Job Opportunity: Research assistant on Transforming Social Inequalities Through Inclusive Climate Action (TSITICA Project)
Closing date: 20 November 2022
We are inviting applications for a part-time research assistant to assist our team working on the TSITICA project. This short-term contract is available for a period of 6 months with an option to extend for a further 6 months subject to available funding and successful performance. The Transforming Social Inequalities Through Inclusive Climate Action (TSITICA) project brings together a team of researchers based at seven high-ranking African and United Kingdom universities. TSITICA investigates the bidirectional relationship between climate action and social inequalities, and this highly relevant research supports the processes towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (7,8,10). TSITICA’s results and activities need to be communicated well to achieve the desired impact in triggering social change towards more inclusive climate action. The research on this project focuses on comparative analysis of climate (in)justices in the implementation of the Paris Agreement in the Global South. The scope includes analysis of transnational and national climate policy in selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. The research contributes to the work stream on climate governance under the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Climate and Development and ARUA’s African Centre on Inequalities Research (ACEIR).
If you are currently enrolled for a postgraduate degree at UCT, have excellent writing and communication skills, have a keen interest in sustainable development, climate change, and closing the inequalities gap to achieve social justice, then we would like to hear from you. This position offers a unique learning opportunity in an interdisciplinary team of economists, social scientists, geographers and climate scientists working to understand how to transform social inequalities through inclusive climate action. The candidate will be able to acquire analytical and soft skills through hands on work in a network of professionals across Africa, South America and Europe. You will gain access and exposure to frontier research conducted by a wide network of researchers at the universities of Cape Town, Ghana, Nairobi, Bristol, Manchester, East Anglia and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The research assistant will:
- Conduct desktop, interview and focus group based research on climate and economic policies in developing countries in the Global South
- Assist with data collection, analysis, transcripts and coding
- Analyse, report on and present the results of this audit research to the project team and more widely.
- Support internal and external communication of project activities and results;
- Manage and maintain the database of stakeholders
- Provide support in organising and coordinating TSITICA events (both online and in-person events);
- Assist with editing and formatting of TSTICA project outputs
- Assist in further research and project management tasks as they emerge.
REQUIREMENTS
Minimum qualifications – Registered post-graduate student in a relevant area in the Social Sciences
or Economics (Political Science, Sociology, Development Studies, Human Geography or related field).
Minimum experience (type and years) – No previous work experience required.
Skills – We are looking for a pro-active, organised, dedicated and inquisitive person with good written and oral communication skills. The successful candidate should be self-motivated, and able to follow through with tasks independently once briefed. The candidate should have an advanced knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite, be well-versed in conducting online searches, be adept at fact-checking and basic proof-reading. Proven experience using qualitative and quantitative research methods will be an advantage.
REMUNERATION
We offer remuneration at an hourly rate of R110/hr, maximum of 20 hours per week
APPLICATION PROCESS
Direct any questions to Dr Britta Rennkamp (Britta.Rennkamp@uct.ac.za).
To apply, please email the below documents in a single PDF file and direct any questions to Haajirah Esau: Haajirah.Esau@uct.ac.za
- Cover letter, systematically addressing the requirements for the position (above)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- university transcripts
- a writing sample, if available.
Please indicate how many hours per week you can work on the project without compromising on your study commitments.