Research Assistant – Lebanon Cash Consortium

Background:  The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and is at work in over 40 countries.  In response to the influx of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the IRC provides income and livelihoods support to vulnerable Syrian refugees and host communities, through its Economic Recovery and Development Program. The objective of the program is to assist acutely vulnerable refugee households nationwide in meeting their essential needs and increasing their self-reliance; this is expected to ultimately lessen the use of negative coping strategies for survival. The Lebanon Cash Consortium (LCC) is a body of 6 INGOs working together to provide multi-sector cash assistance to acutely vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon.  The members are Save the Children (lead agency), IRC (M&E and research lead), CARE, ACTED, Solidarities International and World Vision International.  Working to harmonize national approaches to multi-sector (unconditional) cash transfer programming, the LCC and its members also engage in multilateral forums in Lebanon and provide technical leadership on targeting approaches, delivery mechanisms for cash transfers and the monitoring and evaluation of cash programming. IRC provides monitoring and evaluation oversight for the LCC, in addition to directly implementing cash assistance to refugees, and works closely with all consortium members on the development of M&E and learning tools, processes and goals for the LCC.  Donors for the LCC currently include DfID and ECHO. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience in conceptualizing and conducting mixed methods research, preferably with expertise in humanitarian programming. The Research Officer will lead the design of assessment and research frameworks for the LCC, overseeing specific research projects while also assisting learning being conducted by other consortium members. Job Overview/Summary: The Research Assistant will work closely with the Research Officer to conduct and coordinate qualitative assessments for the LCC. The main objective of this position is: Provide assistance in qualitative data collection and analysis, literature review, and report writing. Major Responsibilities: Conduct Key Informant Interviews and Focus Groups Discussions. Assist in trainings on using qualitative tools. Facilitate and organize data collected by all the teams. Oversee implementation of strategies and methodologies for accurately collecting, recording, compiling and analyzing data so as to report progress towards project objectives; Ensure that data are recorded and stored effectively so as to be usefully retrievable and reportable on a regular and frequent basis Assist in transcription, translation, and data analysis. Assist in the literature review and provide summaries of existing research. Assist in report writing and presenting. Key Working Relationships: Position Reports to:  Lebanon Cash Consortium Research Officer Position directly supervises:  n/a Indirect Reporting: Lebanon Cash Consortium M&E Manager Other Internal and/or external contacts: External: other members of the LCC agencies. Job Requirements: Bachelor of Arts or Science in Psychology, Economics, Political/Social Sciences or related field Strong qualitative research analysis experience and skills, preferably experience working with NVivo or Atlas.ti At least 1 years of relevant working experience in the area of research and data collection Demonstrated experience and capacity in conducting field-level data collection Previous experience in drafting reports Strong ability to organize work, meet deadlines, coordinate multiple tasks and maintain attention to detail Strong communication skills Personal qualities: works well in and promotes teamwork, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment, flexible and able to handle pressure well. Fluency in English and Arabic required. PREFERRED: Masters degree of Arts or Science in Psychology or related field Specific training in qualitative data analysis INGO experience Working Environment:  The position is based in Beirut, Lebanon, which offers a good office environment. The candidate is expected to travel to the northern province of Akkar, with the potential for other nationwide travel to other consortium member offices and field sites.