Job Opportunity for Senior Research Fellow at KSCF in New Delhi

The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation, established in 2004 under the leadership of Nobel Peace Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi to achieve a child-friendly world, operates with an integrated approach towards the problems of children. Spreading Awareness, Policy Advocacy, and Capacity Building are the foundation blocks of the KSCF approach. A diverse team of experts with a keen interest in issues of child rights, internal expertise, and strong stakeholder collaboration are the strengths and drivers of the organisation. The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) is the global umbrella for KSCF-India and KSCF-US.

KSCF envisions a world where every child can live freely with dignity and have the fundamental right to be free, safe, healthy, and educated, thereby realising their potential. KSCF’s mission is to

• Preserve “child rights” through historically tackling violence against children- abuse, lack of education, and lack of health
• Be recognised as a “global voice for violence against children” through movement creation and research
• Enable global and national policy and its implementation to protect children
• Build the capacity of all stakeholders–government, businesses/corporates, grassroots organisations/civil society to full potential
• Become a global platform to recommend best practices in implementation, policy/regulatory frameworks and remove the trust deficit between various stakeholders

Job purpose

The Senior Research Fellow will be responsible for ideating and conducting primary and secondary research to determine and develop a deeper understanding of issues related to child rights/protection/health and/or safety. These studies must be designed to strengthen child protection practices and policies across India and to generate the necessary evidence to globally promote child-friendly environments, and provide knowledge support and recommendations to other verticals of KSCF for their effective functioning.

S/he will report to the Director, Research and supervise research staff/team/s as and when required.

Job Description (Role Expectations)

The role will entail but not be restricted to, the following responsibilities:

Technical

• Conceptualise and prioritise clear, logical, and compelling research studies that highlight the challenges of child health & education and collect evidence for a solution
• Plan and execute primary and secondary research studies; develop detailed study protocol and design study instruments in consultation with the team; analysis and interpretation of research studies; prepare annual action plan and budget for research
• Develop credible partnerships and collaborations with research partners and organizations.
• Lead institutional partnership work of KSCF by establishing partnerships with universities and managing and developing relationships with existing university partners.
• Design coherent and effective strategy along with institutions/university partners to promote themes relating to child rights and child protection.
• Exploring research opportunities and responding to Requests for Proposals.
• Conduct expert group meetings and multi-stakeholder consultations as per requirement
• Conduct training programmes for research staff, data collection, quality assurance, analysis and monitoring of data collection staff
• Prepare regular updates and archive key data from different sources
• Perform any other work related responsibilities assigned by the Director, Research

Operational

• All budget/administrative/HR/IT related activities as required
• Coordinate regular team meetings and manage updates/progress reports and team and activity management
• Handle procurements related to research which will include bidding, shortlisting of agencies, and contracting processes.
• Manage consultant (individual & agency) contracts

Skills & Competencies for the role:

• Understanding of the social, economic, and political context and status of children in India and their health, nutrition, and education
• Understanding of the social, economic, and political context and status of children in India and their health, nutrition, and education
• Experience of working with academic institutions
• Strong understanding of laws related to children viz, UNCRC, RTI Act, POCSO, ICDS, ICPS, NCLP, etc.   
• Strong quantitative and qualitative data analytical skills
• Experience in handling large-scale data sets and Census data
• Demonstrated documentation and report writing skills
• Strong language proficiency in English and Hindi; Excellent writing skills
• Excellent interpersonal and teamwork capabilities
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities with attention to details
• Ability to work under pressure and deliver within deadlines

Education, Experience, and Exposure

Education

The candidate should have a Ph.D./M.Phil Degree in Public Health, Public Policy, Demography, Statistics, Economics or Sociology from a reputed university/institute. Candidates with Ph.D. Degree shall be preferred for this position 

Experience & Exposure

• Candidates with a Ph.D. degree must have a minimum of 5 years of experience of working in child rights, child protection, child health, nutrition, education, or other related development programmes and research initiatives
• Candidates with M.Phil degree must have a minimum of 7 years of experience of working in child rights, child protection, child health, nutrition, education, or other related development programmes and research initiatives
• Experience of  statistical analysis using SPSS, STATA
• Experience of the use of qualitative data analysis software 
• Experience and understanding of issues of the human rights field, including the promotion and protection of the rights of children