Research Executive (1 Year Contract)

About The Job

The Research Executive will provide integrated research, administrative, and operational support to advance the University’s research strategy. The role involves coordinating research-related activities, supporting procurement and administrative processes, and contributing to applied research projects.

This position is suited for an organised and analytical individual who can manage multiple priorities while supporting both research execution and institutional coordination.

What You Will Be Doing

Key Responsibilities

1. Research Coordination & Operations

• Coordinate meetings, schedules, and engagements related to research initiatives and projects.
• Prepare agendas, briefing materials, and presentation slides for meetings and discussions.
• Document meeting minutes, track action items, and follow up on deliverables.
• Facilitate communication and coordination across internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Support planning and execution of research-related committees, workshops, and engagements.

2. Procurement & Administrative Support

• Raise and process purchasing requests in accordance with University procurement policies and systems.
• Assist in preparing scopes of work, obtaining quotations, and supporting vendor selection processes.
• Coordinate with vendors and service providers (e.g. survey firms, transcription services, research support vendors).
• Track procurement status, deliveries, and payments to ensure timely execution.
• Maintain proper documentation and records for procurement and administrative activities.

3. Research Administration & Ethics

• Assist in the preparation and submission of Institutional Review Board (IRB) or ethics applications, including drafting and compiling required documentation.
• Track submission timelines, approvals, amendments, and renewals.
• Maintain accurate, organised, and audit-ready research documentation in line with governance requirements. 

4. Research Design & Data Collection

• Support the development of research instruments (e.g. surveys, interview guides, and protocols).
• Assist with participant recruitment, scheduling, and coordination of data collection activities.
• Support quantitative and qualitative data collection efforts in accordance with approved research protocols.
• Perform data cleaning and preparation for analysis.

5. Data Analysis & Literature Review

• Conduct basic quantitative and qualitative analysis under supervision (e.g. descriptive statistics, regression analysis, thematic coding).
• Perform literature reviews across academic and grey literature sources.
• Summarise and synthesise findings into structured research outputs.
• Support the application and interpretation of causal inference approaches (e.g. identifying confounders, supporting experimental or quasi-experimental designs, and interpreting results under supervision).

6. Reporting & Research Outputs

• Assist in drafting research reports, policy briefs, presentations, and technical documents.
• Support writing, editing, and formatting of research outputs.
• Contribute to preparation of materials for dissemination to internal and external stakeholders.

7. Other Duties

• Perform other research, administrative, and project-related tasks as assigned.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, statistics, or a related applied social sciences field, with a solid foundation in causal inference and quantitative research methods (e.g. regression analysis, experimental or quasi-experimental designs, and understanding of concepts such as confounding and identification).
• Strong organisational and coordination skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and timelines.
• Familiarity with procurement processes or willingness to learn.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in research, policy, or data-related work.
• Proficiency in R is required; working knowledge of Python and/or Stata is an advantage.
• Familiarity with LaTeX for academic writing is a plus.
• Ability to support IRB/ethics applications or willingness to learn.
• Strong analytical, writing, and communication skills.
• High attention to detail, discretion, and ability to handle confidential information.