Research assistant, quantitative analysis and communications

The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) seeks to recruit a full-time Research Assistant within the PRIO Migration Centre, initially for a period of one year. The position provides the opportunity to work in a leading international research institution with an interdisciplinary environment. The Research Assistant’s time will be split between two high-profile projects:

FUMI (Future Migration as Present Fact) is funded by a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC), a grant to support ground-breaking research with scientific excellence as the sole selection criterion. The project examines young adults’ thoughts and feelings about the possibility of migrating, based on empirical mixed-methods research in three West African countries. See http://www.prio.org/fumi

MIGNEX (New knowledge on migration, development and policy) is a large collaborative project funded by the European Commission. PRIO leads a consortium of nine institutions. We collect data in ten countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, and have an extensive programme of publishing and research communication. See www.mignex.org.

Both projects are led by Research Professor Jørgen Carling. The research assistant will also work closely with Dr Maryam Aslany (FUMI survey lead) and Mira Ivanova (MIGNEX project manager).

The research assistant will contribute to the following areas of work

• Management of survey data collection (using SurveyCTO)
• Cleaning and documentation of survey data (using Stata)
• Survey data analysis (using Stata)
• Editorial production and quality assurance of research publications
• Website content production and research communication
• Other aspects of project management and research support

Required and desired qualifications

The following are required qualifications:

1. A Master’s degree in a relevant field in social sciences or humanities (e.g. geography, sociology, psychology, demography, economics, anthropology, political science, or management).
2. Competence in using Stata for statistical analysis.
3. Versatility and dedication as a member of small teams in a fast-paced environment.
4. Ability to work independently to solve problems.
5. Well-developed attention to detail and sense of professionalism

In addition, the following qualifications are desirable:

1. Familiarity with migration studies, youth studies, development studies or other thematic research areas of relevance to the projects.
2. Familiarity with survey data collection and analysis.
3. Strong command of MS Word and Excel, including more advanced functionalities.
4. Competence in Adobe CC applications (especially Photoshop and Premiere Pro).
5. Strong writing skills
6. Experience with editorial work (e.g. proofreading, language editing, layout, typesetting)

The MA thesis must have been submitted before the application deadline and the degree must have been awarded before the position is taken up. The candidate will be expected to live in the Oslo area and be present at PRIO.

Work environment and conditions

PRIO has an international research staff of approximately 100 persons in full and part-time positions, in addition to administrative and support staff. The working language at the institute is English. PRIO is an equal opportunity employer and values staff diversity.

The institute is located in attractive premises in central Oslo, Europe’s fastest-growing capital city. Employee benefits include access to the PRIO cabin in the mountains, a subsidized canteen, weekly physiotherapy exercise, weekly running group, subsidized gym membership and various social events.

The starting salary for a Research Assistant at PRIO is NOK 475,400 per year (equivalent to step 52 in the Norwegian State salary system), approximately € 48,000. Employees are offered a defined benefit pension plan membership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension fund.

The candidate should have an interest in PRIO’s broader mission of conducting high-quality academic research on questions relevant to the promotion of a more peaceful world. For more information about PRIO’s research, see www.prio.org.

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted by way of an online form (link below) and include the following attachments as PDF files:

1. An application letter in English that addresses each of the 11 required and desired qualifications described above. (named Surname_application.pdf)
2. A curriculum vitae in English (named Surname_CV.pdf).
3. Scanned copies of original transcripts/certificates from higher education, in one PDF file (named Surname_transcripts.pdf)

In addition, name and contact details of at least two references must be provided in the online form.

The application is to be submitted online no later than 2 1 November 2021.

The form must be completed and submitted in a single session. Please review the form and prepare all attachments as specified before starting to complete it.

Shortlisted candidates will be given an assignment, which will inform the selection of candidates to be interviewed. Interviews are planned for 13–14 December. The starting date for the position is 1 January 2022 or as early as possible thereafter.

Questions about the position can be addressed to Ms Mira Ivanova, MIGNEX project manager, miriva@prio.org (+47 22 54 77 90).