Senior Qualitative Researcher - public sector

Senior Qualitative Researcher

Hybrid role - 2 days on site in Dublin per week; 18 month FTC.

Responsibilities

• Managing research projects to inform the design, delivery & evaluation of behaviourally informed policies & interventions to
• reduce emissions in the energy sector, with a particular focus on the use of qualitative methods.
• Managing & mentoring other colleagues on a project basis, building further capacity for qualitative research in the team.
• Disseminating research findings through int/external presentations, & written publications.
• Translating behavioural evidence into authoritative advice to support strategy & programme delivery, & policy development.
• Working with & supporting relevant teams, govt. depts & agencies, & consultants.
• Representing in national & international committees & working groups.
• To ensure activity peaks within the dept addressed in a proactive manner, be flexible in terms of working hours at times.
• Knowledge & Skills
• Excellent understanding of behavioural science literature & how it can be applied to help solve complex policy problems related to energy efficiency & renewable energy.
• Strong understanding of the strengths & weaknesses of different research & evaluation methodologies.
• Can conduct qualitative research using a variety of methods (e.g. interviews, focus groups, discourse analysis) with a high degree of independence.
• Can design, run & analyse online surveys using quantitative methods.
• Strong written & oral comms skills, to present information to tech/non-technical audiences.
• Can think strategically & to synthesise evidence from different sources & contribute to policy debates.
• Strong project mgt. skills, work on own initiative & manage competing deadlines & priorities.
• Exp. in an energy-related policy field (e.g. government, academia, industry) would be an advantage.
• ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS
• Post-graduate qualification (a Min. Level 9 on NFQ ) in a directly relevant subject area such as Behavioural Science, Psychology, Sociology, Economics.
• Min. four years' directly relevant Experience working in a research role.
• Extensive Exp. conducting qualitative research on topics related to public policy.
• Exp. conducting quantitative analysis.
• knowledge of behavioural science literature, & interest in applying behavioural insights to sustainable energy topics.
• Strong project mgt. & organisation skills.
• Excellent skills (written & oral skills, including Exp. drafting policy reports &/or academic papers.
• Excellent IT skills including a proficient use of Microsoft Excel.

Desirable

• Qualification at PhD level.
• Exp. conducting rigorous quantitative research related to behavioural science & economics to inform public policy.
• Exp. using statistical software packages (e.g. R or similar) & analysing large datasets for the purposes of evaluation or predictive modelling.
• Exp. teaching or mentoring others in the use of qualitative research methods.
• Strong interpersonal, negotiation & influencing skills, to create positive working relationships with multiple stakeholders & in multi-disciplinary teams.
• A proactive approach can think strategically & work on own initiative.
• Appreciation for ethical issues involved in conducting behavioural research.
• Exp. working on energy or climate-related topics.
• Work with a highly motivated team, in super offices and do your bit to help Ireland meet it's energy targets.
• Get in touch with Nicola by applying