Researcher - Human Settlements Group

Background

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is a policy research organization that provides expertise and leadership in researching and achieving sustainable development at local, national, regional and global levels. In alliance with others, we are helping to tackle the biggest issues of our times - from climate change and cities to the pressures on natural resources and the forces shaping global markets.

The Human Settlements Group works to reduce poverty and improve health and housing conditions in the urban centres of Latin America, Asia and Africa. It seeks to combine this with promoting good governance and more ecologically sustainable patterns of urban development. This is achieved by engaging in policy research, most of which is undertaken in partnership with NGOs and academic institutions in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The Group’s activities fall broadly under four main themes:

• Achieving socially and environmentally beneficial urbanisation;
• Poverty reduction in urban areas through engagement with and support for the organisations and federations of the urban poor;
• Providing a better basis for designing and implementing urban climate-change adaptation programmes;
• Identifying policies and institutions that help create positive synergies between urban and rural areas.

The Group also publishes the international journal Environment and Urbanization.

Background to the Position

IIED has recently received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to develop a three year documentation and research agenda for learning from the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) and for advancing knowledge on building climate resilience in urban areas. The goal of this work is to support local institutions, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders through ACCCRN to build a significant and influential body of knowledge and evidence of practice to achieve urban climate change resilience in cities in Asia. This will be achieved through the production of knowledge and evidence (e.g. working papers, policy briefs, peer-reviewed papers, blogs, websites); through ensuring that these outputs reach and inform key stakeholders (including the scientific community, city and national governments, and civil society); and through building the capacity of local researchers and institutions at city and national level to design and undertake relevant research and documentation. The desired outcome is an in-depth understanding of how Asian cities can identify, plan and build climate change resilience into their development in a way that meets the priorities of the most vulnerable groups, and of how all key stakeholders can contribute to and be served by this.

The purpose of this position is to coordinate this project, and to contribute substantively to the documentation, research, and dissemination activities that it involves.

The Rockefeller Grant provides the main source of funding for this project for the next three years. The postholder will be expected to identify additional sources of funding in order to continue the research in this area, as well as developing their own portfolio of work (and the funding to support it, with assistance from other members of the Group) that contributes to the overall strategy of the Group and the Institute.

Key Responsibilities

• To contribute to the overall conceptualisation, development, design and implementation of the documentation and research project in Asian cities.
• To coordinate (with assistance from senior staff) the work of IIED staff and partners in achieving the objectives of this project.
• To oversee the timeline and deliverables of this project, and to ensure that identified outputs and milestones are reached in a timely manner.
• To work with the Group Coordinator responsible for this project to develop and implement a strategy, approach, and systems for managing the budget and financial reporting for this project.
• To prepare narrative and financial reports for the project and to liaise with the donor in relation to these.
• To develop and maintain a database of activities and partners under this project.
• To organize meetings and workshops related to this project. This may include logistical elements (e.g. making travel, accommodation, and meeting arrangements) and substantive elements (e.g. contributing to programme design).
• To support IIED staff and partners throughout the process of research, publication and dissemination of findings. This may include providing inputs such as literature reviews, and managing outputs such as the production process of working papers and briefings.
• To prepare (with the support of senior staff) draft working papers, policy briefs and other research outputs.
• To present outputs from this work at relevant workshops and conferences.
• To identify pathways and sources of funding for future research in this and other areas.
• To contribute to the overall objectives of the Human Settlements Group and the IIED.

The job description defines the level of responsibility and area(s) of involvement of the post; the details of the duties may change over time and do not form part of the contract between IIED and the post holder.

Person Specification

Essential

• Post-graduate qualification in a relevant social or environmental science discipline, with a focus on urban development and/or climate change
• Demonstrated ability to support and manage complex projects, including planning, budget management, financial reporting, and monitoring and evaluation
• Experience of conducting research in urban areas in low- and middle-income countries
• Evidence of previous contributions to the design and implementation of complex urban research projects
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural and international setting
• Excellent knowledge of business software (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, databases and communications)
• Excellent personal organisational and time-management skills (working to deadlines and under pressure, prioritising workload, multi-tasking, the ability to be adaptable and flexible in a challenging environment)
• Willingness to travel extensively, as appropriate to project commitments
• Fluency in English

Desirable

• A record of published research in urban issues and/or climate change
• Previous responsibility for organizing and managing international meetings and workshops
• Previous responsibility for coordinating, reviewing, producing and disseminating research outputs
• Experience of writing and editing for a range of audiences (including proposals, narrative reports, briefing papers and technical publications)
• Experience of drafting funding proposals and liaising with funding agencies
• Relevant practical work experience in Asia (particularly India, Indonesia, Thailand or Vietnam)
• Good working knowledge of a second language of relevance to this particular project (i.e. Bahasa Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese) or to IIED’s work (e.g. French, Spanish)

Interviews: Friday 2nd March 2012