Senior Researcher

UN Development Programme

Lead and deliver high-quality, policy-relevant research that strengthens the think tank s credibility in Saudi Arabia and internationally. The Senior Researcher drives research design and execution, produces publishable outputs in Arabic and English, and supports stakeholder engagement to ensure research is useful to decision-makers (not academic for academia s sake).

The scope includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Research leadership & delivery
• Lead assigned workstreams from concept note to final publication (scope, research questions, method, timeline, quality control).
• Produce policy-oriented outputs: reports, briefs, backgrounders, talking points, and event-ready insights.
• Evidence gathering & analysis
• Conduct high-quality desk research, interviews, and data analysis appropriate to the topic.
• Ensure methodological clarity, triangulation, and defensible conclusions without overclaiming.
• Writing & publication (Arabic/English)
• Draft and edit outputs to a publishable standard in Arabic and English (or draft one language and manage high-quality translation with review).
• Maintain consistent tone and structure aligned with the think tank s editorial standards.
• Stakeholder engagement & research usefulness
• Support stakeholder mapping and engagement for research (especially in KSA), including expert interviews and validation discussions.
• Translate findings into actionable implications for Saudi stakeholders and international audiences.
• Project management for research
• Manage research plans, milestones, and dependencies; coordinate inputs from juniors, interns, and external experts.
• Work with Ops to keep delivery on schedule and documented.
• Quality assurance & ethics
• Apply internal QA processes (fact-checking, citations, version control, approvals).
• Ensure ethical handling of sources, interview notes, and sensitive information.
• Team contribution & capability building
• Mentor junior researchers and contribute to improving templates, toolkits, and research SOPs.
• Support research-related events (roundtables, workshops) with briefing notes and facilitation support as needed.

Performance indicators

• On-time delivery of agreed research outputs to quality standards (as per DoR review).
• Stakeholder usefulness: evidence of uptake (briefings, invitations, citations, partner feedback, event participation).
• Quality signals: clarity of argument, robust sourcing, low revision cycles, consistent editorial compliance.
• Contribution to team capability: mentoring, improved templates/SOPs, smoother research workflows.

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will report directly to the Director of Research; works closely with the Director of Operations/Project Manager and Director of Communications.

Key interfaces (Saudi ecosystem): Relevant ministries/authorities and government-linked entities, PSU and other universities/research centers, policy practitioners, media stakeholders (through Comms), and external experts/peer reviewers.