Position Overview:

We are seeking a volunteer researcher for the South East Europe and Black Sea Region Programme. The role involves researching, analyzing, and writing on current regional geopolitical, human rights, and humanitarian issues and contributing to the quarterly Peace & Security Monitor. The role may also involve writing blog posts and contributing to projects when available or appropriate. The role will suit those with a background in international law, international relations or development studies.

Deadline: 18 November 2024 (Midnight CET)

Start date: asap

Duration: min. 12 months

Commitment: 5-10 h/week, flexible work hours

Location: home office (remote)

Remuneration: unpaid (volunteering)

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Research geopolitical, human rights and humanitarian issues in the South East Europe and Black Sea Region using open source information and qualitative and quantitative research techniques.
• Contribute a well-written and researched 2,000-word article with actionable policy recommendations for the Peace & Security Monitor quarterly publication, as well as blog posts and other work when appropriate.
• Participate in projects, field work and wider Platform for Peace and Humanity activities when available or appropriate

Main Requirements:

Mandatory:

• Passion and dedication to the mission and values of the organisation, result-driven commitment, ability to work in an international team and handle uncertain situations with flexibility
• A good understanding of the South East Europe and Black Sea Region, including the geopolitical situation and human rights and humanitarian issues.
• A good understanding of international law or international relations at the following level (Master, doctoral candidate or holder of a PhD degree. (Suitably qualified Bachelors will be considered)
• Experience with academic writing and/or academic blog posts
• Very good proficiency in English (C1 minimum)
• Attention to detail
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to convey complex information and messages in a simple way and easily understood by target audiences
• Ability to meet reasonable deadlines and ability to work in a team

Desirable:

• Entrepreneurial spirit with out-of-the-box thinking to propose new initiatives
• Willingness to continuously learn and develop new skills
• Previous experience with non-profit organisations and project management

What you will get:

• One-to-one coaching on academic-policy-security writing
• Flexibility to manage your own time
• Opportunities to represent us at multilateral fora
• Opportunities to use our Platform as a launchpad for your own research
• Bi-monthly training workshops with guest speakers (previous speakers include: Phil Tovey (Head of Futures at UK’s DEFA), Ben Ditto (Social Media war correspondent and influencer), Chris Greenway (BBC Monitoring), Prof Pat Jordan (Middlesex University)
• Deeply focused and guided research tasks or complete flexibility to pursue own research interests
• Heavy one-to-one editing process and consistent feedback
• A place on our website