The Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, is seeking qualified candidates for a Research Assistant position.
Research Assistant
1-year fixed-term contract
with the support of United Nations Development Programme
The Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation (“Decade Secretariat”) is seeking a full-time Research Assistant for its office in Budapest, Hungary. The terms of the contract will be determined on the basis of the applicable Hungarian Labor Code.
Background:
The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 (“Decade”) is a political commitment by European governments to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of the Roma population. The Decade is an international initiative that brings together governments, international, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, including Romani civil society, to accelerate progress toward improving the welfare of Roma and to review such progress in a transparent and quantifiable way. The Decade focuses on the priority areas of education, employment, health and housing, and commits governments to take into account the core issues of poverty, discrimination and gender mainstreaming.
The current member states of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 are Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Spain.
The Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation is a private foundation established by the Open Society Institute in 2007. The Decade Secretariat serves as the main facilitation body of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015. It aims to support the work of the annually rotating Presidency of the Decade. In addition to the annual transfer of know-how and initiatives between Decade Presidencies, the Decade Secretariat ensures a smooth transition and enhances coordination of all joint activities. It provides continuity to the Decade and acts as the permanent repository of information and knowledge about the Decade.
The Decade can offer a constructive contribution to the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies thatputs a new dimension of the process of inclusion opening truly historical opportunities.
In order to have those opportunities materialized, international organizations are called for support in crucial areas like data collection, monitoring and scaling up of good practices. Building adequate knowledge base on what works and what does not in the area of Roma inclusion, going beyond endless pilots towards sustainable scaling up and improving local communities’ capacity to be effectively involved in the process of inclusion appear as crucial areas of intervention.
Responsibilities:
The Research Assistant will be responsible for mapping projects targeting Roma with a focus on projects implemented directly at community level and benefitting communities directly. The data gathered would include all relevant information on the projects as objective, activities, location, time frame, budget, monitoring and evaluation, results, sustainability, etc. Besides gathering fundamental data on projects/programs, the research assistant will be responsible for analyzing transferability and applicability of certain good practices.
The Research Assistant’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following tasks:
· Sets up a solid methodology of collecting data for the project database;
· Sets up a database with good practice projects implemented by the governments and civil society organizations in the first half of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005 – 2015;
· Synthesizes lessons learnt and best practices in projects;
· Maintains database up to date;
· Provides both internal and external clients (including Decade member countries) with timely and adequate support/ information on program and project activities;
· Provide deepened understanding of the best practices based on field visits;
· Highlights those characteristics that worth to be applied in other projects as well;
· Create a database with negative experiences in Roma inclusion projects in order to avoid making the same mistakes;
· Contributes to the daily work of the Decade Secretariat as necessary.
Required qualifications and experience:
· Minimum B.A. degree in relevant field (economics, social policy or other related social science discipline);
· Minimum 3 years of relevant working experiencepreferably in the area of development on projects targeting poverty reduction and social inclusion/vulnerable groups;
· Proven research and writing skills;
· Tractable experience in working with Roma targeted projects, thorough understanding of the situation of Roma in Central and South Eastern Europe;
· Solid knowledge of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015;
· Familiarity with the EU’s Social Inclusion agenda would be strong assets;
· Excellent written and oral command of English;
· Knowledge of one or more language(s) of the Decade countries is a considerable advantage;
· Advanced computer skills (MS Office and internet software);
· Excellent analytical and organizational skills;
· Multitasking abilities and ability to work under pressure;
· Capacity to work independently as well as in a multinational team.
The Research Assistant will be working under the supervision of the Program Coordinator and report to Facilitator of the Decade Secretariat.
Required application documents (Please submit all documents in English):
1. Europass CV; template can be downloaded at: http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/europass/home/vernav/Europasss+Documents/Europass+CV/navigate.action
2. Two recommendation letters – at least one from a previous supervisor, and one from a peer who is familiar with the candidate’s capacities
3. One-page (A4) motivation letter explaining the candidate’s relevant professional and educational background,
The deadline for submitting applications is September 30, 2011.
Applications should be submitted by e-mail to: tbuzetzky@decadesecretariat.org
Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
The Decade of Roma Inclusion Secretariat Foundation is an equal opportunity employer, which supports diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation.
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