IRI Moldova is hiring - Research Associate

Job Summary

Every employee of IRI is responsible for carrying out the Mission of IRI and demonstrating the Core Values in their day to day operations. The Core Values, which are IRI’s foundational building blocks include:

Excellence- We believe in quality results delivered by investing in people. Freedom- We believe in exploration and experimentation to be agile and responsive. Respect- We believe in trust, empathy, and empowering people. Teamwork- We believe in diversity, inclusion, and the power of global collaboration. Transparency- We believe in open communication and clear decision-making. Accountability- We believe in personal responsibility as the foundation of success.

The Research Associate is an entry- to mid-level position in IRI’s Chisinau office and provides research support for current and developing public opinion research studies in Moldova and potentially in other countries in Eurasia.

To apply, applicants must email a CV/resume and a cover letter (both in English) to moldova@iri.org. Deadline is 15th of March 2024.

Position Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in sociology, statistics or related field.
• 1-2 years of experience in public opinion research, focus groups or related field
• Intermediate or higher understanding of statistics (at least one course) required, and of research methodology (at least once course) preferred.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint required.
• Experience working with SPSS or similar statistical software required.
• Excellent writing, research and communication skills.
• Attention to detail.
• English, Romanian and Russian language skills (professional working level).

Primary Functions & Responsibilities

This role supports the IRI Chisinau office with assorted research tasks such as sampling design, instrument design, data quality control and analysis on a variety of quantitative and qualitative research studies in Moldova (and potentially in other countries in the Eurasia region), ranging from large nationally representative polls to small focus group discussions. The Research Associate will execute these tasks based on standards set by IRI’s Center for Insights in Survey Research CISR. Explicit guidance will be provided for each task, and the Research Associate is expected to perform assigned tasks largely error-free and in a timely and efficient manner after receiving initial training.

• The major responsibility of this position is to review SPSS datasets of survey data for quality control purposes. Such checks will include, but are not limited to, a review of the weighting scheme and

census data, various internal cohesion checks to identify potential contradictions and/or deviations from fieldwork protocols, problematic patterns linked to specific interview languages/interviewers/regions etc., data structure review for potential indications that a question was not administered correctly such as a base being smaller or larger than expected, comparison of the data against previous IRI polls and/or third-party data, comparing actual sampling points to the sampling plan, a review of all aggregates and a selection of disaggregates flagging any unexpected findings, etc.

• Another major responsibility is to compare the raw data against figures cited in presentations and/or reports and/or dashboards and/or to produce custom crosstabulations or data comparison exported to excel.
• Another major responsibility is questionnaire design, i.e. drafting questionnaires based on stakeholder discussions and rendering research objectives into questionnaires compliant with best practices for questionnaire design.
• Less frequently assigned responsibilities include:

o Preparation of codebooks.

o Produce data graphs and charts for PowerPoint presentations.

o Review and coding of qualitative transcripts.

o Produce research memos on various topics.

o Assist in briefings of research findings for a variety of stakeholders.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Reporting Relationships

Reports to: Moldova Resident Country Director

Exercises Supervision over:

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive nor is it intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, or skills required of an incumbent.

An employee will perform other reasonably-related job responsibilities as assigned by management when required. IRI reserves the right to revise or change job functions as the need arises. Thus, management reserves the right to update and change job descriptions. This job description does not constitute a written contract of employment.