Senior Research Associate (Financial Fraud / Scams)

AHA BEHAVIORAL CONSULTANCY CORP.; Pasig; On-site; PHP 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

AHA BEHAVIORAL CONSULTANCY CORP. is seeking a Senior Research Associate to provide substantive qualitative research, analysis, and technical writing for Phase 1 of a behavioral deep dive into digital scams and fraud in the Philippines.

The role covers inception through Phase 1 reporting with a commitment from late August to October 2026, including fieldwork and coordination. The candidate will lead focused reviews, refine research questions, develop fieldwork tools for diverse groups, and ensure

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in social sciences, psychology, economics, or related field is preferred.
• Minimum 4 years of qualitative research experience with responsibility for analysis and writing.
• Experience researching scams/fraud in digital finance or related fields is preferred.
• Experience designing FGDs and KIIs with sensitive participant groups is required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and support focused reviews of evidence on digital scams, digital finance, and consumer protection.
• Identify evidence gaps and plan fieldwork to test explanations.
• Refine research questions, sampling logic, and fieldwork sequence with Project Lead.
• Co-develop FGDs and KIIs tools for different respondent groups with consent procedures.
• Serve as co-facilitator/interviewer for FGDs and KIIs.
• Apply ethical procedures including consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding.

Skills

Qualitative research

FGD & KII design

Technical writing

Ethical research practice

Education

Bachelor's in social sciences or related (postgraduate advantage)

4+ years of relevant research experience

Job description

About the role

The Senior Research Associate will provide substantive qualitative research, topic-specific research expertise, analysis, technical writing, and research-operations coordination support for Phase 1 of the project's behavioral deep dive on digital scams and fraud. The role is expected to maintain full project commitment from the last week of August through October 2026 and to support the work continuously from inception and research preparation through fieldwork, analysis, and Phase 1 reporting.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct and support a focused review of Philippine and relevant regional/global evidence on digital scams and fraud, digital finance, financial consumer protection, scam victimization, trust and verification behavior, reporting and recovery, scam typologies, institutional safeguards, and related behavioral mechanisms.
• Use prior topic-specific research experience to identify evidence gaps, competing explanations, emerging scam patterns, and context-specific issues that should be tested through fieldwork.
• Support the Project Lead in refining the Phase 1 research questions, qualitative sampling logic, respondent criteria, fieldwork sequence, analysis plan, consent procedures, and safeguards for sensitive participant groups.
• Co-develop and refine differentiated FGD and KII tools for digitally exposed non-victims, scam victims, and reformed scammers, including consent scripts, screening documentation, moderator/interviewer notes, and fieldwork protocols.
• Serve as co-facilitator/interviewer for the main qualitative fieldwork: Focused Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews.
• Apply approved confidentiality, informed-consent, trauma-sensitive, and participant-protection procedures, with particular care for scam victims and reformed scammers.
• Coordinate transcript readiness and conduct quality checks so that recordings, transcripts, field notes, and participant documentation are complete, appropriately de-identified, securely managed, and usable for analysis.
• Conduct or co-lead qualitative coding and thematic analysis across respondent groups, examining scam journey moments, trust thresholds, verification behavior, disclosure/transfer decisions, realization, reporting, recovery, and future digital participation.
• Maintain the detailed workplan, fieldwork calendar, session schedule, action tracker, decision log, deliverable tracker, and version-control system in coordination with the Project Lead.
• Co-write, draft, refine, and edit Phase 1 technical outputs with the Project Lead, ensuring that claims are traceable to study evidence, evidence sources are clearly distinguished, and limitations are stated appropriately.

About you

• Graduate of a relevant four-year course in social sciences, behavioral science, psychology, economics, finance, public policy, development studies, communication research, sociology, anthropology, or a related field; postgraduate training or an advanced degree is an advantage.
• At least 4 years of relevant research experience, with substantial responsibility for qualitative research, analysis, and technical writing.
• Demonstrated prior research or technical experience on scams and fraud within digital finance, financial services, financial consumer protection, cyber-enabled fraud, digital trust, or closely related financial research contexts.
• Demonstrated experience designing and conducting FGDs and KIIs, including work with sensitive, hard-to-reach, or risk-sensitive participant groups.
• Strong qualitative analysis skills, including coding, thematic synthesis, triangulation, cross-segment comparison, and development of evidence-based insights.
• Strong technical writing skills, including experience drafting research reports, findings sections, evidence syntheses, policy or decision briefs, technical memos, and client-facing presentations.
• Strong research-operations and coordination skills, including work planning, scheduling, documentation, action tracking, version control, coordination of transcripts/data files, and management of multiple technical inputs under tight timelines.
• Demonstrated understanding of ethical research practice, informed consent, confidentiality, data privacy, safeguarding, and responsible handling of sensitive accounts.
• Able to work closely with a Project Lead while independently managing assigned research, fieldwork, analysis, writing, and coordination tasks.
• Available to provide full project commitment from the last week of August through October 2026, including scheduled face-to-face and online activities as required by the approved fieldwork plan.