Senior Researcher, Business, Human Rights and Evaluation

Company Description

Oxfam is a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. We offer lifesaving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. We demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive.

Job Description

Employees can live in any of the following states:  MD, VA, WV, DE, NJ, NY, RI, MA, ME, VT, NH, CT, NC, DC

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

The Senior Researcher will support the efforts of Oxfam’s programs and campaigns pertaining to issues involving the private sector by conceiving of, conducting, managing, and supporting research that advances the private sector strategy. In particular, research efforts will focus on understanding how the private sector can be more responsible in respecting labor and human rights, paying living wages and income within their supply chains, practicing more sustainable agricultural practices, and reducing inequality, political capture and greenhouse gas emissions. The Senior Researcher will focus on how corporations drive inequality and how to structure corporations in a way that is more equitable and inclusive. The Senior Researcher will also seek to drive cross-cutting research that links issues of business and human rights and poverty to Oxfam’s efforts around inequality and racial and gender justice.

The Senior Researcher will be responsible for disseminating research products and findings, and for projecting Oxfam’s thought leadership on these issues into the wider community of practice.
The position will also be responsible for providing strategic advice on campaign and programmatic efforts that seek to drive changes in the private sector and to meet the needs of low-income people and communities in a sustainable manner. In this respect, the position is expected to engage in fundraising and policy formulation, as well as campaign and program development.
The Senior Researcher will also lead the department’s monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) strategies and activities to strengthen the knowledge base and thought leadership capabilities of PSD by working with the team to ensure that quarterly reports, annual operating plan reviews and evaluations are regularly conducted on PSD’s work.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead research for PSD

• Identify the research and knowledge needs of Oxfam America’s private sector agenda. Conduct and commission research and analysis to ensure that PSD’s work is supported by a sophisticated, accurate and current evidence base.
• Lead PSD’s review of OUS and OI research scopes of work and publications that contain a private sector focus and provide feedback on analytical rigor and areas of concern.
• Plan, design, manage and implement high-profile research projects around strategic private sector themes with a focus on agenda-setting and thought leadership.
• Provide PSD staff with guidance on the development of research projects and scopes of work.
• Analyze and evaluate research outputs to help inform decision-making within PSD and beyond.
• Set the research agenda for PSD and prepare and present proposals for new research projects.
• Forge relationships with private sector actors, academic institutions, thought leaders and funders working at the nexus of business and inequality and human rights.
• Fundraise for Oxfam’s work on issues at the nexus business and inequality and human rights.
• Provide strategic support for programming and campaigns on issues at the nexus of business and inequality and human rights.
• Handle other related research tasks as requested by the Research or PSD directors.

Lead Monitoring Evaluation and Learning for PSD

• Lead on the strategic planning process for PSD in collaboration with team management, staff, and external facilitator.
• Lead the development of PSD’s project-level MEL frameworks, systems, tools, guidance materials and capacity and mentor staff supporting MEL work.
• Commission external evaluations, manage evaluation budgets, and oversee consultant contracts.
• Build MEL capacity of Oxfam staff and partners in country through sharing of MEL tools, lessons, and approaches.
• Participate in the development, adaptation and refinement of MEL methods, tools, and guidance materials in OUS for strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, knowledge sharing, organizational learning, communications and reporting and sustainable capacity building, ensuring highest standards of quality, effectiveness and accountability.
• Provide MEL quality assurance, working with project staff on data quality standards, proper mix of quantitative and qualitative data, the use of data, information systems, data analysis and other skills. Incorporat