JOB DESCRIPTION FOR HEAD OF RESEARCH

Organisational background

BudgIT Foundation is a civic tech organisation raising the standards of transparency, accountability, and service delivery in the Nigerian government and governance. BudgIT uses creative technology to simplify public information, stimulate a community of active citizens, and enable their right to demand accountability, institutional reforms, efficient service delivery, and an equitable society.

Job purpose

To lead a coherent and coordinated global Research team that supports BudgIT’s work at par with international standards.

Key working relationships

The Head of Research will manage the Research team with a direct reporting line to the Principal Lead.

External working relationships will include government officials, donors, civil society organizations, and other non-government organizations.

Key accountabilities

• Provide strategic direction for BudgIT’s global research team
• Contribute to the strategic development and delivery of BudgIT’s corporate strategy.
• Competence in data mining and analysis, with competence in big data analysis skills, e.g., advanced MS Excel, Tableau, MySQL, or Python, and other relevant statistical analysis software. 
• Design qualitative and quantitative research plans and methodologies.
• Spearhead research projects around public policy, budget expenditure and allocation, fiscal analysis, developmental finance, and government spending.
• Ensures that BudgIT stays abreast of key policy changes and relevant external issues.
• Lead the production of a wide range of high-quality written outputs for various audiences, including high-quality, well-targeted research reports, policy briefings, press releases, blogs, and other outputs.
• Develop and manage relationships with research institutes, think tanks, policy makers, and other Civil Society Organizations.
• Represent the organization at conferences, media appearances, events, etc, on all matters related to policy and research.
• Update job knowledge and skills by participating in continuous professional development, e.g., training, professional/trade publications, maintaining personal networks, and membership of relevant professional organisations; 
• Collaborate with the Principal Lead to direct research activity in line with BudgIT’s corporate strategy and donor requirements.
• Develop an annual department budget and plan with appropriate input from internal and external stakeholders.

Team Leadership

• Mentor and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach. 
• Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign accountabilities, set objectives, and establish priorities.
• Ensure continuous professional development of the skills and competencies of the team.

Qualifications and experience:

• A relevant Bachelor’s degree 
• A Master’s degree in Public Policy, Social Sciences, Humanities, or Economics is an added advantage.
• A minimum of 6 years of related public policy, research, and supervisory experience. In a foundation or non-profit organization, it is highly preferred.
• Strong familiarity with budget analysis, policy research, fiscal policy analysis, and economic indices at the national and sub-national level.
• Excellent qualitative and quantitative research skills and experience in using a range of research techniques.

Work-based skills:

• Excellent written, oral, and presentation communication skills in a range of formats, including briefings, press releases, reports, media, articles, and blogs.
• The ability to draft, proof, and edit reports is required.
• Proven ability to translate (written and verbal) complex issues into easily understandable formats for a range of stakeholder audiences.
• Proven project management skills and experience in designing, managing, and delivering high-quality projects on time.
• Competence in data mining and analysis.
• Should possess gravitas, confidence, and executive presence to gain the credibility and respect of internal and external stakeholders; 
• Willingness to travel, even at short notice.
• Proven experience managing teams, building networks, and strong working relationships.

All applicants should send their CVs to [email protected] using the respective job title as the email subject. 

Application closes on October 17, 2025