Research and Evidence Lead

Research and Evidence Lead

Contract: Permanent, Full time

Location: The role can be based in the UK, Kenya or any WaterAid Country or Regional Offices (Rwanda, and Zambia) subject to right-to-work eligibility in the respective countries.

Salary & Benefits: Salaries and benefits for different countries will vary in line with the location of the successful candidate and depending on experience. See further details below:
Role-based in:

• United Kingdom: Grade 2: 53,065 - 55,718 GBP with excellent benefits


• Rwanda: Grade G: 30,868,907 - 40,000,000 RWF


• Zambia: Grade G: 600,350 - 840,490 ZK


• Kenya: to be discussed with the successful candidate

Closing Date: Applications will close at 23:59 on Sunday 30th July 2023. Shortlisting and interviews may take place on a rolling basis and the application process will close if a suitable candidate is found prior to the advertised closing date.

How to Apply: To see the full job pack, please click 'Apply'.

• Please apply by submitting your CV and a cover letter into one document in either Word Document or PDF format.


• Please indicate your location and the right to work eligibility in your Cover letter.

About WaterAid:
Do you want to use your skills in Research and evidence generation to play a vital role in making safe and sustainable water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone everywhere?

Join WaterAid as a Research and Evidence Lead to support in changing normal for millions of people so they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty and change their lives for good. On top of that you'll be joining a 2020 Great Place to Work® award-winning organisation.

About the Team:
This position will be based in the Policy Team, which consist of a highly motivated group of 11 policy analysts, who are passionate about influencing policy change through evidence-based advocacy to enable sustainable access to WASH to the world's poorest and most marginalised people.

As Research and Evidence Lead, you will coordinate the planning and delivery a global research and evidence agenda aligned to our new strategy, identifying thematic priorities, surfacing evidence and learning against these priorities and maintaining oversight of research and evidence activities and gaps and dissemination of outputs. As WaterAid's advocacy profile increases, it is vital that we can ensure a commensurate increase in our standard of evidence to ensure the effectiveness of our advocacy, our credibility and the clarity of our communication.

About the Role:

In this role, you will Lead the collective development and stewardship of a global research and evidence agenda that aligns with the organisation's strategic goals and ensure that research and evidence are incorporated into the organization's policy advocacy and programming efforts, including providing evidence-based recommendations. You will manage a "State of our Knowledge" mechanism, convening members around emergent evidence and gaps and maintaining oversight of progress against the research and evidence agenda and oversee the management of the One WaterAid knowledge bank and act as the connector with the different departments to ensure that there is oversight of planned research within WaterAid UK and other members. Oversee and ensure consistency, quality control and assurance of core data sources used by various departments across WaterAid UK and other members.

The role in coordination with other departments in WaterAid is both proactive in promoting and establishing learnings from research and knowledge management and managing request for data and WASH information support from across WaterAid Federation members.

You'll also: 

• In close collaboration with the digital team, review the WASH Matter page to ensure that it is curated to effectively contribute to WaterAid's knowledge outputs to the wider sector knowledge.


• In coordination with digital team, and the Programme Support Unit of the International Programmes Departments, ensure that knowledge platforms across the organisation are linked and a system created for alerting the organisation on when new knowledge product is added.


• Conduct high level analysis and synthesise global reports to highlight areas of interest for WaterAid including an overview of countries where WaterAid works.


• Develop and strengthen partnerships with high-quality academic and research institutions, especially in the regions and countries where WaterAid works.


• Work with external partners, including research institutions, donors, and government agencies, to identify opportunities for collaboration and funding for research studies.

To be successful, you'll need: 

• Experience of applied research, or equivalent demonstrable experience of policy-oriented or action research in the global North and South.


• Strong knowledge and demonstrated competence in a range of research methodologies


• Proven experience in designing, implementing and oversight on rigorous, multi-country research studies.


• Proven experience of analysing quantitative and qualitative data


• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with program teams, external partners, and stakeholders.


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate and synthesise complex research findings to diverse audiences.


• Demonstrated engagement in research-practice partnerships, effectively bridging academic and practitioner communities.


• Experience of leading, managing and motivating others and driving change.


• Experience and knowledge of the water, sanitation and hygiene research and policy landscape.


• Fluency in English.


• Graduate degree-level education in related discipline or equivalent work experience in research


• Working style that reflects WaterAid's values of Respect, Accountability, Courage, Collaboration, Integrity and Innovation.

Our Commitment

An inclusive workplace:

We are committed to being an organisation where everyone is included, respected, and empowered to be their best. We represent and celebrate our staff, partners and everyone we work with, and create a culture where everyone can reach their full potential.

Equal opportunities:

We are an equal opportunity, disability-confident employer and are dedicated to achieving the highest standards of diversity, equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, beliefs, customs, traditions and ways of life. This includes, but is not limited to, race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, national or social origin, health status, and economic or social situation.

Safeguarding:

We are also committed to protecting everyone we come into contact with. We have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse of power, privilege or trust across our global work, and any form of inappropriate behaviour, discrimination, abuse, bullying, harassment, or exploitation. Safeguarding the people and communities we work with, our staff, volunteers and anyone working on our behalf is our top priority, and we take our responsibilities extremely seriously.