Senior Burkina Faso Country Researcher

Senior Burkina Faso Country Researcher

Remote

Contract

OverviewApplication

Description

The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) is an independent organisation dedicated to exposing human rights violations and threats to democracy. We achieve this through open source research, digital investigations, capacity-building with local partners, and collaboration with media to amplify our impact.

CIR was born out of a determination to expose those spreading harm – online and offline – around the world, particularly in areas of violent conflict, such as Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar. Our projects are at the forefront of efforts to investigate and document human rights abuses, war crimes, harms targeting women and minorities, and influence operations. We work closely with multilateral and national justice accountability bodies.

Contract Type: Contractor

Contract length: 3 months, with the possibility of extension up to 12 months.

Hours needed: Full time - 5 days a week at 8 hours a day.

Location: Remote.

Languages: You must be able to speak and write English and French.

About the Role

The Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) is recruiting a senior researcher and expert on Burkina Faso. The role is open to candidates based inside Burkina Faso or in the regional/international diaspora, working securely and remotely where field presence is not feasible. CIR requires the support of a Burkina Faso expert with a deep understanding of the Sahelian and West African context to conduct media, social media, and (where safe) field research.

Requirements

Main responsibilities

• Conduct media, social media, and (where safe) field research in Burkina Faso.
• Analyse and synthesise gathered information and identify links between key pieces of evidence, distinguishing verifiable findings from analytical judgement.
• Conduct key informant interviews — remotely or in person — to deepen understanding of key research questions.
• Deliver comprehensive, well-sourced reports highlighting key information, links, patterns, and risks.
• Manage a team of researchers.

Experience needed:

• Strong, current understanding of the Burkinabè political, security, religious, and information landscape, including the dynamics of the transition.
• Demonstrated familiarity with the principal armed groups and influence actors affecting the information space.
• Excellent investigative skills and a curious, sceptical mind.
• Ability to operate in a logical, methodical, evidence-led manner with strong attention to detail and rigorous sourcing.
• Analytical ability to identify links and connections using contextual information, and to explicitly flag uncertainty.
• Strong operational security awareness and discretion, given the sensitivity of the subject matter and the constraints of the press and research environment.
• Experience managing a diverse team.

Desired Skills

• Fluency in one or more of Burkina Faso's local languages.
• Knowledge or experience scanning and reporting on social media activity across Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and TikTok — the platforms that dominate the Burkinabè information ecosystem.
• Knowledge or experience in approaches to building resilience to disinformation and harmful influence.
• Familiarity with open-source research methods.
• Experience in remote management or on remotely managed programs