Senior
Research Officer (Ref. No 1620)
Equal Opportunities, Gender, Justice, and Tenure (EGT) Team
Bogor, Indonesia
Bogor, Indonesia
The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a nonprofit, global research organization dedicated to
advancing human well-being, environmental conservation and equity.
We conduct research that enables more
informed and equitable decision making about the use and management of tropical
and sub-tropical forest landscapes. We help policy makers and practitioners
shape effective policy, improve the management of tropical forests and address
the needs and perspectives of people who depend on forests for their
livelihoods. Our multidisciplinary approach considers the underlying drivers of
deforestation and degradation which often lie outside the forestry sector:
forces such as agriculture, infrastructure development, trade and investment
policies and law enforcement.
CIFOR is looking for
Senior Research Officer
Senior Research Officer
Overview
The deforestation-free movement has emerged recently in a
context of lower state control, pressure on corporations for not conforming to
social and environmental standards, and the growing recognition of the role
that agricultural commodities play in deforestation. The movement has
particular relevance to the oil palm sector in Indonesia as a total of 188
companies in Indonesia’s oil palm sector – the world’s largest – have made some
form of sustainability commitment, including 61 pledging to source supplies
only from plantations not linked to deforestation. Yet the movement is in its
early stages and significant challenges remain to fully realize its
potential. One such concern is that these commitments will eventually prevent
smallholders from accessing land and/or fragment markets if enabling conditions for smallholders to
profit from these commitments are not already in place. Furthermore, women’s
rights and livelihoods as workers, smallholders, and local communities are
often ignored in policy debates surrounding these movements as well as concerns
over smallholder inclusion.
This position will be a part of a dynamic and multi-disciplinary research
team within CIFOR dedicated to better understanding smallholder oil palm
production systems, the potential ramifications of these pledges on smallholders, and
identifying the governance arrangements and smallholder integration models that
are best suited to ensure that these pledges are both socially and environmentally
inclusive. The major objective of the position is to contribute to the broader research
objective whilst ensuring that a gender perspective is strongly embedded in
this research.
Summary of responsibilities
The major expectations of the assignment are
as follows:
- Contribute to the design of research through survey of existing literature; policy analysis; design of mix-method research protocol. The latter would include development of smallholder typology through a combination of remote sensing, plantation inspection, household and intra-household surveys, semi-structured interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with diverse women and men stakeholder groups. It would also include an assessment of land rights, labor practices, decision-making opportunities and access to productive resources in these smallholder production systems for women and men through these mix-methods;
- Co-develop and manage project budget, and follow existing procedures to ensure project financial deliverables are met;
- Contribute towards fundraising proposals and represent research project in relevant fundraising meetings;
- Lead the collection of data through the recruitment and training of enumerators and field supervision;
- Contribute to the analysis of findings to construct smallholder typology based on data collected; analysis of key gender issues related to land, labor, decision making and access to productive resources in different types of smallholder production system;
- Develop an advisory committee composed of relevant stakeholders to provide input and feedback across the research cycle;
- Lead or contribute to dissemination of research and research findings in relevant academic and policy platforms;
- Participate actively in relevant platforms to ensure that our research feed into stakeholder responses, policy dialogue, and relevant interventions.
Details of
duties, assignments and objectives will be further discussed and laid out in
the staff’s annual performance contract.
Requirements
Education, knowledge
and experience
- Master’s in relevant field within social sciences (such as anthropology, sociology, economics etc.) with expertise in rural development and/or environmental policy in Indonesia;
- Strong academic background in gender and women’s studies;
- In-depth knowledge about the oil palm sector in Indonesia and gender issues with it;
- At least 4-5 years’ experience leading field research teams to collect household/farmer surveys; facilitating FGDs, carrying out key informant discussions and semi-structured interviews;
- A good understanding of the challenges of including women in the research process and strategies for ensuring that differently positioned women’s perspectives and concerns are strongly reflected;
- Extensive experience using quantitative and/or qualitative software for data analysis;
- Emerging track-record of leading and co-authoring good quality publications (policy and academic);
- Relevant experience working with government, NGOs and/or private companies in Indonesia.
Personal Attributes and
Competencies
- Excellent facilitation skills;
- Excellent skills in synthesis and review;
- Demonstrated ability to take initiative and complete tasks with an attention to detail;
- Ability to multi-task and work to tight deadlines;
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills;
- Proven ability to work collaboratively in cross-cultural contexts but also work independently with minimum supervision;
- Experience communicating research in relevant language and formats at different levels;
- Values the sharing of information in a collaborative atmosphere of constructive evaluation and learning.
Terms and Conditions
- This is a Nationally Recruited Staff (NRS) position. CIFOR offers competitive remuneration in IDR, commensurate with skills and experience;
- The appointment is for 2 years, inclusive 6 months probationary period, with a possibility of extension contingent upon performance, continued relevance of the position and available resources;
- The duty station will be at CIFOR HQ in Bogor, Indonesia.
Application process
- The application deadline is 15 June 2016;
- We will acknowledge all applications, but will contact only short-listed candidates.
CIFOR is an equal opportunity employer. Staff diversity contributes to excellence.
