Research Assistant/Programme Coordinator, Sahel–West Africa Programme

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is an independent international institute whose core mission is to undertake research and activities on security, conflict and peace. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. SIPRI provides excellent opportunities for scientific and personal development. SIPRI is an equal opportunity employer.

The Sahel–West Africa Programme explores the links between security, governance and development in the region by collecting views and perceptions from local populations and engaging with a variety of active stakeholders on these issues. The programme engages in ongoing dialogue and academic cooperation with local civil society organizations and research centres in order to maximize local engagement in peace and security policies and programmes, as well as the efficacy, efficiency and pertinence of these programmes.

The purpose of the post of Research Assistant and Programme Coordinator in the Sahel–West Africa Programme is to assist the programme management in monitoring the overall budget of the programme’s activities and to contribute to the successful implementation of the activities in close coordination with the (Deputy) Programme Director and the Operations department.

The Programme is specifically interested in recruiting an enthusiastic colleague with experience in project management and working with African partners. The position is based in Stockholm but might involve occasional travel.

Main tasks and responsibilities

The Research Assistant and Programme Coordinator will:

• Support and assist the Programme Director and the Senior Researchers in all dimensions of the work related to budget, outreach activities, partnerships, publications and fundraising;
• Liaise on all these aspects with the partner organizations in West Africa and engage with other researchers and SIPRI departments on the Programme;
• Contribute to monitoring the overall budget of the Programme’s projects in West Africa;
• Report to the main project’s sponsors by:
• Supporting the programme management in planning, internal communication and scheduling of meetings and coordination of meetings with stakeholders;
• Supporting the project’s activities and other events designed to increase the visibility of SIPRI by budgeting and supporting the planning and organizing of conferences, meetings and workshops, including partner outreach, logistics and on-site support and reporting;
• Supporting local partners’ capacity building by managing the financial and organizational audits, training partners’ staff on budget and general accounting procedures, and reviewing planning documents, request for funds and budget reports;
• Reviewing planning documents, request for funds and budget reports.

The Research Assistant and Programme Coordinator will closely work with the Programme Director, the (Senior) Researchers and with other colleagues within the conflict, peace and security research theme and the Institute.

As for all members of SIPRI’s staff, s/he also has a responsibility to contribute to a pleasant and stimulating intellectual and working environment in the Institute by taking part in the collective life of the institute.

Requirements

A university degree or degrees, in disciplines and topics relevant to this post, at Master level (accounting, finance, development cooperation) is required for this post.

When starting in post, the Research Assistant and Programme Coordinator should have the following experience and skills:

- Two years of research assistance or project/programme coordination;
- Previous experience in elaborating budgets and a solid knowledge of international procedures;
- Fluency, both spoken and written, in English
- Fluency, both spoken and written, in French
- Previous working experience in Africa and/or with African civil society organizations will be considered a strong asset.


Contract period

Fixed term: 12 months

Contract preferences will be discussed at interview. Salary package will be negotiated individually.

How to apply

SIPRI is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages women and non-European candidates to apply.

If interested in applying for this position, please submit a one-page cover letter, a CV (maximum 2 pages, including the names and contact information of one or two references) and a writing sample from previous work or study.

In order to be considered in the recruitment process, the application must be made via the form in the vacancies section of SIPRI’s website and not through any other external job sites.

Please observe that you must apply via SIPRI’s electronic application system.

Please access the form via the ‘apply’ button at the end of this page.

The closing date for applications is 12 May 2021.

For further information about the vacancy, please contact virginie.baudais@sipri.org.

The trade union contacts at SIPRI are Pieter Wezeman for ST (pw@sipri.org) and Jiayi Zhou for SACO (zhou@sipri.org).