Research Manager

Research Manager - Kathmandu, Nepal

Job responsibilities and accountability

Context

BBC Media Action uses media and communication to reach millions of people through creative communication and trusted media, helping people have their say, understand their rights, responsibilities, and take action to transform their own lives. We work across a range of thematic areas including health, governance and rights, resilience and humanitarian response and we partner with civil society, local media and governments to deliver our work. We have been working in Nepal since 2007 addressing a range of development issues including climate change adaptation, governance, health and humanitarian response. 

BBC Media Action Nepal is seeking potential applicants for the position of “Research Manager”. Research Manager shall be responsible for the delivery of all research activities conducted to inform the strategy, content and quality and to evaluate the impact of BBC Media Action's projects in Nepal. She/he shall be responsible for leading and managing a team of research staff and ensuring the research is technically well designed, resourced, implemented, reported, and disseminated to a range of audiences. This role includes coaching and mentoring all levels of research staff in project delivery including agency recruitment, research instrument design and piloting, qualitative and quantitative fieldwork, analysis, and interpretation. 

“The role may involve working with groups of vulnerable children and adults. For the successful candidate, mandatory training will be provided on BBC Media Action’s safeguarding policy and staff code of conduct. BBC Media Action operates a zero-tolerance policy concerning all forms of abuse and exploitation of vulnerable people.”

Job Purpose

The Research Manager will play a lead role in designing and implementing a range of research activities, including but not limited to formative research, baseline, midline, and endline surveys, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The role also involves developing tools for both quantitative and qualitative research, analysing data, producing research briefs and comprehensive reports, managing the research team, and communicating research insights to relevant stakeholders within and beyond BBC Media Action.

Main Duties

• Design and conduct formative research to inform programme interventions in areas such as women’s economic empowerment, climate resilience, and misinformation and disinformation.
• Design and implement baseline surveys to measure programme progress, as well as midline and endline surveys to assess outcomes and impact.
• Provide the country director, senior project managers and other senior editorial and project staff with strategic research support for business development, project design, implementation, pre-testing and impact assessment of BBC Media Action’s work in Nepal. 
• Oversee the design, commissioning and delivery, to time and budget, of all research studies for projects that the BBC Media Action Nepal office undertakes, determining appropriate strategy, methodologies and analysis protocols; ensuring research meets project needs; and signing off research designs and deliverables in accordance with BBC Media Action’s global QA process.
• Lead and oversee the development of research plans, instruments and sampling design, commissioning of agencies for quantitative research, qualitative and quantitative analysis and interpretation, reporting and dissemination of research findings on time, to budget and to high quality.
• Undertake quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis, ensuring that the interpretation supports development of media products and is thematically appropriate. 
• Take overall responsibility for internal and external dissemination of Nepal research findings, supporting staff from R&L and project teams to prepare publications, presentations, blogs, articles and other outputs.
• Ensure AIM (BBC Media Action’s internal quality assurance process for research) is being used in every step of the research process.  
• Plan and monitor resource needs, including creation and input into Gantt charts and research, project and programme plans, and maintain and update delivery dashboard for projects responsible for.
• Prepare and deliver internal research presentations and reports to inform the creative process, monitor and evaluate project effectiveness, and contribute to project strategy. Synthesize insights from research findings for business development and overall organisation strategic development.   
• Understand and comply with the Safeguarding policy and the staff Code of Conduct.
• Participate in relevant mandatory training including Safeguarding and Respect at Work.
• Report any Safeguarding concerns immediately, either to the Country Director, or using the Whistleblowing Policy.
• Support on any other research and learning task as per requirement.
• Essential Knowledge, Skills and Experience
• University degree in public policy, economics, climate science, or other relevant fields. 
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in managing research projects, with a focus on both quantitative and qualitative research related to women’s economic empowerment, circular economy, climate change, information disorder, etc.  
• Experience using quantitative research methodologies and experience with data analysis software packages such as SPSS. 
• Strong computer skills, including Excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken Nepali and English. 
• Strong report writing and presentation skills, communicating complex technical ideas using non-technical language to a wide range of audiences from journalists, production staff and development practitioners.
• Ability to plan and conduct work with minimal supervision.
• Track record of delivering research findings to deadline.

Desirable Skills and Experience

• Understanding of development issues in Nepal. 
• Experience working with media organisations in applying research findings to the production of media outputs and broadcast strategy. 
• Experience working with development organisations to apply research findings to develop health, governance, humanitarian response or resilience interventions.

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send a CV and Covering Letter outlining your interest in the role, and demonstrating how you fulfil the essential skills and experience, by 19th Oct 2025 to application@np.bbcmediaaction.org  (with job title in the subject line).