Principal Researcher (AC07) 3 Year Full Time Fixed Term Contract at University of the Witwatersrand

The candidate will be expected to:

• Coordinate and manage the project across 17 African countries.
• Conduct scoping, systematic and literature reviews jointly with lead researchers and project partners at country level.
• Lead the project’s research design and production of a research implementation toolkit.
• Guide capacity development and training required for project implementation.
• Design and coordinate household surveys in collaboration with project partners and the research team.
• Conduct advanced qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Manage publications in liaison with the Digital Publisher and the production of project research reports, policy briefs and journal articles.
• Coordinate training and supervision of doctoral fellows supported by the project and coordinate annual doctoral workshops.
• Hold project consultations and convenings in different regions.
• Supervise lead researchers and country partners.
• Carry out any administrative functions that the project requires working closely with the Centre’s administration team.
• Apply the principles of co-production in research partnerships and collaborations.

Job Requirements:

• PhD in any of the following disciplines: Economics, Development Studies, International Development, Non-profit or Philanthropic studies, Behavioural Sciences, Statistics, Social Sciences, Actuary Science, Data Science and Management, Public Policy or any development related field.
• Experience working with different research methodologies and a demonstrable publications record.
• Demonstrable expertise in both advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods, including statistical and econometric analysis, and a strong track record of publications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Previous experience in conducting scoping and systematic reviews and practical fieldwork experience in data collection in Africa.
• Experience in gender and intersectionality research will be an added advantage.

Desirable skills

• Experience in leadership and team building.
• Languages:  Fluency in English and either French of Portuguese.
• Experience in leading multi-stakeholder partnerships will be an added advantage.
• Experience in programme monitoring and evaluation and interpretation of performance metrics.
• Experience in contributing to appraisals of project-related human resources.

Closing date: 06 April 2026