Location: Accra, Ghana
No. of Positions: 1
Position Status: Short Term Technical Assistant
Apply by: February 28, 2023
Duration: 6 months initially, with possible continuation

The USAID/West Africas Peace through Evaluation, Learning and Adaptation II (PELA II) Activity invites applications for the position of a Research Assistant (RA) Short Term Technical Assistant who will be hired for an initial six months on an as-needed basis. There is the possibility that the position may be re-advertised for another six-months following the initial six-month period.

In line with USAID West Africas Regional Development Objective One (RDO 1), of enhancing democracy, peace and stability across the region, PELA II is actively engaged in research to expand knowledge and understanding critical to decision-making; and to more broadly strengthen USAID/West Africas effectiveness in implementing its projects; coordinating its activities related to peace and governance; learning from its experiences; and serving as an information, communication, and thought leader regarding peace promotion and countering violent extremism (CVE) in the West Africa region.

Purpose of the post
The Research Assistant (RA) will be responsible to a technical team of experts including the Democracy & Governance and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (Democracy & Governance and P/CVE) Advisor, to ensure the successful initiation and completion of research activities in time.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

The Research Assistant will liaise with the relevant PELA II technical officers to ensure the smooth running of research activities and projects; and will be accountable to the D&G and P/CVE Advisor, and the team. The RA will be able to:
Support the D&G and P/CVE Advisor, in the management of research activities
Provide support to the technical team for surveys and primary research that contribute to the knowledge and understanding of democracy, governance and P/CVE issues in West Africa
Excellent skills in the following software - MS Office, SPSS or any other statistical package
Conduct online literature searches relevant to current and future related research activities
Conduct assigned research, and summarize findings for the research team
Provide administrative and secretarial support to the research team, such as organizing meetings for, and behalf of the team
Support the research team in collecting relevant data for research purposes
Support the team in writing reports and other relevant products of the research for presentation
Have strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively as part of a team
Excellent organisational skills, attention to detail, and able to manage multiple tasks and responsibilities
Support the PELA II team in other tasks, as needed.

The applicant should:
Have the minimum of a Bachelors degree in a field relevant to Development Assistance such as Peace Studies; Development Studies/Management; International Relations, Political Science, or other related fields
Must have knowledge and some experience in conducting research in the social sciences.
Have professional proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in English and in reading and writing French
Have proven writing research papers in excellent English.
Have a strong background in quantitative and qualitative data analysis
Familiar with the democracy, governance, peace and stability trends in West Africa
Possesses the knowledge and skills to review and summarize literature for research purposes
Good knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation would be helpful.