Country Research Coordinator Refugee-Led Initiatives in the Middle East

The Centre for Lebanese Studies at the Lebanese American University is now recruiting three Country Research Coordinators to collaborate on the development and implementation of the project Refugee-Led Initiatives in the Middle East

These 15-months positions /three days a week will be based in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, collaborating through remote technology with a multi-sited research team. 

The Country Research Coordinator in each country will contribute to the development of the research methodology, lead on an aspect of the research project, collaborate in data analysis and the preparation of results, and play an active role in the mobilisation of research results through academic and policy outputs. These positions will work under the supervision of Dr Oroub EL-ABED, the Regional Research Coordinator, and with the support of Dr. James Milner, Carleton University and in coordination with our research partners in East African led by Professor Alexander Betts, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford.

Background:

The Centre for Lebanese Studies at the Lebanese American University with its partner at Carleton University, the Local Engagement Refugee Research Network (LERRN) are planning to undertake a longitudinal study to understand the factors that influence the impact of refugee-led Initiatives as service-delivery providers in humanitarian settings in the Middle East. It is commonly claimed that RLIs may sometimes be more effective, efficient, and legitimate in their responses compared to other humanitarian actors. However, there is a lack of systematic evidence to support such claims.

The project has three main aims: 1) document the scope and the shape of refugee led initiatives in the region and explain their impact on humanitarian responses (impact); 2) understand the opportunities and constraints, including local, national, and international politics, that shape their work (politics); 3) identify best practices and their relationship with the wider host community in order to enhance their impact (mechanisms).

Scope:

Research will take place in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Our intention is to identify a minimum of 10-15 refugee-led initiatives within each country (or organisations with strong refugee representation in them, should it prove difficult to identify RLIs in a given country), giving a minimum of 40-60 organisations in the entire study. Selection criteria for our overall sample will be co-designed with refugee community research teams, but will include considerations such as representation from urban and camp/settlement locations in each country, and a range of locations, nationality groups, and activities in each country in order to explore variation across contexts.

Research Methods

The researchers will be involved in co-developing and refining the research questions, co-designing the research tools, conducting and analysing the qualitative and quantitative data collected, co-producing the results, and actively engaged as partners in the publication and dissemination processes. In this way, the project will be pioneering in its effort to develop an evidence base that is generated by refugees for the benefit of refugee communities.

Responsibilities:

Working under the supervision of the Regional Research Coordinator Dr EL-ABED, the Country Research Coordinators will:

• Collaborate with the research to develop a methodology appropriate for the project;
• Lead on the implementation on the project methodology in their country of focus;
• Co-design and implement a data collection strategy appropriate for their national context;
• Advise on the process to secure research permits as appropriate for their national context;
• Facilitate linkages with refugee-led organizations in their national context;
• Contribute to cross-national knowledge exchange and learning;
• Contribute to the analysis of data collected across contexts;
• Contribute to the preparation of research results;
• Contribute to the mobilisation of research results as deemed appropriate by the research team; and
• Participate in research and policy dialogue activities throughout the project

Requirements:

The three Country Research Coordinator positions will have:

• Completed a degree in a field of the social sciences relevant to the focus of this project (Development, Forced Migration, Anthropology, etc) with a preference given to candidates who have completed a graduate degree or specialized training in social sciences methodology;
• Demonstrated experience in research methods and collaborations relevant to this project;
• Demonstrated experience in preparing research results through reports and research papers in fields relevant to this project; and,
• Experience working independently, in cross-cultural contexts, and in a dynamic research team environment.

While all eligible candidates are encouraged to apply, preference will be given to candidates who contribute to the diversity of the research team, especially in terms of: the profile of researchers, the ability to lead and cooperate with the big team, the range of methodological expertise necessary to undertake this research.