Position Vacancy. Social Research Manager. We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities. Summary job description. Location: Bristol, UK

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1 Blue Ventures Conservation North Road, London N7 9DP Tel: +44 (0) Registered charity # Position Vacancy Social Research Manager Location: Bristol, UK Closing date for applications: 14th October 2018 Start date: mid November 2018 Contract duration: Permanent position, with 6 month probationary period Remuneration: Competitive salary based on experience We rebuild tropical fisheries with coastal communities Blue Ventures develops locally led approaches to marine management that benefit people and nature alike. By listening and responding to basic needs, we design our models to catalyse and sustain marine conservation, unlocking the potential of coastal communities to manage their resources. We work in places where the ocean is vital to local cultures and economies, and are committed to advancing the rights of small-scale fishers throughout the coastal tropics. Summary job description The effectiveness of Blue Ventures work is measured not only through our impact on biodiversity and fisheries, but also through a number of outcomes relating to the well being of the coastal communities we support. These include poverty alleviation, food security, adaptive capacity to climate change, gender equality, and access to sexual and reproductive health services. We are currently recruiting a Social Research Manager to lead our social research as an integral part of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) team. This post will play a pivotal role in coordinating the evolution and adaptation of our integrated social impact assessments in addition to supporting the wider team in developing and executing on smaller social research projects that support community led programming and decision making. Building on our existing mixed methods approach, this role seeks to establish lean approaches to social research across our sites and programmes supporting us to evaluate the effectiveness of our models and to understand the social impacts they are having.

2 The position will provide a range of support across Blue Ventures sites and programmes, including our partner support work. The role will work closely with in country social scientists, support technicians and the broader MEL team. Reporting to the Head of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, this is a full time role based in in Blue Ventures Bristol office, with regular travel to work closely with overseas colleagues, partners, field teams and communities. We are looking for an individual who is open to new ideas and embraces innovation, who can demonstrate experience of building effective working partnerships for conservation and/or development. Assessment of applications will include candidates alignment with BV s core values and mission to support human rights-based approaches to marine conservation and fisheries management. The successful candidate will be a highly motivated social scientist. You will have experience of implementing social science methods, including household surveys, focus groups and interviews in remote locations. You will be comfortable analysing both qualitative and quantitative data and have an excellent knowledge of statistical methods. Experience of small-scale fisheries, marine conservation and rural development sectors would also be highly desirable. You will demonstrate a proven track record of research design and data management, as well as exceptional analytical abilities and written communications. Ideally, you will have developed and delivered training on social research methods as well as having practical field experience working in community-based conservation and development initiatives. You will thrive in environments that are dynamic, fast-paced, collegiate and ambitious, and be able to demonstrate experience of working independently and solving complex problems in challenging situations. Blue Ventures is a fast growing and mission-driven social enterprise, offering excellent opportunities for further professional development. The position provides an excellent opportunity to develop new approaches for measuring the social impact of marine conservation efforts, making a lasting contribution to the development of effective community-based fisheries management models that benefit coastal communities, and helping fight the downward trajectories so many small-scale fisheries and tropical marine ecosystems are experiencing. Responsibilities Leadership and management: - Lead on development and support of the growing social research team - Provide technical support and co-management of in-country social research staff

3 Coordinate social research agenda and deliver on key social research outputs: - Work closely with wider conservation, MEL and development teams to develop social indicators for inclusion in grant proposals and monitoring frameworks - Work closely with programme leads, site leads and MEL staff to establish methods for data collection and data management systems for ongoing monitoring of key social indicators - Identify opportunities for developing and improving social research including developing low cost and practical designs for data management and analytical processes - Coordinate and provide support to social research team to deliver a social impact evaluation across sites (rotational every 5 years at each site) as well as ongoing support to programme teams in delivering programme focused social research projects - Review the current social impact evaluation and timelines to optimise learning - Help identify new areas of work where social research methods can be used to inform BV s strategies and improve the delivery of BV s programmes on the ground. - Provide expert advice and guidance on social research methods and tools, giving expert sign-off where needed Training and capacity building: - Develop a social research toolkit that enables site teams to implement social research in support of site and programme objectives - Develop and deliver a social research training programme (to be used in conjunction with toolkit) including training on key methods and sampling design - Help develop local social science capacity in the field through training, mentoring, workshops, etc. Analysis and communication of results: - Support social research team to conduct analysis and disseminate results, lead analyses and interpretation where necessary, aiming to build capacity of social research team for analysis - Work closely with MEL, communications and outreach teams to develop effective systems for analysis and dissemination of results to ensure timely decision making - Develop analytical and reporting tools, and build capacity of relevant colleagues to ensure continued reporting on key socio-economic indicators within core programmes and sites - Communicate results to field teams and partners to support ongoing adaptive management, reporting to funding partners where required - Lead on key analyses and written content for peer review literature that communicates both methodological development and social impacts - Help guide and/or prepare materials for feedback to local communities Skills and experience Required - Postgraduate degree (or equivalent) in a domain involving both quantitative and qualitative research skills (social science, environmental science, human geography, etc.) - Minimum of two years practical experience in conducting and supervising data collection or managing research in the field in rural in developing or low income countries

4 - Excellent skills in communication of complex information to a diverse range of stakeholders - Fluency in written and spoken English - Proven experience in project management and strong experience in leading a team - Ability to work in a fast-paced environment - Excellent time management and organisational skills, ability to prioritise competing projects needs - Confident, strong interpersonal skills, humility, and the ability to relate to and work effectively with individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, at all levels - Capacity to undertake research and development work independently as well as part of a team - Strong technical reporting skills, and experience of preparing project reports for funders - Excellent knowledge of qualitative methods and analysis tools (e.g. NVivo, Dedoose etc) as well as quantitative methods and analysis tools (e.g. R, SPSS, Stata or other) - A high level of competence in using Microsoft Excel and other MS Office software Desired - Previous social research coordination experience - Previous international organisation/ NGO experience - Previous systems and process improvement experience - Experience in scientific report writing and preparation of research papers for publication - Competency in a second language, either French, Spanish, Bahasa, Portuguese or Malagasy

5 Why work with us: Mission : We operate at the frontline of some of the world's most pressing environmental and social problems, innovating effective and scalable responses with tropical coastal communities. We are recognised as a transformative force in our sector. Working style: We're a fast-moving social enterprise, quick to embrace and implement promising ideas without bureaucracy. Autonomy: We expect and support our staff to take a lead in their own work, offering scope for creativity and strategic input. Professional development: We challenge and support our staff to grow their skills, providing considerable exposure to different work experiences and training opportunities. Adventure: We offer extensive opportunities for travel, working in diverse environmental and cultural contexts. Family: We look out for one another as we work closely together in challenging situations, celebrating successes and spurring each other on when the going gets tough. Values: Our organisational values are central to everything we do: Communities first Above all, we listen to community needs, responding in a sensitive and pragmatic way for long lasting benefits. Passion & belief Our mission is urgent and critical, we believe that our models work, and we are determined to get the job done. Valued people & effective teams We work in diverse and inclusive teams where all members have a voice and influence. We are effective because our work is integrated across teams and projects. Openness & humility We are an open source social enterprise. We work in a transparent and collaborative way to pass on what we learn to others who share our vision and passion. Innovation & courage We are resourceful and creative. We are prepared to take risks and challenge broken paradigms. Grounded in evidence We have high standards and are not afraid to be self critical. If we see something that doesn t work, we change tack until we re on the right course.

6 Application process Applicants should apply online, using the form below, by 14th October Please note that applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and first-round interviews may be conducted with short-listed candidates before the application deadline. All shortlisted candidates will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date.

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