Research and Data Integration Manager

Program Overview

WRI Indonesia’s mission is to become the go-to research organization that supports scientific evidence and informed decision making based on sound and robust scientific methodology. Our research activity is a big part in achieving this goal. WRI Indonesia needs to have a solid research strategy to help in addressing the underlying problems across our programmatic activities. As the bedrock in our organization, research, data, and innovation unit needs to:

1. Support the programmatic activities especially by providing robust analysis to inform research findings, therefore contributing to the evaluation of the program’s impact in general;
2. Produce knowledge products that will support us in informing evidence-based policy making through applied-science and actions-based research;
3. Position WRI Indonesia as a nurturing institution where young talents –especially recent graduates and/or post-grad students—can advance their research skills and field experience;
4. Generate and Integrate Data in WRI Indonesia – from the proposed program and its activities, WRI Indonesia will be able to extract data coming from past and current research activities;
5. Strengthen WRI Indonesia’s profile as an independent national research institution and learning center on sustainable development.

Job Highlight

The Research and Data Integration Manager will report directly to WRI Indonesia Country Director and global Research, Data, and Innovation (RDI) team based in Washington DC, also to work in close coordination with project managers/leads. It is expected that the position holder will use their scientific expertise to enhance the effectiveness of the science in meeting agency needs, particularly regarding low emissions development in Indonesia. The research outcomes are intended to promote innovative solutions and analysis that transform business-as-usual into best practices of data-driven decision making in the sector.

What You Will Do

Institutional Development (25%)

• Provide annual workplan to create an organizational-wide strong culture of research excellence for WRI Indonesia Country Director and WRI global RDI team;
• Ensure that the links between research and outcomes are understood by all program staff and pursued as an integral part of strategies to drive sustainable outcomes;
• Foster a learning culture where constructive criticism and candor are highly valued and staff feel empowered to speak up and discuss failures;
• Ensure organizational incentives are aligned with promoting high-quality research;
• Provide Research, Data and Innovation trainings to staff;
• Develop independent research project proposals and concept notes;
• Contribute to research components of fundraising proposals.

Research Management and Development (40%)

1. Ensure that all WRI Indonesia-branded knowledge products meet WRI’s quality standards and are designed to deliver actionable results:

• Work with the line manager and WRI Global RDI team to oversee the peer review process for WRI Indonesia-branded publications
• Provide feedback to authors on research design and the provision of robust evidence that is fit for key audiences—including policymakers, businesses, multilateral development organizations—and coherent with other research and publications at WRI
• Review WRI Indonesia publications to determine whether they meet WRI’s research standards and approve them for publication
• Assist research staff in identifying external experts who can provide objective, relevant reviews of drafts

1. Strengthen WRI Indonesia’s capacity to conduct high-quality actionable research and increase production of knowledge product:

• Provide support to program staff on how to produce high-quality work, including research design, data interpretation, analytical issues, and effective writing
• Identify skills gaps and contribute to the development of RDI training modules to address those gaps
• Create a regular series of early research seminars to provide early feedback to researchers, connect the dots across programs, and foster a culture of openness to feedback
• Participate in hiring of research-focused staff by providing support to staff on research design, data interpretation, analytical issues, and effective writing

1. Increase the quality and quantity of knowledge product in Bahasa Indonesia aim for a wider readership in Indonesia, by establishing WRI Indonesia Research Board with main focus on reviewing the Bahasa Indonesia knowledge products.
2. Manage and develop research capability and capacity at the Program Clusters and Regional Offices.

Project Management (25%)

1. Lead Indonesian Young Researcher Lab or similar program by mentoring and developing research skills and technical support for junior researchers;
2. Contribute to development of knowledge products. and/or publication resulted from agriculture, foresty and land-use (AFOLU), and Climate, Energy, Cities and Ocean (CECO) programs;
3. Collaborate and coordinate with staff across WRI Indonesia’s programs, as well as WRI Global, and external partners to advance the interest of research activities of WRI Indonesia;
4. Track and monitor the review process of WRI Indonesia research publication;
5. Keep global RDI team to be fully aware of each publication review stages, and also keep other international offices aware about publications from Indonesia office;
6. Serve as one of the internal reviewers at the internal review stages;
7. Organize regular meeting among Lead Researcher and junior analysts, in both AFOLU and CECO programs;
8. Be able to take on assignments that require a fair amount of travel in Indonesia or abroad and to the selected geography for detailed case study for research replication and scaling.

Engagement and Outreach (10%)

1. Communicate WRI research and analysis with external audiences; represent WRI at conferences, workshops and other events;
2. Design and implement WRI research roundtables, workshops or other convening events with key stakeholders;
3. Liaise with and develop close collaborations with WRI colleagues in various Programs;
4. Liaise with and develop collaborations with external partners from around the world, including research partners from developing countries and international agencies, as well as donor partners.
5. Provide timely responses to information demand from external audiences.

What You Will Need

• Legally able to work in Indonesia;
• Master's degree (Ph.D. preferred) in a discipline related to environment or development, with strong methodological skills in social sciences, natural sciences, urban planning or related fields. Minimum of 10 years of experience in conducting policy research related to environment and/or development and at least five-years overseeing junior researchers;
• Proven track record of conducting and overseeing research that translates into policy and practice;
• Experience of mixed methods and cross disciplinary/interdisciplinary approaches;
• Track record of producing and overseeing high-quality research;
• Strategic thinking, strong planning and managerial skills;
• Demonstrated knowledge of specific research methods, quantitative or qualitative, and ability to communicate those methods clearly to diverse colleagues;
• Sound judgment and the ability to uphold high quality standards. Strong sense of skepticism and the ability to diagnose and articulate weaknesses in research;
• Demonstrated ability to mentor staff and give constructive feedback and clearly explain the reasoning behind decisions;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment in a collegial fashion as part of a small, collaborative team;
• International experience strongly preferred;
• Natural curiosity and interest in keeping current with the latest science and policies relevant to WRI Indonesia’s work;
• Professional proficient in oral and written Bahasa and English skills;
• Patience and persistence and willingness to stand up for quality under pressure;
• Cross-disciplinary portfolio with experience of working with the entire spectrum of stakeholders-government, corporate, NGO, primary stakeholders etc;
• Strong team player with ability to work across institutional departments/programs;
• Flexibility and willingness to explore unfamiliar issues are all qualities that will be looked upon the hiring process.

Performance Standard

• Manage budget with minimal guidance;
• Ensures grants and sub grant reports are timely, accurate, and compliant
• Contributes to funding proposals
• Presents at internal and external meetings;
• Organizes internal and external meetings, workshops, conferences and other dissemination;
• Liaises with external partners and WRI colleagues across programs and countries;
• Supports the decision-making process by providing project information, status, and content to decision makers;
• Demonstrates substantial knowledge of initiative focus and program goals;
• Assists other researchers with literature reviews and giving feedbacks for their work;
• Reviews online posting and working papers
• Reviews publication plans, proposals containing new research concepts, peer review of draft publications;
• Co-authors blogposts and knowledge products;
• Can see hidden problems in organization;
• Recommends solutions to problems with confidence;
• Applies creativity and innovation as appropriate;
• Looks beyond the obvious and demonstrates initiatives;
• Integrates ideas and input from different sources to find solutions;
• Sets and continually manages project expectations with team members and other stakeholders;
• Capable of managing a small team while keeping up with daily tasks;
• Demonstrates advanced abilities to provide clear directions and expectations within and outside project teams;
• Uses positive influence to improve communications among team, partners and donors;
• Promotes a culture of teamwork that balances individual initiative with team accomplishments
• Acts fairly and doesn’t have hidden agendas.

Contract Arrangement

Full-time with fixed-term employment agreement up to 31 December 2024 with 3 (three) months of consultancy contract apply before the fixed-term employment agreement started. Possibility of extension subject to performance evaluation, project needs, and budget availability

What we offer

• Salary that is commensurate with experience and skills
• Competitive and comprehensive benefit package
• Access to the WRI global network
• Opportunity to join and/or get involved in different working groups
• A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work
• A chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization

Must have authorization to work in Indonesia to be eligible for this position.

Final candidates might be required to take a writing test and to produce two writing samples when needed.

How to apply: In order to be formally considered, please submit an updated resume and cover letter through WRI career portal.

Application close: 1700 (DKI Jakarta local time), 15 June 2024. We will close the advert earlier when the best candidates are identified at earlier dates.

This is a locally engaged position; Indonesian nationals are encouraged to apply.

About Us

Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.

The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.

Our mission and values:

WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.

Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.

Our culture:

WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, gender diverse communities, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.

WRI Indonesia is national entity (Yayasan) associated with the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global environmental research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. WRI work with various stakeholders in the natural resources sector to support policy and management that are both profitable and sustainable. WRI work with leaders in more than 50 countries for more than 30 years, with offices in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States.

Launched in early 2014, WRI Indonesia builds on WRI’s 10-year history in the country, and strengthens our impact on the ground. In the short-to-medium term, WRI Indonesia aims to expand its presence and portfolio to include projects in the climate, energy, as well as city and transportation programs.