Disability Principal Researcher
Disability Principal Researcher
Job Overview
Includovate is looking for a passionate individual who loves research and being evidence-based. In this role you will engage in research that is for, about and driven by people with disabilities. You will produce collaborative participatory action research that actively influences policy and practice to improve the lives of people with disabilities. You will use the evidence collected to improve the social and economic participation, health and wellbeing of people with disabilities. You will help to position Includovate as a leading research incubator and think tank in terms of disability inclusion. This will involve resource mobilization and proposal development. Your role will be to create a team of competent researchers who understand sound research design and methodological excellence for disability research, with a special emphasis on the rights of women and other marginalised groups. Moreover, you will help facilitate/coordinate the quality of Includovate research outputs.
About Includovate
Includovate is a research incubator that designs solutions for inequality and exclusion. Includovate believes in designing interventions and using research to reshape the social, political, economic and environmental systems that perpetuate injustice. Via the process of ‘systems change’, we focus on complex issues that affect the poor and excluded. We adopt an action-oriented approach to change mindsets and structural conditions that keep unequal systems in place. The result is bespoke and manageable innovations that lead to lasting gender equality and social inclusion.
We model our beliefs. We employ people living with a disability in our business, as researchers, employees, managers and advocates. We firmly believe that diversity is essential to ensure our solutions suit the maximum number of people. The more diverse the problem-solving process, the longer the solutions last. Includovate leads the way in using emerging methodologies and innovative practices.
As a social enterprise, Includovate invests the majority of its profits into independent research. It builds the capacity of researchers from the global south to lead, publish and improve the quality of the research performed in low-income countries. Includovate employs southern researchers to lead the design of solutions and collaborates with international experts who contribute to methodological excellence and theoretical knowledge. By helping more researchers of the Global South publish, Includovate shifts the power balance of knowledge creation to those with less power.
Reports To
The Disability Principal Researcher reports to the Research Director and closely works with the disability portfolio lead.
Responsibilities and Duties
· Undertake comprehensive literature reviews as requested
· Manage client relationships
· Develop research methodologies, instruments and robust designs
· Plan fieldwork and manage research projects and budgets
· Facilitate consultation and dissemination workshops
· Analyse and collect data
· Develop research strategies and portfolios of assignments
· Lead and manage a team of researchers
· Assist on ad-hoc consultancies and assignments as requested
· Help to develop proposals to win Includovate more work
· Position Includovate on the local and international market as a centre of excellence in inclusive research
· Write journal articles and content for the website
· Support to capacitate Includovate’s junior researchers and researchers coming from the global South so that they can be competent researchers to grow Includovate at the global level
· Perform ad hoc tasks as needed for the business to grow
Skills
The ideal candidate will have a global network of researchers and development professionals. You will have rich experience in conducting disability research from a human rights perspective. You will have managed budgets and research projects before. You will have worked with UN agencies before because we do a lot of research consulting. You will be willing to do any task to help the firm grow and you will have a keen desire to learn and grow personally and professionally. You are a feminist who believes in equal opportunity. You are also aware of intersectional categories of difference and how these compound to create deeper forms of exclusion.
You have excellent written and spoken English and are able to edit documents in English – a second international language will be considered an advantage. You know you are intelligent and have the ability to think logically, learn quickly, show initiative and you are decisive. Nevertheless, you are open to new ideas and realise you will never know everything. You must have passion for what you study.
Salary
USD40 - 80,000 per year
Location
Home-based. Includovate has an office in Australia and Ethiopia but we have researchers who work all over the world.
Qualifications
· PhD in psychology, sociology, social policy, development studies, physiotherapy or equivalent qualification.
· Academic publication record related to disability studies.
Attitudes
· You listen well, instead of reacting fast, so you can better understand.
· You’re concise and articulate in your communications
· You learn eagerly and rapidly.
· You have a high level of interpersonal communication skills and can work in a fast-paced environment.
· You make wise decisions (people, technical, business and creative) despite ambiguity.
· You take smart risks.
· You are creative and curious.
· You are a democratic leader and reject command-and-control structures.
· You are a feminist.
· You believe in gender equality and equal opportunity.
· You have new ideas that prove useful.
· You have a thick skin and think of critical feedback as a growth opportunity.
· You are quick to admit mistakes and seek to learn from them.
· You enjoy building the capacity of researchers.
At Includovate we are committed to diversity, inclusivity and gender equity in the workplace, we seek to build an inclusive work environment where all employees feel valued and welcome. This includes a supportive recruitment process should you require any access assistance. Women, people with disabilities and people with a multicultural background are strongly encouraged to apply. Includovate is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.