[Job Vacancy] Researcher and Facilitator at the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)

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The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) was founded in 2009, it is the leading international think tank on business and human rights. IHRB’s mission is to shape policy, advance practice, and strengthen accountability in order to make respect for human rights part of everyday business. IHRB seeks to embed international business and human rights standards within responsible business practice in a wide range of countries and industry sectors, working with government, business and civil society.

IHRB’s Built Environment programme was initiated in 2019. Closely related programmes include those on Just Transitions and Migrant Workers. IHRB is registered in the UK and has founded a charitable foundation in Denmark called IHRB Nordic, and has established a number of now free-standing organisations, in Myanmar, Colombia, and the global Centre for Sport and Human Rights.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Researcher and Facilitator: Climate Action and Social Justice in the Built Environment

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Part Time
Duration: 3 Months

The Role

• We are recruiting a part-time Researcher and Facilitator over a three-month period from September to early December 2022 to conduct the following activities in Lagos, Nigeria. This post will work closely with IHRB’s Programme Manager, Built Environment (Global) who will have oversight for the research process, as well as with other project partners.
• This research is in Lagos will be part of a project comprising of a series of similar research studies in eight cities globally over two years.

Project Overview

• The project “Building for Today and for the Future” is developing a collaborative agenda for a just transition of the built environment. It will identify pathways to reduce the climate footprint and strengthen resilience of buildings and infrastructure, while also reducing social inequity and respecting human rights. The project will also work to address and overcome the specific obstacles that stand in the way of those pathways.
• The three interconnected outcomes and activities are:
  • Strengthening the evidence base: Deep-dive action research in eight cities globally, linking up to their relevant national and regional contexts;
  • Shifting mindsets: Visioning sessions that invite diverse local stakeholders to imagine what a just and sustainable built environment looks like;
  • Changing policy and practice: Strategic communications and policy advocacy to influence government and industry practices.
• The project will consider the full range of human rights but will have a particular focus on: meaningful participation; spatial justice; the right to housing; and workers’ rights. An intersectional lens will be applied throughout, considering the range of factors that affect people’s experience of the world including gender, race, class, sexual orientation, physical ability and immigration status.

Deliverables

• Scope definition: Identify and define Lagos’ priority built environment decarbonisation and resilience process(es) to be investigated, (for example: strengthened resilience of the built environment to the impacts of climate change; reductions of emissions from materials / circular building practices; improvements in energy efficiency and construction practices; shifting to renewable energy sources for buildings).
• Research: Desk research; semi-structured interviews with 10-15 stakeholders (aiming for representation of civil society, workers and tenants; government; business; finance; and academia); and relevant site visits, to assess:
  • Actors: Who is currently shaping the decisions about the selected decarbonisation and resilience process(es) and how? (stakeholder mapping)
  • National and urban policy landscape: How do regional, national and international policies and financial initiatives for built environment decarbonisation and resilience manifest on the territory?
  • Impacts: How does the process already or potentially impact people (positively, negatively), with an emphasis on the most vulnerable – and how are these impacts distributed throughout the city? Priority themes to be considered: meaningful participation; spatial justice and non-discrimination; the right to housing; and workers’ rights.
  • Barriers and opportunities: What are the (political, economic, social) barriers and opportunities for advancing just decarbonisation and resilience in the built environment in the city?
• Outreach: In parallel, introduce the Framework for Dignity in the Built Environment to the stakeholders (the 10-15 interviewees). This Framework is a dynamic, internationally applicable, yet a locally adaptable tool for grounding built environment decision-making in international human rights standards and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and for harnessing the specific roles and responsibilities and leverage points between actors. Identify practical opportunities for applying the Framework in the local context at policy and/or project level.
• City Summary Report: Produce a four-page summary of the research findings, analysis, and recommendations, with an annex of relevant background materials, in close collaboration with IHRB’s Programme Manager, Built Environment (Global).

Note: The research outputs will be ideally further elaborated into academic journal articles; while this is beyond the scope of this consultancy, the research should be conducted with the appropriate scientific rigor and with this opportunity in mind.

• Contribution to a global map of innovative / alternative economic models: During desktop and fieldwork research, identify up to four examples of economic models / initiatives (in the city, country, and/or within the wider region) that seek to address power imbalances and are conducive to a just transition in the built environment: examples could include: equitable land-use measures or community-ownership models; community-led planning processes; measures to curb over-speculation; green/social bonds. A model for identifying these models will be shared with the Consultant.
• Support a visioning workshop: Support the preparation for – and facilitate or co-facilitate – a “visioning” workshop that brings together diverse stakeholders, including those who have been interviewed for the research, to identify pathways for a just transition in the city and to address barriers and opportunities. Participate in the agenda development, support event planning, join and present research findings at the workshop. A methodology for the visioning workshop will be shared with the Consultant.
• Process review: Participate in an online de-brief session at the end of the consultancy to review the process and its outcomes, and to provide methodology recommendations for the next cities to be investigated in the project.

Requirements, Experience, and Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of the local urban context (social, political, economic, and built environment), including the landscape of relevant civil society, business and government stakeholders in Lagos.
• Demonstrated commitment to human and workers’ rights.
• Excellent, clear writing and editing skills in English.
• Based in Lagos, Nigeria.
• Knowledge of other local languages e.g., Yoruba, Igbo, Awori, and/or Hausa. (Desirable)
• Experience presenting findings in map formats. (Desirable)
• Extensive facilitation skills experience with different stakeholders. (Desirable).
• Experience conducting similar research and analysis.
• Facilitation experience.
• Ability to communicate with stakeholders from multiple backgrounds / sectors.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send the Documents below to “Denise Derbyshire” via: [email protected] using “Researcher & Facilitator Application: Lagos” as the subject of the email.

Application Documents
Interested parties are invited to submit the following.

• A proposal (not to exceed four pages in total) including: CV; cover letter outlining your suitability and motivation for this role; and a summary of your approach to this project. This can include links to any relevant previous research and facilitation experience, or projects with a similar approach.
• Fixed fee/day rate (including VAT if applicable).

Note

• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview by 3pm BST on Friday 19th August. Interviews will take place via Zoom the week commencing 22nd or 29th August. Please indicate any days that you will not be available during that time. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a 45-minute interview and will complete a 45-minute written test.
• Joint applications that harness a range of relevant experience and skillsets will be considered, provided there is clear alignment with the above requirements and deliverables and the total fee is still competitive.
• Submissions will be held on file for 6 months after the end of the recruitment process.
• Please also state where you saw the vacancy advertised. A work offer will be subject to at least two satisfactory references for the successful candidate.

IHRB will review and benchmark proposed fees against its established ranges for non-profit research and facilitation short term consultancies with various levels of experience

Application Deadline  12th August, 2022.