Research Assistant – DFI Transparency Initiative

Salary: £27,000 – 30,000 depending on experience

Fixed term contract (12 months)

UK based/remote working

Publish What You Fund is the global campaign for aid and development transparency. We envisage a world where aid and development information is transparent, available and used for effective decision-making, public accountability and lasting change for all citizens. We are now looking for a Research Assistant to support our DFI Transparency Initiative and in particular our initial assessment of DFI transparency.

Job summary

Publish What You Fund is looking for a detail-oriented, numerate Research Assistant to support our work on development finance institution (DFI) transparency. The immediate priority is to produce the forthcoming initial assessment of the transparency of leading DFIs, which is based on the DFI Transparency Tool that was recently launched by Publish What You Fund. This work includes assisting with methodology development, supporting data collection and analysis for the assessment; assisting with stakeholder engagement; contributing to drafting the assessment report; and supporting the launch of the report and other communications.

The Research Assistant will also provide broader research and administrative support for the DFI Transparency Initiative. This may include contributing to supplementary pieces of research and developing publications for communications such as blogs. It also includes making and maintaining connections with people working on DFI transparency and related issues in academic, advocacy or policy settings.

The position is offered on a twelve month fixed term contract. This is a UK-based position with remote working and visits to London office.

Roles and responsibilities

1) Assist with the production of the forthcoming initial assessment of DFI transparency, including:

• Supporting the development of the methodology for Publish What You Fund’s initial assessment of DFI transparency.
• Supporting data collection for the assessment.
• Liaising with stakeholders including DFIs and civil society to build engagement with the assessment process.
• Contributing to data analysis and drafting for the assessment report, DFI briefs, and other communications products.
• Supporting the assessment report launch, including fact-checking, editing, proof-reading and event support.

2) Provide general research and administrative support to the DFI Transparency Initiative team, including:

• Making and maintaining contact with relevant stakeholders including DFIs, civil society, and private sector development actors.
• Supporting the research team in arranging and attending research interviews.
• Contributing to administrative tasks within the team including taking minutes for team meetings.
• Building and maintaining networks of contacts in DFI transparency and related fields.

Essential skills and experience

• Basic understanding of development finance institutions (DFIs), and how they operate.
• Experience in primary data collection and analysis from a variety of sources, including quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Clear and concise writing style, including ability to describe research findings and analysis in non-technical language.
• Confidence and fluency when dealing with colleagues and external stakeholders.
• The ability to take initiative and deliver on time.

Desirable skills and experience

• Experience in writing for public audiences.
• Experience and knowledge of the international aid system and aid projects.
• Experience and knowledge of transparency and open government initiatives.
• Experience in planning and hosting public events.
• Language skills, especially French, Spanish or Chinese.

How to apply

The deadline for applications is January 3rd 2022. Please send your CV (max 2 pages) and a covering letter (max. 1 page) to: recruitment@publishwhatyoufund.org with the subject line: “DFI research assistant”, outlining:

• Why you want to work at Publish What You Fund.
• What you think the challenges of collecting primary data for the assessment of DFI transparency are.
• Why you are suitable for the role, addressing the responsibilities and experience required as listed above.

You can download the job description below:

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Women’s Economic Empowerment Consultants – based in Uganda, Ethiopia and Pakistan

Publish What You Fund is looking for individual consultants with research and advocacy experience based in Uganda, Ethiopia and Pakistan to support research and advocacy work for our Women’s Economic Empowerment project.

Introduction and background

Publish What You Fund is an independent NGO combining robust research and technical expertise with targeted advocacy in order to make aid and development efforts more transparent and effective.

In October 2020, Publish What You Fund embarked on a multi-year project to improve the transparency of funding towards women’s economic empowerment (WEE).

This study will map funding to women’s economic empowerment, women’s financial inclusion (WFI) and women’s empowerment collectives (WECs), as well as assessing which donors have a gender integration (GI) approach. We are looking to map a range of funding flows including ODA, private, philanthropic and national and sub-national expenditure to these areas. We will do so through a country case study approach focusing on Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Ultimately, we will use our findings to advocate for more effective investments in WEE at the country and global level through targeted engagement with key donors and policy makers.

Description of assignment

We are looking for individual country-based consultants for Uganda, Ethiopia and Pakistan respectively.

The country-based consultants will be responsible for:

• Conducting independent desk-based research.
• Stakeholder mapping of government, donor and civil society organisations.
• Lead in identifying relevant individuals for key informant interviews (KIIs) and arranging, conducting and analysing KIIs.
• Supporting and monitoring a potential country funding survey dissemination.
• Working under the supervision of the Project Manager to ensure a smooth research process in-country.
• Supporting report writing and creation of briefing materials.
• Supporting peer-review of reports at a country level.
• Supporting in-country advocacy efforts to encourage uptake of policy recommendations.
• Participating in and supporting country advisory committee meetings.

For full details of the activities and deliverables, required skills and how to apply please download the terms of reference below:

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The deadline for proposals is 22^nd December 2021 (5pm GMT). Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.