Job Description

Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation

Job Description – Research Fellow 

Title: Research Fellow

Reports To: Head, Research and MEL

Location: Delhi with travel to BRLF geographies of operation

Nature of employment: Full-time contract with benefits

Number of Vacancies: 1 

About the Organization

The Ministry of Rural Development set up Bharat Rural Livelihoods Foundation (BRLF), Government of India (GOI), as an independent organisation under the Societies Registration Act to facilitate civil society action in partnership with the State and central Governments to transform the livelihoods and lives of rural households, with an emphasis on women, particularly in the Central Indian Tribal Region. 

BRLF is a unique and first-of-its-kind initiative. The Foundation is a partnership between the government, on the one hand, and private sector philanthropies, as well as public and private sector undertakings (under Corporate Social Responsibility).

Major functions of BRLF are fostering strategic partnerships with state govt for improving program outcomes, providing financial grants to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to meet their human resource and institutional costs for

up-scaling of proven interventions, investing in institutional strengthening of smaller CSOs, capacity building of professional human resources working at the grassroots, and to enable evidence-based insights into key policies and programs of the government concerning rural livelihoods and tribal development. 

The BRLF research vertical is mandated to co-create the knowledge and data infrastructure to enable a greater understanding of the themes of tribal development and sustainable livelihoods in the country and facilitate policy dialogues and reforms through the publication of research reports, knowledge briefs, practice support notes, case studies and robust, dynamic databases on key livelihood indicators.

The research vertical works closely with the program team on evaluation design and process studies to generate strategic policy inputs for enhanced programmatic relevance and performance. Additionally, to strengthen the institutional ecosystem and knowledge infrastructure in the sector, the BRLF research team invests in enhancing the capacities of CSO partners in developing

a research orientation, co-create evidence-based / data-informed programmatic strategies with embedded systems to self-assess, evaluate, re-strategize and learn using collaboratively established practice benchmarks. 

For more details, visit www.brlf.in.

Job Purpose:

Research Fellow, BRLF is a brilliant opportunity for scholars and practitioners to help build a unique

‘Body of Knowledge’ on tribal rural livelihoods and natural resource management. The position is for researchers with sound quantitative and qualitative research expertise and proven experience writing policy briefs and reports. The research vertical at BRLF is unique and first-of-its-kind in the country, wherein applied research relevant to policy insights and formulation is being co-created to support

the strategic engagement of governments, funding organisations and CSOs actively pursuing narratives of equitable social change and transformation. 

As a Research Fellow, you will have the opportunity to shape and support the scope of work for the Research vertical and contribute to the emerging knowledge infrastructure on tribal development and sustainable livelihoods.

While the primary role would include developing and writing relevant knowledge briefs for the policy inputs/reforms and practice support, this role would also provide an opportunity to redefine how inclusive knowledge infrastructures are co-created for the livelihood sector. This will also involve benchmarking structures, processes, and practices to enable sustainable rural livelihoods for Indigenous and vulnerable communities. 

Researchers with a keen interest in examining and learning from field experiences, sustainability and equity principles and climate resilience practices applied in the rural development and livelihoods sector will find this role and opportunity very exciting.

Key responsibilities:

Conceptualise and design mixed-method research initiatives in consultation with the Head of Research and MEL to develop policy briefs, technical papers, research papers and reports for government and non-government stakeholders.

Travel across the Central Indian Tribal Belt to document the expansive work of the BRLF-CSO partners on sustainable livelihoods, natural resource management, and securing rights and entitlements for socio-economically marginalised and vulnerable communities through Government schemes.

The research fellow is also expected to contribute appropriately to the work of the program and capacity-building verticals under the guidance of the Head of Research and MEL.

Project manage and lead BRLF's existing research initiatives.

Under the guidance of the research lead, curate a database on tribal development and rural livelihoods using existing datasets and resources in the public domain.

Supporting existing mixed-methods research projects to develop policy memos and technical papers for Government and non-government stakeholders.

Engage in data collection exercises as part of various research projects currently being undertaken in BRLF project geographies within the Central Indian Tribal belt and the North- East.

Document the expansive work of the BRLF and its collaborators on sustainable livelihoods, natural resource management and securing rights and entitlements for the socio- economically marginalised communities through Government schemes.

Design and lead BRLF initiatives on knowledge sharing and awareness of tribal development and sustainable livelihoods through co-authoring practice support notes, case studies, policy papers, memos, and research reports for Government and non-government stakeholders.

Design, monitor, and project manage the execution of evaluation studies and social audits to record the impact of BRLF programmatic interventions in current engagement geographies.

Conduct trainings/ workshops to nurture the capacities of CSOs in process documentation and data, which allows them to document their work better and evaluate their performances using standardised indices.

Assist in the design and development of new research initiatives of BRLF, oversee project implementation, identify external agencies (as and when required) and collaboratively work with BRLF partners on key steps in the research execution process.

Curate and anchor the organisation of key events, conferences, seminars, roundtables, and dialogues to further BRLF’s research mandate, disseminate BRLF knowledge products and generate/ shape narratives of sustainable livelihoods, tribal development, and natural resource management.

Participate and represent BRLF in key forums and platforms to showcase BRLF research and knowledge initiatives.

Support resource mobilisation and capacity-building activities by co-creating appropriate knowledge and research products.

Undertake short research studies, rapid appraisals, design and implement need assessment studies to support the program and resource mobilisation team of BRLF.

Qualifications and Experience:

A post-graduate degree in Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Statistics, Population studies, Gender studies, History, Development Studies, Public Policy, Social Work, or any other related discipline from a reputed institution directly relevant to the job profile.

Excellent written and communication skills in English. Knowledge of other languages (Hindi, Oriya, Marathi, Bengali, etc) spoken in the Central Indian Tribal Belt is desirable.

Demonstrated experience of 5-10 years of designing and executing high-quality research in the domain of Rural Development/Tribal Development/Sustainable Livelihoods/ Climate Change/ Agriculture/ Forestry

Proven skills in quantitative and qualitative data analysis using analysis software like R/ STATA and NVivo/ Atlas Ti/ MAXQDA

Must have experience in designing and conducting data collection for large research projects using qualitative and quantitative tools.

Must be proficient in data visualisation methods and tools (Power BI/ Data Studio/ Tableau/ etc.), MS Excel, and ODK/ similar open-source platforms

Willingness to travel extensively.

Work independently and be organised to ensure that tasks are completed on time.

Results orientation with attention to detail.

Experience in managing multi-partner research projects is desirable.

Compensation: The remuneration package is budgeted for up to 75,000 – 1,10,000 per month. The offer made to the selected candidate shall be commensurate with the qualifications, experience, and salary history. 

Application Process: Eligible candidates interested in this position are requested to apply through this link. For any queries related to the advertised position, you can write to us at recruitment.brlf@gmai l.com with a subject line “Recruitment query for the position of Research Fellow”.

Interested candidates must apply by or before 01st January 2025. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Recruitment for the position will be on a rolling basis. BRLF reserves the right to close this recruitment as the position is filled from applications received. 

BRLF is an equal opportunity organisation without discrimination by virtue of religious belief, social class, caste, special ability, or gender.

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