Research Consultant

Who We Are

International Justice Mission (IJM) has implemented a collaborative approach to combating violence against those vulnerable for the last 30 years in 31 program offices around the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, collecting international best practices in tackling human trafficking. The capacity building model of criminal justice system transformation implemented by IJM includes individual support for survivors, support for government initiatives and jointly proposing policy changes to strengthen criminal justice systems (CJS) to respond effectively to human trafficking.

The Need

IJM wants to identify a Research Consultant to coordinate a large-scale baseline study on the prevalence of human trafficking in Europe, as well as other four domains (performance of CJS, confidence of CJS among themselves and people’s reliance on the CJS). This role will work closely with European Anti-Trafficking Program’s Program Manager, Regional and Global Measurement experts and leading academic institutions to develop and implement the baseline study.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Research Consultancy:

1. Engage and coordinate with the academic institution team that will lead the baseline.
2. Effectively communicate the purpose, scope, implications of, and details of the research methodology to European Anti-Trafficking Program Director and Program Manager.
3. Provide input and guidance to European Anti-Trafficking Program Director and Program Manager on best strategy and methodology to use in baseline study implementation.
4. Identify relevant local academic institutions and/or companies/researchers to partner with in implementation of the baseline study.
5. Assist with development of data collection instruments and/or advise on contextualization of existing data collection tools.
6. Collaborate with the academic institution team that will lead the baseline for data extraction and analysis purposes.
7. Assist in preparation of results for reports, publications and/or presentation.

Networking & Communication:

1. Support Program Manager in developing partnerships with relevant government and justice system actors towards obtaining stakeholder buy-in for research implementation.
2. Support Program Manager in communicating to relevant stakeholders aspects of baseline methodology and implementation, including use of tools, sampling methods, data management, and appropriate data analysis/interpretation.
3. Support Program Manager in communicating methodology and technical findings to relevant local and European policy makers and government stakeholders.

Education & Experience:

1. Master’s degree in Social Sciences, International Development, Data Science or Applied Statistics.
2. Experience in quantitative research in social sciences and experience in research methodologies.
3. Strong knowledge of research methodologies, especially quantitative research methodologies.
4. Coordination of/Participation in large-scale research projects in Europe preferably on accountability, justice and governance programs;
5. Knowledge of innovative human trafficking prevalence estimation research projects is a plus.

Technical Competencies:

1. Analytical and critical thinking skills
2. Strong verbal and written communication skills (including both strong scientific writing skills and for lay audiences)
3. Expertise in the design, development, testing, validation, and use of indicators and data collection tools
4. Expertise in statistical analysis software (such as Stata, SPSS, SAS, R, or NVivo) and associated descriptive, prescriptive, and predictive analytics techniques
5. Expertise in all areas of quantitative and qualitative methodologies (including sampling, implementation guidance and oversight, data collection and analysis ethical approvals and procedures, as well as quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques)
6. Expertise in the data visualization and the design, creation, and promotion of data products (e.g., dashboards, technical reports, data briefs, and presentations)

Non-Technical Competencies:

1. Team player and team oriented across multi-disciplinary teams
2. Demonstrates servant leadership and the values of IJM
3. High levels of self-motivation and personal initiative
4. History of building effective intra-organizational alliances
5. Creative and energetic problem solver
6. Extremely high levels of honesty and integrity
7. Ability to work well under stress and deadline pressures with a sustained positive attitude
8. Attention to detail; organized and disciplined with priorities
9. Passionate to combat human trafficking, rescue victims and hold offenders accountable
10. Exceptional collaborator with diverse teams from various backgrounds – including technical and non-technical staff
11. Exceptional negotiation, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills

This position is based in Bucharest and reports to Program Manager.

This position is based in Bucharest, Romania and is available to be hybrid (onsite Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) and remote Monday and Wednesday.

Application Process:

Please submit Resume/CV, Cover Letter, in one document to romania@ijm.org

What does IJM have to offer?

• Comprehensive Medical Service Plan
• 24 days paid leave
• Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation
• Robust staff care resources

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Conduct. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection, and hiring decisions will give due emphasis to assessing the candidates value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes.