Research jobs in South Africa

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a CGIAR Research Center, is on the lookout for a versatile early career research professional to join our team in Pretoria, South Africa, as an Assistant Research Officer - Gender Equality and Social Inclusion.

The Assistant Research Officer - Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) will work on various projects in the Southern African Region contributing to research activities from GESI, policy, environmental (water, circular economy, climate change), inclusive governance and political economy perspectives at multiple scales. Specifically, the incumbent will spend 50% of their time assisting the PL and research team in coordinating and implementing the Water Research Commission (WRC) project Strengthening community participation in municipal water services for improved water management in South Africa’s rural and low-income urban areas while the other 50% will be dedicated to providing research support to IWMI’s Water and Soil Accelerator program.

In addition, the incumbent will provide support to project leaders with specific research assignments by assisting in conducting literature reviews and data analysis, and coordination and implementation of project activities with partner organizations and stakeholders. In addition, the incumbent will be involved in other projects such as the Water-Energy for Food Program as well as providing technical support within South Africa’s partnership portfolio. The incumbent will engage in organizing inclusive science-policy-practice dialogues and workshops at local, provincial, national and regional levels.

• Provide research support in thematic areas related to policy, institutions, inclusive water governance, rural livelihoods, and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), through key research tasks such as conducting fieldwork, qualitative data collection, processing and analysis of data, report writing, and science communication to ensure the successful delivery of the project.
• Play a key role in coordinating project activities across different case study sites for the community-participation in advancing water services and inclusive business models for scaling sustainability pathways across municipalities.
• Assist teams from the WRC and Water and Soil Accelerator projects in planning, conducting, analysing, and reporting on qualitative and household survey data collected from the selected rural and urban municipalities as well as project countries to provide socio-economic data that informs the project’s progress and outcomes.
• Assist in qualitative data analysis using NVivo and other quantitative data analysis software (like SPSS), and preparation of outputs for activities in project sites that support disaggregated data evidence generation for agriculture, water, and food systems
• Provide support to organizing and facilitating capacity building, training and interaction in the project sites, to build strong relationships with governments, civil societies, and for strengthening stakeholder engagements with diverse actors.
• Provide support to train local staff from partner organizations during research activities, if and when necessary. Provide support to organizing semi-annual meetings, dialogues and final workshops for relevant projects to support results and feedback validation processes
• Assist in preparing project reports and publications according to project timelines using project-specific communication materials to communicate research outcomes to different audiences and partners
• Provide support to increasing the visibility of IWMI through the preparation of blogs and articles in local newspapers and participating in local knowledge forums.
• Arrange the logistics for research site visits by IWMI and other international project partners for ongoing project implementation.

• Bachelor’s degree or Advanced Diploma in development studies or a related social science discipline, or in applied fields such as environmental management, agriculture, water resources management, or safety/risk management with demonstrated relevance to governance, inclusion, or natural resource management, with a specialization in social science approaches (e.g., gender, anthropology, governance, public policy, institutional analysis) in the water and agriculture sectors.
• At least 1 year of practical experience in conducting field research in social science and/or social science applied in natural resource management.
• A minimum of 1 year experience in development and/or research project management in the field of GESI, policy, inclusive water governance, or natural resource management.
• Experience working in the field of rural development and/or research.

• Experience in field-based project implementation and monitoring.

• Familiarity with both qualitative and quantitative research methods in the field of social science, particularly in the areas of water/climate change/food security policy; community-based approaches; gender, institutions and governance issues of water resources and/or natural resources; water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH); or agricultural water management.
• Special focus and interest in GESI, policy and inclusive water governance.
• Understanding of water governance and management at the municipal scale in South Africa.
• Ability to travel regularly between research sites, specifically South Africa, Zambia and Malawi, support project activities on the ground and work with IWMI in South Africa.
• Knowledge of diversity, inclusion, discrimination and gender issues in South Africa.
• Ability to respect and practice organizational values and work with professional integrity.
• Good working knowledge of GESI.
• Verbal and written communication skills in English, and one or more other South African language.

• Knowledge and experience of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and other social science data analysis tools would be an advantage.

This is a nationally recruited position and only South African nationals will be considered. IWMI offers a competitive salary and benefits package, inclusive of health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, and long-term disability coverage. The duration of the contract will initially be for a period of three (03) years with the possibility of extension.

Apply for the position by following the application instructions at www.iwmi.org/jobs. We will be accepting applications through 24:00 (IST) on November 02, 2025 (applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis). Your application must include a CV, cover letter, and three (3) references, which may be contacted if you are shortlisted. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged, but only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

IWMI believes that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. We offer a multi-cultural, multi-color, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary working environment. We are consciously creating an inclusive organization that reflects our global character and our commitment to gender equity. We, therefore, encourage applicants from all cultures, races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientations, and gender identities.