Jordan: Postdoctoral Fellow - Water, Conflicts and Resilience

Mar 31, 2024 | International Water Management Institute
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The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center is seeking a multi skilled and innovative researcher to join as a Postdoctoral Fellow – Water, Conflicts and Resilience. This is an internationally recruited position; therefore, individuals with relevant abilities from diverse locations around the world are encouraged to apply. Please disregard the preferred geographic location indicated above, as this is a technical limitation of the Workable software. The successful candidate may be based in Jordan or another IWMI Office; however, remote working may be considered if telecommuting from a time zone within a 4-hour difference from Jordan.

DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the availability of this position is contingent upon the receipt of donor funding.

The Postdoctoral Fellow – Water, Conflicts, and Resilience will develop innovative solutions to enhance water and climate resilience in fragile, conflict, or disaster-affected situations. The successful candidate will primarily carry out applied research under the One CGIAR initiative on “Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM)” and the bilateral project “the Jahez (Ready) project: Building resilience for refugees and their host communities in Jordan" which aims to enhance anticipatory action and climate change adaptation to build the resilience of refugees and their host communities in Jordan. The Fellow will develop and implement new frameworks to support institutions in the design, implementation, and monitoring of water innovations and nature-based solutions aimed at reducing water-related conflicts, strengthening water security through emergency and crisis response initiatives, and enhancing resilience to shocks and stresses through preventive and adaptive programming.

The successful candidate should have a background in applied research, with experience working hand-in-hand with research uptake partners in the focus countries (e.g. government, humanitarian and development agencies, civil society). The Fellow is expected to work in an interdisciplinary manner with IWMI and One CGIAR researchers in the fields of agriculture, water resources management, hydrology, climate change science, and digital innovations. The incumbent will also lead stakeholder engagement to ensure the translation of research into impact.

Furthermore, the Fellow is expected to, together with the relevant project leaders, the Strategic Program Director for Water, Climate Change & Resilience (WCCR), the Research Group Leader for Climate Policies, Finance, and Processes (CPFP), and IWMI and CGIAR scientists, develop new research ideas and proposals for expanding the portfolio on water, conflicts, and resilience within IWMI and the One CGIAR. The successful candidate is also expected to present IWMI’s work on water, conflict, emergencies, and resilience through national and international platforms.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead innovative research in the field of water, climate risk, and resilience building across various socio-ecological and economic contexts in Jordan, Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Iraq with the potential to expand into other countries regionally and globally.
• Contribute to the scientific advancement and methodological development of IWMI’s research on water, conflict, emergency and humanitarian operations, disaster risk reduction, anticipatory action, and resilience.
• Develop and implement frameworks aimed at enhancing the design, implementation, and monitoring of water innovations/nature-based solutions to enhance resilience building in emergency situations, conflict-affected areas, and disaster-prone or affected areas.
• Design digital and paper-based data collection methodologies and instruments depending on partner capacities and local infrastructure to collect and manage high-quality data.
• Ensure that the databases align with CGIAR's well-described, machine-interpretable, openly available data policies and are FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable).
• Publish scientific results in high-quality peer-reviewed journals, following IWMI’s policies and procedures for the publication of research outputs.
• Integrate research findings into effective policy recommendations and disseminate information through relevant guidelines and policy briefs.
• Present research findings at national, regional, and global events, workshops, and conferences.
• Organize trainings, events, workshops, and stakeholder consultations in line with the research projects and topic relevance.
• Develop new partnerships and engage with key stakeholders in project implementation, policy advocacy, and dissemination of project outcomes to contribute to development goals and impacts.
• Collaborate with project management, IWMI, and other CGIAR colleagues, as well as national and international partners, to ensure the timely delivery of research results.
• Perform other related assignments as required.

Requirements

Educational Qualifications & Experience

Essential:

• PhD degree in Agriculture, Water Management, Emergency & Disaster Management, Humanitarian Relief, International Development, or a relevant field.
• Minimum of 3 years of international research experience in qualitative research, including study design, data collection, analysis, and report writing, with knowledge of various qualitative research methods.

Desirable:

• Research experience related to disaster management or emergency response.
• Experience in research management, coordination, and facilitation in fragile and conflict-affected locations.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Essential:

• Strong qualitative research skills in the fields of social science, agriculture, water resources governance, and institutions.
• A good understanding of climate-smart agricultural water management and water services, nature-based solutions, disaster risk management, early warning, anticipatory action strategies, humanitarian operations, and climate adaptation in fragile and conflict-affected situations.
• Excellent analytical and numerical skills, with a demonstrated ability to analyze complex data and generate meaningful insights.
• Ability to lead literature reviews, create databases, and use digital tools for data collection and analysis.
• Excellent oral and written language skills in English, including effective listening and strong verbal and written communication abilities.
• A positive attitude, a solid work ethic, and a demonstrated capacity and interest in learning new technologies, as well as taking on additional responsibilities over time.
• Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and able to work both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with people in a multicultural and multidisciplinary environment, with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
• Experience in collaborating with humanitarian organizations and their local partners in the field.

Desirable:

• Research management, coordination, and facilitation skills in fragile, conflict-affected, and/or disaster-affected locations.
• Interest in data mining or finding innovative ways to collect data and fill crucial data gaps in fragile or conflict-affected situations.
• Proficiency in additional languages will be considered an asset.

Benefits

This is an internationally recruited position with a competitive salary, comprehensive international health insurance, life insurance accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and long-term disability coverage. Internationally recruited staff who are employed at a duty station outside of their home base/country of nationality will also receive relocation assistance, a housing allowance, home-leave plane tickets for self and eligible dependents and education assistance for eligible dependents. The duration of the contract will initially be for a period of two years.

How to Apply

Apply for the position by following the application instructions at www.iwmi.org/jobs. IWMI will be accepting applications through 24:00 (IST) on April 10, 2024 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis). Applications must include a CV, cover letter, and three (3) references, which may be contacted if the candidate is shortlisted. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

IWMI believes that diversity powers its innovation, contributes to its excellence, and is critical for its mission. IWMI offers a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. IWMI is consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects its global character and its commitment to gender equity. IWMI, therefore, encourages applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.