Turkey: Insight Director

Organization: Ark
Country: Turkey
Closing date: 12 Dec 2014

Overview

We are a research, conflict transformation and stabilisation consultancy that supports local communities in conflict and fragile areas. We believe that international stability, national security, community safety and individual empowerment are intrinsically linked. As a team at ARK, we partner with local stakeholders to provide insight and develop programmatic interventions that are of immediate, tangible assistance to conflict-affected communities. Many of our staff are drawn from beneficiary communities, hence ARK’s unique commitment and understanding of conflict zones.

ARK’s Insight Group works to provide answers to critical questions in conflict environments such as understanding the impact of on-going conflict on local community security and justice sectors, public opinions on international political initiatives and predictive analysis of conflict evolution.

We employ a research-informed and evidence-based approach to designing and delivering our projects and programmes, utilising quantitative and qualitative research tools such as focus groups, semi-structured interviews, surveys and other tools to understand the nuanced and diverse perspectives of local communities from the environments in which we work.

The Insight Director will lead the Insight Group, providing direction, management and leadership of the dynamic team of researchers, analysts, and primary research staff that make up ARK’s Insight Group. The Director will be the Insight Group’s representative on ARK’s Senior Management Team. The Director will be responsible for coordinating and ensuring collaboration between the group’s different departments, comprising the analysis team and the primary research team.

The Director will have a strong background in research methods and analysis, be able to operate fluently in both Arabic and English, and will ensure that work is mainstreamed throughout the organisation to ensure that all programmatic activity undertaken by ARK is research-informed and evidence-based. The Insight Director will be responsible for the timely and on-budget delivery of all Insight taskings in support of ARK’s MENA-wide portfolio (but with a significant initial focus on Syria and Iraq). The post holder will also have client-facing responsibilities, leading the development of the Group by presenting its capabilities to donors, writing proposals (both business and research), identifying funding opportunities, and leading the development of a publication strategy to build ARK’s brand as a leading source of strategic analysis on the MENA region.

The position will be based initially in Istanbul, Turkey, but may relocate to Amman, Jordan or Dubai, UAE, depending on organisational requirements.

Work Duties

•Manage a team of professional analysts and researchers, some remotely.

•Oversee the production of analytical reports about the Arab World, with a particular initial focus on Syria and Iraq, which are clear, concise and professionally and methodologically rigorous in their production.

•Manage and direct the strategic development of the Insight Group.

•Identify funding bodies, and write major research proposals.

•Identify partnership opportunities with think tanks, research centres and individual academics.

•Represent the Insight Group at Senior Management Team meetings, and task team members as appropriate and required.

•Manage the professional development of all Group staff, providing mentorship and support whilst developing individual skills.

•Ensure the Group’s compliance with all contract and grant stipulations.

•Promote rigorous professional conduct, creative enquiry and the highest standards of research and analysis design, ethics, conduct and report writing.

Requirements

•A minimum of ten years experience in a research-related role.

•A minimum of three years experience in managing professional staff.

•Experience in managing qualitative and quantitative research activities and report production.

•Familiarity with the use of statistical analysis packages (e.g. Stata, R, SPSS).

•Knowledge of GIS is an asset.

•Extensive experience in the Arab world and its people (expertise on Syrian and Iraqi politics and society is an asset).

•Spoken and written fluency in Arabic and English, to a publishing standard.

•PhD or equivalent in a relevant field.

•The ability and willingness to travel and reside in a variety of countries in the MENA region including Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates.

How to apply:

Interested candidates to send up to date CV to hr@arkfzc.com before advertisement closing date. Please specify the title of the position you are applying for and the website used to locate the vacancy.