Senior Analyst - The Ghana Center for Democratic Development

The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is an independent, not-for-profit civil society think tank that has been working since 1998 to advance democracy, good governance, and inclusive development through research, analysis, advocacy, education, and policy engagement. The Center harnesses the power of evidence-based research, ideas, and partnerships to stimulate public dialogue and inform and influence public policy.

CDD-Ghana is seeking a Senior Analyst

This is an excellent opportunity for candidates interested in working for a respected organization, engaging with international institutions, governments, NGOs, and think tanks to lead our research-based strategic work on democracy support and protection.

Job Assignments

The main task is to advance policy-relevant research, outreach, and policy advice on democracy, good governance, and related fields. The Senior Analyst will contribute to designing and delivering innovative, high-quality, and policy-relevant research focusing on CDD-Ghana’s core thematic areas.

This includes working closely with the research team, including consultants, to conduct analyses on issues requested from the policy-and practitioners’ community (demand) and on topics identified as necessary (supply). The Senior Analyst must also write persuasive research papers, policy briefs, country analyses, op-eds, and other knowledge products for various audiences. The job also includes coordinating, delegating, and ensuring that the final reports, deliverables, event memos, and other documents are submitted promptly.

The Senior Analyst is expected to lead in communicating research findings to practitioners, the media, and policymakers. The Analyst will help organize, host, and speak at conferences, panel discussions, debates, and other policy events to communicate research findings and provide policy-relevant advice. The Research Analyst is expected to be available for domestic and international business trips when necessary.

The person we seek to hire will lead this work in close collaboration with the Director of Research.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will not only be an excellent researcher who can quickly produce high-quality written content relevant to democracy support and protection but also an engaging speaker who knows the workings of good governance, democracy support, and policy-making.

Required qualifications:

• A higher university degree in economics, statistics, political science, international development, public policy, or a related field
• At least five years experience in an international/national or regional organization, think-tank, or policy institute (development or research environment)
• A strong command of research principles, concepts, practices, and methods
• Experience with conducting research-based analyses and the ability to synthesize findings from existing research and proficiently articulate this to policymakers and practitioners

• A record of writing clear, concise, and persuasive research papers, policy briefs, country analyses, op-eds, and other materials for an audience of policymakers and practitioners
• Prior knowledge and use of quantitative data in applied research or similar evidence of familiarity with the project
• Experience working collaboratively on large-scale projects and outreach –mainly translating and communicating research to policymakers/practitioners
• Experience and proficiency in the use and application of quantitative analysis software, e.g., SPSS, STATA, R, Excel
• Experience and proficiency in using and applying qualitative analysis software, e.g., NVivo, QUIRKOS, etc.
• Superior English communication skills, both oral and written
• Excellent public speaking and presentation skills

Advantageous criteria include:

• Highly proactive and flexible, with an ability to work on multiple projects in a fast-paced, teamoriented environment
• Culturally aware, strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with a diverse group of people
• Other language skills (French) added advantage
• Team-working and building
• Experience with capacity building