Posts
Title: Research Assistant
1.0. INTRODUCTION
The African Virtual University
(AVU) www.avu.org is a Pan African Intergovernmental Organization established
by charter with the mandate of significantly increasing access to quality
higher education and training through the innovative use of information
communication technologies. A Charter, establishing the AVU as an
Intergovernmental Organization, has been signed so far by eighteen (18) African
Governments - Kenya, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania,
Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Benin, Ghana, Republic of Guinea,
Burkina Faso, Niger, South Sudan, Sudan, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria.
The AVU has its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and a Regional office in Dakar
Senegal with Host-Country Agreements and Diplomatic Status with the two
governments.
The AVU Business Plan 2009-2014
has two main thrusts: (a) Educational and support services provided on a fee
basis; and (b) Not-for-profit development services. The Not-for-profit
development services
aims at building the capacity
of AVU Partner Institutions (PIs) with an objective of increasing access to quality
education through the following activities: updating and developing content;
Open Educational Resources (OER) Development; AVU Capacity Enhancement Program
(ACEP); set up/upgrade ODeL centers; developing professional networks through
Communities of Practices; Research and Development; and Quality Evaluation and
Benchmarking.
Some of the Not-for-profit
development services were delivered from 2005 to 2011 through the AVU
Multinational Project I, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and
implemented in 10 African countries.
The AfDB is funding a second
phase of the Multinational Project which will build on the first phase and will
extend its benefits to more countries. The overall objective of the AVU
Multinational Project II is to strengthen the capacity of the AVU and a network
of 27 institutions to deliver and manage quality ICT integrated education and
training opportunities in 21 African countries. The project has the following
activities: (1) Establishment of new Open Distance and eLearning (ODeL) Centers
and/or upgrading of exiting AVU Learning Centers as well as Internet
connectivity provision at AVU Partner Institutions; (2) Development and/or
improvement, and delivery of four ICT integrated Programs: AVU Capacity
Enhancement Program (ACEP); Teacher Education (TE), Computer Science (CS), and
Peace and Conflict Resolution; (3) Gender Mainstreaming, (4) Research and
Development; (5) Promotion and development of Open Education Resources (OERs);
and (6) Enhancement of AVU Capacity .
The AVU Multinational Project
II will be implemented in 27 AVU Partner Institutions in the following 21
countries: nine (9) Francophone African Countries: Benin, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Mauritania, Niger,
Senegal; three (3) Lusophone African Countries: Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and
Mozambique; and nine (9) Anglophone African Countries: Gambia, Ghana, Kenya,
Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, and Tanzania.
To successfully implement the
enhancement of the capacity of AVU, the organization wishes to engage a well
experienced Program Officer - Research, who will be responsible for setting up
a Research Unit at AVU and for the implementation of the AVU Research and
Development Agenda.
2.0. SCOPE OF WORK
1. Provide
support in the implementation of the AVU research and development agenda.
2. Assist
with writing, editing and research projects.
3. Process
and track proposal and manuscript submissions for the AVU conferences and
online journal.
4. Conduct
initial review of conference and journal submissions for compliance with
required guidelines and correspond with authors in a timely fashion on their
submissions.
5. Operate
online peer-review software to facilitate the peer review process including
uploading files, and ensuring a timely peer review process.
6. Communicate
issues raised by editorial management to authors, editors and reviewers.
7. Assist
authors, reviewers, and editors by responding to queries by email and phone.
8. Liaise
with copy-editors, compositors and proof readers.
9.
Troubleshoot routine conference proposals
and manuscript issues, provide input on discussions and escalate issues when
appropriate.
10. Provide
support as needed to the editorial board.
11. Assist
with the organization and logistical support for the AVU annual conference.
12. Assist
with press, website updates and marketing of the conferences and the journal.
13. Maintain
and regularly update peer reviewer database.
14. Maintain
relevant statistics on the conferences and online journal.
15.
Other duties as assigned by management.
3.0. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
1.
Online and open peer-reviewed journal supported.
2.
Organization of annual conferences supported.
3.
Conference and online journal submissions processed.
4.
Peer-reviewer database maintained and updated.
5.
Marketing and press on conferences and online journal supported.
6.
Support provided to editors and editorial board.
7. Support provided to AVU
Research & Development activities.
4.0. QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Education, Languages (English/French), Education or related discipline. Master’s degree preferred.
- Educational training and some experience in conducting scholarly research including skills in literature review, research design, data collection, analysis and reporting.
- Strong writing and editing skills, background in working for a publication (preferably academic) would be an advantage.
- Strong communication and organizational skills.
- Problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work as part of a team and independently.
- Ability to collaborate with individuals from different location and cultures.
- Self-starter and able to take initiative.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
- Language: Bilingual French-English. Ability to write and communicate proficiently in both French and English. Knowledge of Portuguese will be an added advantage.
- Computer Skills: Microsoft Office, Power Point, Excel, Access, Internet Skills.
5.0. MODALITIES OF WORK This is a full time employment.
6.0 DURATION 2 years renewable.
7.0 REPORTING The Research Assistant will report to the Manager,
Research & Development
8.0 PAYMENT
The salary will be commensurate with the qualification and
experience of the successful candidate.
To Apply
The African Virtual University (AVU) www.avu.org is an equal opportunity employer. The successful candidate will be appointed for 2 years renewable.
Application must include a cover letter, detailed curriculum vitae and two writing samples. Also required is a telephone number; email and residential addresses; and names with contact addresses of three professional references. Applications should be sent to job@avu.org and must have Research Assistant as the email subject.
All inquiries should be sent to avuhr@avu.org
The successful candidate will be based at the AVU Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The closing date for this application is 21st October 2013 at 18:00 East African Time (UTC/GMT + 3) Note: ONLY shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
