Research Manager , BBC Media Action

BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development charity, which uses of media and communications to tackle poverty and contribute to long-term change in some of the world’s poorest places. BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international development charity, which uses media and communications to help reduce poverty and support people to understand their rights. We do this through partnering with civil society, media and others to produce creative programmes and other outputs which inform and engage audiences on key governance, health and resilience development issues. We also strengthen the media sector through building professional capacity and infrastructure. As Country Research Manager you will oversee research and support local researchers in one or two countries primarily in Asia but with some potential work in other regions too.

Role Responsibility

This role will need you to deliver a portfolio of research to inform media production and donor requirements and to support the broader strategic and business development needs of the organisation. You will have the key responsibility for managing research projects from kick-off to final delivery, including development of research plans, research instruments and sampling design, commissioning of agencies for qualitative and quantitative research, qualitative and quantitative analysis and interpretation, reporting and dissemination of research findings on time, to budget. You’ll also be required to play the key role in disseminating research by providing useful thinking, interpretation and recommendations, at both practical and strategic levels to a diverse range of internal audiences. This position will also expect you to support the organisation in winning new business by collaborating across department (in country and in London) and leading on research contributions to project and programme proposals - designing and proposing research that is relevant, and technically and financially sound. You will support and develop the local research team, including coaching, mentoring and/or training to develop their research and management skills, and providing quality oversight at the agreed level for each projects

The Ideal Candidate

This position will need you to have experience of designing and managing mixed methods research in support of practical outcomes, but particularly strong experience in quantitative research. You will have excellent project management and admin skills, including planning and coordinating research and analysis with multi-discipline teams, across multiple themes and managing a complex research portfolio of quantitative and qualitative research. This role will also expect you to have experience of managing complex fieldwork and adapting methods to challenging and resource-constrained conditions, and a track record of delivering research findings on time, on budget and to a high standard. You will demonstrate an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, resilience, accountability, and flexibility to deal positively with change, along with taking responsibility as a manager in the team, seek personal development opportunities, and lead by example. You’ll have strong communication of insights and presentation skills, and experience of adapting oral and written research outputs to present in non-technical language to diverse audiences from grassroots to senior levels, including NGO staff, non-researchers, academics and donors, coupled with excellent written and fluent spoken English.

Package Description

Grade - 8

Location - London

Contract - 12 Months Fixed Term Contract

Attachment: please ensure you have your line manager's approval to apply for an attachment.

Job share applications are welcome for this role. Please include details of the proposed arrangement in your application.

This role is also available part-time. Please include details of your availability in your application.

About the Company

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours in the document attached below. You’ll be asked questions relating to them as part of your application for this role.

The BBC is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce and therefore strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of their background.