SPSS or similar.
- Experience of conducting digital research and innovative technology research, including the use of digital research tools and software and social media analytics.
- Experience of undertaking and managing fieldwork (including management of research agencies and freelancers) and adapting research methods to challenging and resource-constrained conditions.
- Strong research report writing and presentation skills, communicating in non-technical language to a range of audiences.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to engage appropriately with audiences, researchers, partners, senior project staff and donors, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Extensive experience of managing, motivating and developing teams as well as collaborating with diverse teams.
- Ability to plan resource, monitor research progress, manage risks and evaluate outcomes of research with minimal supervision.
- Excellent numeracy skills, including the ability to design, manage and track budgets and expenditures.
- Good organisational and time management skills, with the proven ability to prioritise across multiple tasks, work independently and maintain attention to detail.
- Track record of delivering research findings on time and to a high standard.
- A clear commitment to making a leading contribution to the research environment and producing high-quality research outputs.
- Proven ability to support or contribute to new business and proposal development.
- Fluent in written and spoken English.
- Experience of working in both the media/communications and development sectors, preferably both.
- Ability to travel and work outside of Phnom Penh, with potential overnight stays.
- Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Strong background knowledge and experience of media and communication and/or understanding of the media landscape in Cambodia and the role that media can play.
- Knowledge of Cambodian development context, youth development, and policy environment.
- Experience working with media organisations to apply research findings to production of media outputs and broadcast strategy.
- Advanced skills and experience in large-scale data analysis/complex analysis.
- Experience working with research contexts aimed at informing project development by building a rigorous high-quality evidence base.
Freelance Researcher
The position is for Pool Recruitment
BBC Media Action is recruiting a large pool of freelance researchers (research consultants) to work on a contractual basis dependent upon the needs of the projects. The selected freelance researchers will be kept in a pool that will be invited automatically to work with BBC Media Action in any event that we need freelance researchers to support existing and new research projects. This means that the selected freelance researchers will not go through the recruitment process again if we need freelance researchers to support the fieldwork. The researchers/consultants will have the right to choose whether to accept an assignment or not, based on their availability and discussion of specific assignments, conditions, payments, and timelines with BBC Media Action.
We are looking for freelance researchers who have strong skills in quantitative and/or qualitative research, experience managing fieldwork and analysing data. We are interested in individuals either with a mix of these skills or specialists. The freelance researchers will particularly be assigned to work under supervision of the Senior Research Officer to support research activities for (but not limited to) Klahan9 SPACE project. The freelance researchers will be responsible for assisting in translation of research tools, supporting/managing fieldwork, cleaning and analysing data, interpreting data, and supporting the report writing.
Location base: Phnom Penh will involve traveling for fieldwork within Cambodia
Guidance ad advisory support from: Senior Research Officer
Expected Outputs:
Your responsibilities as a freelance researcher may include but are not limited to:
ACCOUNTABILITY AND REPORTING SYSTEM
The freelance researchers will work under the overall guidance and advisory support of the Senior Research Officer.
DURATION
The freelance researcher is expected to carry out the assignment with BBC Media Action upon request and discussion.
- Managing field research freelancers and overseeing the implementation of fieldwork, including monitoring quality and timely delivery of research outputs.
- Conducting/leading fieldwork or data collection and interview.
- Undertaking qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis and interpretation.
- Taking part in research report writing and presentation of findings.
- Communicating effectively with different stakeholders, including local authorities, networks, and partners to facilitate fieldworks/data collection assignment.
- Supporting the translation of research tools.
- Complying with BBC Media Action’s safeguarding policy and the staff code of conduct. Ensuring that good safeguarding practice and ‘do no harm’ principles are reflected in all research activities.
- Adhering to all relevant BBC safety rules, procedures, and guidelines.
- To be considered for the freelance researcher pool, you should possess the following qualifications:
- At least 4 years of experience with quantitative and/or qualitative research and approaches.
- Strong qualitative and/or quantitative research knowledge, skills and experience (including instrument design and data management and analysis).
- Experience of undertaking or managing fieldwork (including management of fieldwork freelancers) and adapting research methods to challenging and resource-constrained conditions.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with local authority, researchers, staff, and other partners.
- Tracked records of delivering research findings on time and to a high standard.
- Strong report writing and presentation skills.
- Ability to plan and work with minimal supervision.
- Fluent in written and spoken English and Khmer.
- Strong IT skills, including Excel, PowerPoint, and experience using data analysis software such as SPSS (or similar).
- Ability to travel and work outside of Phnom Penh, with potential overnight stays.
