Afrobarometer (AB) is a pan-African, nonpartisan, nonprofit research organization that measures the political, economic, and social atmosphere in African countries. Guided by the vision of a world in which Africa’s development is anchored in the realities and aspirations of its people, AB provides high-quality data and analysis on citizens’ evaluations and experiences of democratic governance and quality of life.
Launched in 1999 in 12 countries, Afrobarometer has now completed more than 300,000 interviews in nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries. AB conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples. In its 25 years conducting more than 250 surveys, AB has built a reputation for excellence, producing data according to rigorous methodologies that have been described as “the gold standard” in Africa survey research.
Effective analysis and communication of survey findings, as well as capacity building for survey research, analysis, and communications skills, are integral parts of Afrobarometer’s work. AB outputs are provided as a public good and are made freely available to policy makers, policy advocates, civil society organizations, academics, news media, donors and investors, and ordinary Africans.
Among Afrobarometer’s key achievements are proving that public attitudes research can be conducted even in fragile, post-conflict, and closed political environments in Africa; legitimating public opinion as a pillar of African democracy, governance and development decision-making; and building a network of researchers that has earned the reputation as the go-to source for reliable data on what Africans are thinking.
Afrobarometer’s institutional values are independence, excellence, collaboration, and commitment. Afrobarometer individual values are integrity, respect, responsiveness, cooperation, and fairness. Funders and other stakeholders are treated as partners in the advancement of Afrobarometer’s mission. Relationships, non-partisanship, trust, and accountability are at the core of our work. Afrobarometer staff and network members appreciate benefiting from colleagues’ creativity, diligence, and enterprise, and value the ability to work individually and as part of a team. The qualities of leadership, initiative, and excellence are nurtured and rewarded. In pursuance of these values, all staff are required to abide by the Afrobarometer Statement of Personal and Professional Standards of Conduct.
Role overview
The Capacity Building Manager/Advanced Track (CBM/AT) will work with the Director of Analysis and Capacity Building (DoA/CB), serving as one of two programme managers for the Afrobarometer capacity building programme, alongside the Capacity Building Manager/Basics Track (CBM/BT). The CBM/AT will develop and implement the activities of the AB capacity building programme, including activities focused both on 1) strengthening the internal technical and organizational capacity of the Afrobarometer network, its partners and staff, as well as 2) building capacity to use and analyze AB data among external stakeholders, both within and outside of government, including policy makers, analysts, activists, students and teachers/faculty, journalists and others, and including student and faculty users in African universities who want to utilize AB data in their research and/or their teaching. Within the overall capacity building programme, the CBM/AT will lead on activities focused on intermediate and advanced level analysis training and working with academic users and analysts.
The CBM/AT will work closely with the CBM/BT, who will focus on internal network capacity building, as well as basic-level training and training for non-academic external users and analysts. It is expected that the CBM/AT and the CBM/BT will work closely together and collaborate on planning and implementation of many capacity building activities, and share responsibility for many of them.
The CBM/AT will play a major role, alongside the DoA/CB and the CBM/BT, in all aspects of the AB capacity building programme, including planning and organizing programmes and activities, budgeting and expenditure tracking, coordinating implementation, and reporting, monitoring and evaluation. Capacity building activities may include: capacity needs assessments; organizing training workshops, webinars, fellowships/internships and other training activities; developing training content and materials, as well as participating as a trainer in capacity building events; developing mentoring networks, training libraries, and teaching tool kits; outreach to African universities; and other activities as agreed with the capacity building team.
The CBM/AT will also be expected to participate as requested in resource mobilization activities, including development of proposals specifically seeking support for capacity building programmes, and will be responsible, together with the CBM/BT, for monitoring and evaluation of programme activities and impacts, and the generation of regular narrative reports on AB capacity building activities.
It is expected that the CBM/AT will be committed to Afrobarometer’s principles including: (i) non-partisanship; (ii) equity, diversity, and inclusion (iii) integrity and sound judgement.
Main duties and responsibilities
Strategic planning and management
- Work with the capacity building team to continuously review the capacity building strategy and ensure that the capacity building programme and activities support Afrobarometer’s goals and objectives.
- Work with the capacity building team to develop an annual workplan of capacity building activities and assign leadership responsibilities for each.
- Participate in budget planning and expenditure tracking for the capacity building programme.
- Collaborate with CBM/BT on capacity building needs assessments for AB staff especially with respect to intermediate and advanced analysis training, and on developing plans and programmes to meet these needs through individual (e.g., training fellowships) or collective (e.g., training courses) interventions.
Capacity building programme implementation and support
- Coordinate and lead the implementation of assigned AB capacity building activities and programmes. These may include any of the following, or other activities as identified and agreed with the capacity building team:
- training workshops
- thematic seminars
- writing retreats
- fellowship or internship programmes
- induction training for new staff
- development of teaching toolkits
- development of mentoring networks
- university outreach, networking and conference participation
- “office hours” or other internal analysis training and support sessions
- Work with the CBM/BT and Human Resources Manager to implement capacity assessments and identify training needs for Afrobarometer staff especially with regard to needs for intermediate and advanced analysis training, and help develop plans for meeting these needs, e.g., via AB training courses, mentoring or external fellowships.
- Develop training materials as needed/agreed.
- Participate directly in training events as a trainer as agreed with the capacity building team, especially for training that focuses on intermediate and/or advanced levels of data analysis.
- Identify and as needed, engage external experts, practitioners and educators to support training modules as co-facilitators and guest speakers at Afrobarometer training events.
- Plan and facilitate the development of an Afrobarometer video training library.
- Lead AB outreach and collaboration with African universities through activities as agreed by the capacity building team.
- Coordinate with fieldwork, data management, analysis, communications and management teams to identify and respond to individual or collective training needs identified.
Monitoring, evaluation and reporting
- Contribute to the Afrobarometer Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) programme by providing tracking and reporting for all activities relevant to capacity building, especially those led by the CBM/AT.
- Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager (MELM) to develop and implement innovative and effective methods and indicators for tracking outputs and impacts of the AB capacity building programme.
- Document successes, lessons learned and challenges in the implementation of capacity building activities.
- Collaborate with the communications team to develop content on AB capacity building activities that helps to “tell the story” of AB capacity building
- Work with the capacity building team to produce quarterly and annual reports on all capacity building initiatives.
Other
- Contribute as requested or agreed to the development of relevant partnerships with Civil Society Organizations and/or academic and other institutions to support the goals, objectives and activities of the capacity building programme.
- Contribute to production of AB analysis and publications as agreed with DoA/CB.
- Represent AB in professional and public settings such as meetings and conferences as requested, including by making presentations on behalf of Afrobarometer.
- Collaborate with and support the work of the CBM/BT whenever necessary and possible.
- Other tasks as requested by DoA/CB or the Central Management Team.
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements
- Either a PhD in Political Science, Political Economy, Applied Statistics or a related discipline, or a master’s degree with strong relevant experience.
- Strong intermediate/advanced skills in data analysis methods (e.g. factor analysis, regression, multi-level modeling) and in use of core statistical analysis software, especially SPSS.
- A track record of producing reports or publications that demonstrate the ability to use these methods for data analysis and reporting.
- At least 3 years of experience in a relevant position involving development and implementation of teaching, training or capacity building programmes, including programmes that provide training in intermediate and advanced level statistical analysis and research methods.
- At least 3 years of experience in a relevant position involving planning, budgeting and coordination of capacity building programmes and events or similar activities, in both in-person and virtual formats.
- Ability to work independently with minimum supervision, as well as strong organizational and time management skills and ability to meet deadlines in a remote-work environment.
- Flexibility and willingness to work on a wide range of tasks.
- Ability to work collaboratively as part of a team within a multi-cultural and multinational context.
- Strong leadership skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
- Available for regular travel.
Desirable
- Strong knowledge of Afrobarometer data and a track-record of publishing insights and research using Afrobarometer data or similar data sources in a variety of outlets.
- Skills in using geographical information systems and other data sources that can be linked to public opinion data such as that produced by Afrobarometer.
- Experience or familiarity with questionnaire design, survey research methods, and other related methods for field data collection.
- Interest in and general understanding of development issues and/or democracy and governance issues in Africa.
- Working knowledge of French, Portuguese, Arabic and/or KiSwahili
- African citizenship or heritage.
Salary
- Afrobarometer will offer a competitive salary based on the skills and experience of the successful candidate.
How to Apply
The deadline for all applications is 13 March 2024.
PLEASE READ THE SELECTION CRITERIA CAREFULLY BEFORE APPLYING.
Please send your application to kowusu@afrobarometer.org Include your name and position title in the subject field of your email. Example: “Subject: [YOUR NAME] AB Capacity Building Manager/Advanced Track”. Documents to include:
- An up-to-date curriculum vitae with contact details (your email, phone, postal and WhatsApp Number)
- A personal statement describing:
- your interest in the post and in working with Afrobarometer
- evidence of how your skills, experience and knowledge meet the Selection Criteria. If you lack experience or evidence in any area listed, please state how you would gain the knowledge or competency needed to succeed in the role.
- your availability for the post (notice period in your current role) and preferred working location.
—200224—
Afrobarometer is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability status.
We are also proud of our commitment to protecting staff, partners, and other stakeholders from abuse and exploitation, and we thoroughly vet all final candidates through rigorous background and reference checks.