Job Description

Salary:

Full time starting salary is normally in the range \xc2\xa334,980 to \xc2\xa344,263 with potential progression once in post to \xc2\xa346,974

Contract Type:

Fixed Term contract up to December 2027

Role Summary

Do you have a talent for clearly and concisely communicating research to policy-makers and practitioners?

The position of researcher within the Commissioning Platform is exciting and unusual, offering experience in and exposure to development policy and research at the highest level. The University of Birmingham is partnering with a consortium of research and development partners led by 3ie to provide support for, commissioning and evaluation for research within the FCDO portfolio. University of Birmingham researchers are constantly engaged with current development issues, work closely with major international development agencies, and are directly involved in informing and influencing international policy and practice.

The International Development Department at the University of Birmingham is well-known internationally for achieving high policy impact by delivering timely, policy-relevant research to clients. This researcher will be expected to carry out desk-based research and analysis in response to requests from the FCDO and Commissioning Centre leads.

The Commissioning Centre is a fast-paced environment involved in designing, commissioning and evaluating FCDO research involving a very wide range of partners including significant partnerships across the Global South. Researchers are responsible for delivering high quality, policy relevant research within short timeframes. The research requests that we deal with cover a wide range of topics across the remit of FCDO, and researchers must have the flexibility and willingness to engage rapidly with a variety of subjects. The work involves quickly understanding and clarifying clients\' needs, getting to grips with new subjects and issues, consulting a wide range of experts, carrying out Internet and library searches, and compiling clear, comprehensive reports.

The role will be of particular interest to early- or mid-career researchers with excellent communication skills who wish to progress further in policy-relevant academic research.

Person Specification

We are currently seeking a researcher with expertise in any area of expertise associated with FCDO responsibilities, but particularly relating to overseas development. An understanding of broader development issues and how they relate to policy decisions will be important in this role. In your application, please explain clearly how your professional experience and qualifications relate to your chosen areas of expertise.

Successful candidates will have: a postgraduate degree and professional experience relevant to one or more of the above areas; a broad understanding of current and emerging priorities and debates in international development; and practical experience working in an information service, communications or research role. You will also need excellent analytical skills, time management, flexibility, the ability to work on your own initiative, attention to detail and negotiation skills. The ability to engage with academic literature would be an asset.

Please visit to learn more about the department and its work.

Informal enquires can be made to Heather Cooper, email:

To download the full job description and details of this position and submit an electronic application online please click on the \'Apply\' button above

Valuing excellence, sustaining investment
We value diversity and inclusion at the University of Birmingham and welcome applications from all sections of the community and are open to discussions around all forms of flexible working

\xc2\xa334,980 to \xc2\xa344,263 with potential progression once in post to \xc2\xa346,974

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