This role is an exciting opportunity to make a real contribution to influencing international financial institutions so they work for poverty eradication and reducing inequality. The Bretton Woods Project works with civil society organisations and activists worldwide to monitor, challenge, and change the IMF and World Bank so that their impact on the poorest and most vulnerable is improved. We are looking for an adept researcher that is knowledgeable in policy issues related to gender and development, international financial institutions and macroeconomic policy for development, with experience of writing advocacy materials. The deadline for applications is 16 August, 2015.
- Location: London, UK
- Pay: £28,863 per annum (starting salary) plus contributory pension
- 18 month fixed-term contract with possibility of extension (with a 6 month probationary period)
- Closing date: Midnight (11pm GMT) Sunday 16 August 2015
- We are aiming to hold interviews on Thursday 3 September 2015
- Candidates should have the right to work in the UK
Job profile:
General information
About the Bretton Woods Project
The Bretton Woods Project seeks to challenge the power of the World Bank and the IMF, open policy space, and promote alternative approaches. It is a small organisation established in 1995 by a network of UK development and environment non-governmental organisations. The Project acts as an information provider, watchdog, networker and advocate. The Bretton Woods Project is an ActionAid-hosted project.
Job Purpose
Under the direction of the IMF Programme Manager, the post holder’s primary responsibility will be to deliver on a new project examining the impact of IFI macro-economic policies on gender equality in developing countries. Working with internal and external stakeholders you will also be involved in advocacy and communication activities as well as lead delivery of certain project outputs. The gender equality project will be led by the Bretton Woods Project in cooperation with the Gender and Development Network, GADN. The role will entail research, advocacy and communication activities, and will comprise internal and external responsibilities. The successful applicant will be encouraged to communicate research findings to external audiences, including civil society groups, policy makers and government officials.
The post holder will also conduct other IMF-related research and provide organisational and administrative support to the IMF Programme of the Bretton Woods Project. Moreover, the Research Officer will form a key part of the Bretton Woods Project team and will be expected to participate actively in working towards the achievement of the Project’s goals, including the delivery of Project outputs and the general running of the office.
Key Relationships
- The Bretton Woods Project team
- ActionAid UK Policy & Campaigns department, especially policy team
- Gender and Development Network staff and NGO partners participating in its Women’s Economic Justice Working Group
- External consultants contributing to the project on IFIs and gender equality
- Civil society partners participating in the women’s economic empowerment project
Key tasks and responsibilities
Key Tasks | Key elements | % |
|
|
35% |
|
|
30% |
Supporting information-sharing and networking with civil society partners |
|
25% |
|
|
10% |
Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience | |
Essential | Desirable |
Experience working on gender and international development policy issues | |
|
Experience of NGO culture and working practices, especially relating to advocacy and campaigning |
Knowledge of current policy issues related to international financial institutions, gender and international development | Work experience related to development finance, international finance, or macroeconomic policy issues |
Experience of conducting research on relevant policy issues in a public policy, NGO or academic environment | Experience working with gender issues in the global south. |
Experience of engaging with external stakeholders/audiences | Work experience in a developing country |
Skills and Abilities | |
Excellent English written and verbal communication skills | |
Proven research skills and ability to work with spread sheets and conduct simple data analysis | Working ability in other languages (esp Spanish, French) |
Excellent information technology skills | Familiarity with website maintenance and use of WordPress or similar software |
Flexibility and willingness to take on a wide variety of tasks | |
Commitment to social justice, human rights and environmental sustainability | |
Ability to work as part of a team, supporting some tasks and leading on others |
Application instructions
Please read these instructions very carefully. We are a small organisation and regret that we cannot deal with individual requests for further information.
We encourage all applicants to thoroughly read the Bretton Woods Project website before applying for a job. We have material online that will help you understand our work, our outputs and our priorities. You may also wish to subscribe to our newsletter, newswire or get alerts when we add new content to the website. Useful links:
- About the Bretton Woods Project – including our vision, purpose, activities and our most recent annual report
- The most recent edition of the Bretton Woods Observer – our flagship, bimonthly publication which presents critical voices on the most recent issues at the World Bank and IMF
- Recent briefings and reports
Send applications by e-mail only to: JobsUK@actionaid.org. by the deadline of midnight (11pm GMT), Sunday 16 August 2015. Please ensure that you state your full name and the title of the job (Project and Research Officer, Gender, Bretton Woods Project) in the subject title of the email. With each application please attach three different documents to your email: a cover letter, a CV and a writing sample. Attachments must be in one of the following formats: PDF, Microsoft Word, Rich Text File, or Open Office document.
Cover letter – the cover letter should, in one page or less, indicate where you saw the vacancy, how you meet all the requirements set out in the job profile, and when you would be available to start the job.
CV – Please send a CV of no more than two pages and please do not include irrelevant personal details such as age, gender, marital status or ethnicity.
Writing sample – Please send a piece of relevant written work of less than 2,000 words. The written work could be an article, an essay, something you produced for a previous employer, or as a last resort an extract of a longer paper, and preferably not academic work. It should be entirely written by you with preferably no editing by another person. We will use it to assess your ability to write clearly and present a coherent argument, not to test your knowledge.
After you have submitted your application we ask that you fill in our equal opportunities monitoring form.
About your application:
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
The Bretton Woods Project is an ActionAid-hosted project. ActionAid is an equal opportunities employer. We warmly welcome applications from all sections of the community and aim to promote diversity.
Recruitment consultancies / agencies should not approach us with regards to open vacancies. We regret that agency candidates will not be considered.