The Cross-Border Conflict, Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme is hiring a senior researcher / consultant to collaborate with XCEPT research leadership in drafting syntheses of key programme findings, drawing on research produced by the programme since its launch in 2018 and identifying evidence gaps requiring further programme research.
XCEPT is funded by UK International Development to deliver new evidence on conflict affected borderlands, how conflicts connect across borders, and the factors that shape violent and peaceful behaviour. XCEPT research aims to inform more effective responses to conflict. The programme promotes innovative mixed-methods approaches that integrate new technologies with field data collection to investigate hard-to-access conflict areas.
Six years into the programme, and as it transitions into a new phase, XCEPT is working to draw out overarching findings from its significant body of research to date to enhance its legacy and impact among research, policy and practitioner communities. We are seeking a senior researcher rooted in academia to support this process, to bring a fresh perspective and expertise to work with the XCEPT team on its comparative analysis and synthesis across contexts and themes covered by the programme to date.
XCEPT’s synthesis of evidence will look to situate programme research within the broader academic literature on borderlands and the transnational dimensions of conflict, as well as highlighting its contribution to this body of work, and will inform forward-looking XCEPT Research Fund commissioning. The synthesis exercise will produce one or more publishable outputs for academic and policy audiences and has four key objectives:
- To identify and consolidate comparative and overarching findings emerging from XCEPT, through review of research produced by XCEPT partners and Fund awardees;
- To highlight thematic trends and/or methodological lessons from XCEPT research for policy, practitioner and academic audiences;
- To situate XCEPT research within the relevant academic literature and highlight its contribution to emerging theory; and
- To identify evidence gaps related to XCEPT objectives and develop research questions for XCEPT Research Fund commissioning.
XCEPT research sits at the intersection of academia and policymaking. The senior researcher will play a lead role in situating key XCEPT themes and findings within current debates in academic literature on borderlands and transnational or cross-border conflict researched by the programme. The candidate must be familiar with, and have contributed to the interdisciplinary academic literature on cross-border and transnational conflict and conflict-affected borderlands, and demonstrate an understanding of policy response challenges across the conflict-security-development nexus. Additionally, they will be experienced in conducting systematic literature and evidence reviews, drawing out policy relevant considerations.
The synthesis exercise will analyse and consolidate comparative findings from research conducted across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and will draw conclusions on what has been learned about cross-cutting issues such as gender, ethnicity, geography and power relations in the context of conflict in borderlands. XCEPT will thus consider applicants with an array of geographic and thematic expertise related to cross-border conflict, conflict affected borderlands and transnational conflict issues. The evidence synthesis will draw upon targeted literature reviews in key thematic areas to help situate the programme findings within the field and emerging theory.
Deliverables
- The senior researcher will work alongside the XCEPT research leadership team to survey XCEPT research to date and synthesise key thematic programme findings and play a lead role in connecting themes and findings to current academic debates and preparing an initial draft of an overview paper (10-20 pages).
- To support collaborative analysis the senior researcher may prepare short summaries of evidence (3-5 pages) on select themes, based on literature reviews. Relevant material from these summaries will be incorporated into the overview paper and help set direction for further evidence review and synthesis.
The consultancy may be extended following completion of the initial overview paper to enable participation in drafting evidence syntheses on targeted themes. Participation in this phase will depend on the areas identified for further research development and the consultant’s area of expertise.
Duration
XCEPT anticipates this consultancy may require up to 40 days in total, with the level of effort to be negotiated but requiring a minimum of 15 hours per week. XCEPT seeks candidates who are available to begin work in August (preferred) or early September.
Key Qualifications
- PhD in a relevant discipline such as international affairs, international development, or political science, and with at least five years research experience in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
- Familiarity with research methods for systematic literature reviews and evidence syntheses.
- Experience in research leadership and demonstrated capacity to synthesise research and evidence.
- Strong background and publications record in the fields of borderlands and transnational conflict.
- Solid knowledge of academic literatures and current debates related to borderlands and/or transnational dimensions of conflict.
- Experience delivering research and analysis for policy, including distilling academic literature into accessible and actionable considerations for a wide range of policy audiences, such as His Majesty’s Government or other national governments or multilateral institutions.
- Excellent analytic skills and English language writing skills, with an ability to write clearly and concisely, and strong interpersonal skills
How to apply
Interested individuals should submit a CV and cover later detailing their interests and consultancy rate to XCEPT-PMU@chemonics.com with subject Conflict Affected Borderlands STTA. Expressions of interest should be received by 1 September 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please direct any enquiries regarding this opportunity to the XCEPT programme management team at: XCEPT-PMU@chemonics.com