Research Specialist

Terms of Reference

Division: Research.

Location: Aden

Reports to: Research Manager.

Organization & Background:

A humanitarian, independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization that works across Yemen. The organization provides direct organization for conflict-affected populations, IDPs, host communities and vulnerable groups in the conflict areas. The organization, in partnership with international agencies, acts during crisis situations, and goes the extra mile to engage in other contexts where its competencies will add value. The organization promotes durable solutions for conflict-affected populations and helps to restore services, education, economy, wellbeing and health.

Role Purpose:

The Research Specialist will lead and support high-quality research, assessments, surveys and evidence products that strengthen program design, humanitarian decision-making and organizational learning. The post holder will coordinate research processes from question formulation and methodology design through fieldwork, analysis, reporting and dissemination, while ensuring ethical practice, data quality, safeguarding and compliance with YFCA and donor requirements.

The role works closely with program and field teams and maintains productive relationships with communities, clusters, donors, UN agencies, academic institutions, researchers and partner organizations

Key Responsibilities:

Research planning and design:

• Develop research and assessment concepts, protocols, workplans, sampling approaches, analysis plans and realistic budgets in line with program and decision-making needs.
• Design and teste quantitative and qualitative data-collection tools—including questionnaires, interview and focus group guides, and observation checklists—for both paper-based and electronic platforms (KoboToolbox and XLSForm).
• Conduct literature reviews, secondary-data analysis and information-gap mapping to ensure that new studies add value and avoid duplication.
• Adapt research tools and language to the Yemeni context, local sensitivities, accessibility needs and cultural norms.

Fieldwork, data quality and team supervision:

• Plan and coordinate surveys, rapid assessments, needs assessments and other research activities in collaboration with program and field teams.
• Recruit, train and brief enumerators and supervisors on tools, ethics, informed consent, safeguarding, referral procedures and data-quality standards.
• Supervise data collection and implement field-level quality controls, including spot checks, back-checks, daily reviews, issue logs and corrective actions.
• Ensure secure and timely collection, transfer, storage and documentation of research data and supporting records.

Data management, analysis and reporting:

• Develop and maintain clean, well-documented and anonymized datasets, codebooks, data dictionaries and analysis files.
• Analyse quantitative and qualitative data using appropriate methods; triangulate findings across sources and clearly distinguish evidence, limitations and interpretation.
• Produce concise, accurate and audience-appropriate research reports, assessment reports, briefs, fact sheets, presentations in Arabic and/or English.
• Provide rapid analytical support for emergency response, program planning, donor reporting, proposal development and management information requests.

Coordination, learning and knowledge sharing:

• Build and maintain relationships with key informants, communities, research institutions, clusters, working groups, NGOs, UN agencies and relevant authorities.
• Represent YFCA in relevant assessment and community-engagement forums and support joint assessments and inter-agency analysis when requested.
• Facilitate validation and learning sessions so that communities, program teams and decision-makers can interpret findings and agree practical actions.
• Maintain an organized repository of research tools, datasets, reports and evidence products and support responsible internal and external information sharing.

Research ethics, compliance and accountability:

• Ensure that all research follows appropriate ethical principles, including voluntary informed consent, confidentiality, do-no-harm, safeguarding, inclusion and responsible data use.
• Identify studies requiring additional technical or ethical review and support the preparation of submissions, permissions and supporting documentation.
• Review research and assessment reports for methodological quality, evidence traceability, donor and organizational compliance, clarity and language accuracy.
• Maintain research risk, consent, data-protection and compliance records and promptly escalate ethical, safeguarding or data-security concerns.

Program Support:

• Support program teams to translate evidence into project strategies, theories of change, results frameworks, indicators, monitoring tools and learning priorities.
• Contribute research and contextual analysis to concept notes, proposals, situation updates, program reviews and organizational reports.
• Provide coaching and technical guidance to staff, consultants and partners on research methods, assessment design, data interpretation and evidence use.
• Undertake other relevant duties assigned by the supervisor and travel within Yemen when required and safe to do so.

Safeguarding:

• Read, understand, and adhere to the organization's Safeguarding Policy, sign the organization's Code of Conduct, and strive to promote a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, harassment, and abuse in all working environments.
• Report any concerns about the well-being of a child or vulnerable person and report any concerns about the behavior of the organization's representative in relation to safeguarding.

Qualifications, Experience, and Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in public health, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, laboratory sciences, biostatistics, statistics, social sciences, international development or another field relevant to applied humanitarian research.
• At least three years of progressively responsible experience in research, assessments, MEAL, information management or a closely related function, preferably in a humanitarian or development setting.
• Demonstrated experience with mixed-methods research, sampling, questionnaire design, key-informant interviews, focus-group discussions and primary and secondary data collection.
• Experience managing field data collection and training or supervising enumerators.
• Ability to clean, analyse, interpret and visualize data and produce clear analytical reports for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong written and spoken Arabic and English, including the ability to review and produce professional reports in both languages.
• Strong command of Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and familiarity with digital data-collection platforms such as KoboToolbox, ODK or equivalent systems.
• A medical, public-health or other health-sciences background, particularly with experience in health, nutrition, maternal and child health, disease surveillance or health-related humanitarian research.
• Postgraduate training in public health, research methods, biostatistics, monitoring and evaluation or a related discipline.
• Experience using statistical or qualitative analysis manage and interpret statistical and qualitative datasets.
• Previous work with humanitarian organizations in Yemen and knowledge of cluster coordination, needs-assessment standards and community-engagement approaches.
• The position is based in Aden and may require travel to field locations within Yemen, subject to organizational security procedures and operational needs.
• The post holder must be able to work under pressure during rapid assessments or emergency-response periods while maintaining data quality and ethical standards.