Senior Research Officer

HACOF - Horn of Africa Consultants Firm

The Senior Research Officer will serve as the primary technical support to the Team Leader across all evaluation and monitoring activities. This individual will take responsibility for tool development, data collection planning, dataset management, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and the production of draft analytical sections for evaluation reports, third-party monitoring reports, and learning products. The Research Officer will also support the Communications Officer in translating findings into accessible communication products.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Team Leader in the development of data collection tools and instruments for Baseline, Midline, and Endline assessments, including household survey questionnaires, structured and semi-structured KII guides, FGD protocols, and observation checklists.
• Develop and maintain data management systems for the assignment, including codebooks, cleaning protocols, and version-controlled datasets.
• Conduct and support primary data collection activities, including key informant interviews with civil society leaders, government officials, and community members.
• Undertake quantitative analysis using appropriate statistical software (SPSS, Stata, R, or equivalent) and qualitative analysis using NVivo, ATLAS.ti, or equivalent platforms.
• Review and synthesise secondary literature, programme documents, partner reports, and contextual analysis relevant to the programme's Results Framework indicators.
• Support the preparation of quarterly third-party monitoring reports, including drafting findings sections, summary tables, and analysis of compliance, relevance, and inclusiveness of verified activities.
• Support the conduct of social network analysis as directed by the Team Leader, including data collection and mapping of network relationships in the Somali civic space.
• Contribute to the preparation of bi-annual Outcome Harvesting sessions, including reviewing partner documentation prior to sessions and supporting the capture and synthesis of session outputs.
• Draft sections of Baseline, Midline, and Endline evaluation reports under the direction and quality review of the Team Leader.
• Maintain and regularly update evidence mapping database tracking programme outputs, outcomes, and contextual indicators across all Results Framework domains.
• Support the Communications Officer in identifying and documenting compelling stories of change and evidence of governance space developments from the programme's MEAL data.
• Conduct regular desk-based secondary data review and context monitoring to flag emerging trends, risks, or developments of relevance to the programme.