Cross-posted from the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth:  http://www.ipc-undp.org/pressroom/files/ipc769.pdf

Researcher in Social Protection
International Policy Centre For Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG)-UNDP
Location: Brasilia, Brazil
Vacancy Type: Researcher
Application Deadline: August 20th, 2012
Type of Contract: Service Contract (SC)
Languages Required: Portuguese and English
Starting Date: Immediate
Expected Duration: 15 months
Background
The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) is a joint project between the United Nations Development Programme and the Brazilian Government to facilitate South-South Cooperation on key development issues. The Centre carries out applied research and its ultimate goal is to generate knowledge resources to the global development community. For that the Centre regularly publishes Working Papers, issues of Poverty in Focus, Policy Research Briefs, Country Studies, One Pagers, Evaluation Notes, Conference Papers and Technical Papers to encourage policy debate and dissemination of knowledge. IPC publications are found at: http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub.do

IPC-IG and the United Nations Children’s Fund-UNICEF/Yemen have established a partnership to support the design, implementation, and reporting of a national household survey in the republic of Yemen, under the name of “National Social Protection Monitoring.

The Centre is currently recruiting a Research Assistant to expand its research program in Social Protection and Cash Transfer.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall supervision of IPC-IG Directorate, the candidate will provide the following services:
To conduct research and data analyses on social protection; To carry out impact analyses and targeting evaluation of social protection programmes; To assist Senior Researchers in mentoring interns allocated to the social protection team; Share research findings with IPC-IG staff and other audiences; Contribute to IPC-IG publications; Identify and maintain partnerships with external institutions; Support reporting on the activities of the IPC-IG.

Support IPC-IG on The National Social Protection Monitoring Project in partnership with UNICEF/Yemen. IPC-IG has the following activities to perform:
1. Support for data collection and data verification process with activities such as: check the verification process suggested by the local institution, i.e., the software to be used for the data entry and the related built in check processes random checks for the data entry elaboration of algorithm to assess the consistency of the data set
2. Online support for field procedures and problem solving during the whole period of data gathering
3. Face to face training of field supervisors on sampling and data collection
4. Data analysis and report writing, the main activities will be:
Competencies Knowledge of impact analyses of social policies, including quasi-experimental methods; Knowledge of international models of social protection; Good communication skills; Demonstrable familiarity and experience with quantitative, econometric analysis and Ability to write and present analytical reports in English.

Minimum Required Qualifications, Skills and Experiences Master degree in economics; Experience in social protection or cash transfer programmes evaluation; Experience in household complex sampling micro-data analysis; Experience with Grade of Membership model; Writing experience in economic and social policy issues (e.g. articles, research, presentations, policy documents and inputs); Proficiency in various relevant statistical and econometric processing software; Fluency in written and spoken English and In the case of non-Brazilian applicants, permit to work in Brazil.

Desirable Qualifications Knowledge of English and Spanish; International experience, particularly in the Middle East

Application Procedure
Applicants must send an updated CV/résumé, P11 form* and a motivation letter to ipc-hr@ipc-undp.org no later than August 20th, 2012 quoting in the subject “Researcher in Social Protection”. All documents must be submitted in English.

*Personal History Form (P11) is available for download at: http://www.pnud.org.br/arquivos/P11.doc.

Incomplete applications or applications received after the closing date (20 August 2012) will not be given consideration. Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.

This is a national Service Contract position within the IPC-IG/UNDP. International candidates will only have their applications considered if proof of permission to work in Brazil is attached to the application. The IPC-IG/UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for a Brazilian work permit.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.