Senior Research Associate

Updated: over 2 years ago
Location: Downtown Toronto St James Park, ONTARIO
Deadline: ;

Date Posted: 10/27/2021
Req ID:18848
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Arts & Science
Department: Munk Sch Global Affairs & Public Policy
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

The Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto is a leader in interdisciplinary research, teaching and global engagement. Established in 2010 through a landmark gift by Peter and Melanie Munk, the School is home to academic centres, research labs and teaching programs, including the Asian Institute; the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies; the Centre for the Study of Global Japan; the Centre for the Study of the United States; the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice and the Citizen Lab. With a wide range of core, cross-appointed and affiliated faculty and more than 1,200 students in our graduate and undergraduate teaching programs the Munk School is known for world-class faculty, research leadership and as a hub for dialogue and debate. The Munk School serves as a crossroads for those focused on issues of global affairs & public policy.

The Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto is recruiting a Senior Research Associate to support the Local Government Revenue Initiative (LoGRI). The anticipated start date is Nov. 1, 2021.

LoGRI is a new research initiative that aims to support local governments in lower-income countries by developing policy-relevant research, knowledge, expertise and tools to support them to raise more revenue, more equitably and fairly, and in ways that promote trust, transparency and accountability. It focuses on five key areas: 1) knowledge and learning; 2) resources and tools; 3) government partnerships and impact; 4) building a network, and 5) international influence.

Based at the Munk School and led by Professor Wilson Prichard, LoGRI is an initiative of the International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD) and extends the foundational work of the African Property Tax Initiative (APTI). The Munk School hosts a secondaryresearch hub for the ICTD, a globalpolicyresearchnetworkbasedprimarily at theInstitute ofDevelopmentStudies at the University of Sussex.

The core responsibilitiesof the successfulcandidatewill be:

  • To autonomously conduct and publish high-quality academic research about questions of subnational tax and development in Africa, with a focus on applied and policy-relevant research – including publishing and communicating research in diverse formats to reach policymakers.
  • To support the management of a large research portfolio through the development of a broad direction for the research program, writing calls for research proposals, reviewing funding proposals and supervising funded research.
  • To participate in broad policy engagement, outreach and capacity building activities with government partners, including leading reform diagnostic analyses, leading capacity building events and workshops, and working closely with government partners to support reform programs.
  • To contribute to the overall leadership of the LoGRI program by participating in strategic decision-making and planning, engaging closely with other members of the team to deliver key program objectives, and mentoring and supervising more junior members of the team.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Education:
    • Ph.D.in PoliticalScience, DevelopmentEconomics or a related discipline.
  • Experience:
    • Minimum two years of demonstrated research experience in taxation and development in sub-Saharan Africa, specializing in subnational and property taxation and the challenges of successful revenue system reforms.
    • Proventrackrecordofleading andcompleting high-quality academic and policy-orientedresearch projects in the field of subnational and property taxation in Africa.
    • Strong skillsinapplied research, includingexcellentskills in quantitativeand/or qualitativeresearch and datacollection and an excellent understanding of public administration.  
    • Experience in tax and development research that transcends disciplinaryboundaries.
    • Experience inconnecting research to policy by engagingpractitionersandpolicymakers throughouttheresearchprocess, workingcollaboratively and supportively withlocalpartners, and disseminating research findingstomaximizeimpact.
    • Experience building research capacity in the Global South, including among juniorresearchers,practitioners,andofficialsfrom governmentinstitutionswith an interestin research.Capacitybuilding isexpected to happenthroughmentoring,undertaking collaborativeresearchprojects,and targeted capacity-building events.
  • Skills:
    • Demonstratedability to workindependently and in a self-directed manner.
    • Ability to speak, read and write French fluently, produce academic journal articles and policy briefs in both English and French, and engage effectively with partners in francophone countries.
    • Capacity to engage and collaborate effectivelywith diverse teamsworking remotely and withpartnersintheGlobalSouth.
    • Strong communication skills.
    • Mentoring experience.
  • Other:
    • Ability to make substantial leadership substantial leadership contributions to LoGRI, the Munk School and the broader ICTD network.

Significanttravelwill be required once current travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic are relaxed(likely between 20% and35%per year;travelwould be mostly to Africa,withsometravelalso to Europe and theUnitedStates).

This is a full-time (100%) appointment.

Applicants should submit a cover letter summarizing their interest in and qualifications for this position, and a CV including relevant academic and policy publications.

Closing Date: 10/27/2021,11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Research Associate
Appointment Type: Grant - Continuing
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: R02 -- Sr. Research Associates $54,777 - $95,678 - $111,196 (open)
Job Category: Research Administration & Teaching



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