National Research Assistant

Vacancy Announcement:National Research AssistantPosition Title: National Researcher, KenyaSamuel Hall is a research consultancy that specializes in public and private sector consulting, socio-economic research and aid and development analysis. Established in Afghanistan in 2009, Samuel Hall is a field-based organization with offices in Kabul, Nairobi and Dubai.We work primarily with humanitarian and development partners, donors, private sector partners and academic institutions**. Our areas of expertise** include monitoring and evaluations; economic development; migration and displacement; governance and rule of law; education; urban studies; and marginalized communities.Our teams of field practitioners, academic experts and local interviewers have years of experience conducting evidence-based research. We use our expertise to balance the bottom-up [people’s needs] and the top-down [policy needs] requirements of development, enabling us to:Acquire a firm grasp of the political and socio-economic context,Design data collection methods and statistical analyses,Apply cross-disciplinary knowledge to provide integrated solutions,Recommend strategies for humanitarian & development practitioners.Samuel Hall was created to bridge the gap between the academic world of research and the practical ground of implementation in the humanitarian and development fields. Over the years we have built a team an interdisciplinary team of researchers with impeccable academic backgrounds in political science, economics, sociology, international development, anthropology, archaeology and philosophy, and first-hand experience of operating on the ground in challenging and demanding environments. Our staff members and associate experts are able to demonstrate:University-level qualifications - Ph.D. and Masters levels from leading universities in North America, Europe and Asia (Harvard, Cornell, Oxford, LSE, UCL, King’s College, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Sciences Po, etc.)Sector knowledge acquired through continuous partnerships with academic experts in Political Science, Economy, Justice, Health and MigrationField experience acquired through more than five years of prolonged contact with stakeholders from national capitals to remote villages in (post-)conflict settings.We are looking for capable, dedicated and experienced researchers to support our work in East Africa, based out of Nairobi.The national researcher will assume all responsibilities of the project cycle, from A to Z, with the assistance, support, and overall guidance of their Project Manager. This will include the design of the research methodology and tools, coordination of the research team members, relationship with the client, fieldwork and travels to provinces, analysis and report writing, presentation to the client as needed.The research assistant may be required to work on several projects simultaneously. Projects cover private and public sector research, evaluation of humanitarian and development programs, as well as more strategic consulting services to assist practitioners and policy makers in improving their programs in East Africa.Advanced University / minimum Master’s degree in Social SciencesProven experience working in research in East AfricaProven experience work on at least one of Samuel Hall’s areas of thematic expertise (M&E, migration and displacement, economic studies, governance and rule of law, education, urban studies, protection & marginalized communities)Strong interest in supporting the policies and operations of humanitarian and development actors through field-based researchStrong English report writing skills, fluency in KiSwahili and knowledge of Somali a plusand, prior experience.Duration: 3 months renewable contract leading to a 12-month contract.Starting date: October 2014 (exact date TBC)Location: Nairobi with potential project related travel in East AfricaMonthly salary: TBD based on profile and past experience