Researcher (Internship – West African Elections in 2020)

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) was established in the United Kingdom in 1997 and subsequently registered in Lagos, Nigeria in 1999 as an independent, not-for-profit, research, training, advocacy, and capacity-building organization. The Centre was founded to mobilize global opinion and resources for democratic development and provide an independent space to reflect critically on the challenges posed to the democratization and development processes in the West Africa sub-region. As the foremost think tank on democratization and development in West Africa, CDD provides alternatives and best practices in support of democracy and good governance in the region.

CDD is in an exciting phase of its development. It is rapidly expanding its capacity to engage on emergent issues that will shape West African affairs in the coming decade. For example, it is expanding its portfolio on technology and society projects, including combatting false information, studying the use of technology in political campaigning, and an online tool to keep the Nigerian president accountable to his campaign policies. CDD will not stop there it is looking into Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies like Artificial Intelligence and how they will impact society. All this builds upon its established capacity to engage on issues of transitional justice, insecurity and conflict, peace and mediation, and gender rights.

We are recruiting to fill the positions of:

Job Title: Researcher (Internship – West African Elections in 2020)

Location: Abuja

Your Role

• We are offering an exciting role as an intern working with the Principal Programs Officer on our Elections engagements. 2019 was a busy year for CDD—Nigeria held National Elections, and CDD partnered with experts, civil society actors, media practitioners and government officials to observe, track disinformation and provide technical support.
• CDD expects to do the same with elections being held across West Africa in 2020, coronavirus notwithstanding. As we adapt our engagements to the pandemic, we will need an intern to provide support with research, conceptualizing and managing projects; preparing and scheduling meetings, speeches, and presentations.
• In this role you can expect to be supported by various Programs and Administration staff, especially in the initial phase.
• This will be a remote internship.

Who You Are

• Background in Political Science, Public Policy, Political Economy, Law, International Relations, and other Social Sciences/Humanities.
• Some interest or experience with digital technologies as they relate to elections is desirable.
• Highly motivated, self-starter, willing to assume responsibility
• Ability to work in an expanding and changing environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; French proficiency is a strong plus.
• Structured and reliable working attitude, curiosity to learn new things
• Strong computer literacy in MS Office (PowerPoint, Word & Excel)

Duration:

• 3-6 months (Starts as soon as possible, please indicate your availability)

What We Offer

• Our organization has begun to increase its portfolio in politics and technology, including how technology will affect elections in West Africa. This is an emerging area, and thus presents an exciting opportunity to get a sense of what is happening on the ground—perfect for a final year project, term paper, etc. We are willing to provide support towards academic projects where our work aligns closely with the project. Furthermore, to give interns more responsibility and ownership of the program and time at CDD, we are trialing a system where interns spend the last few weeks of their internship selecting the next crop of interns. From the internship requirements to interviews, you decide it all, in consort with fellow interns – a unique teamwork opportunity for sure! We also offer a modest stipend.

Method of Application

Interested and qualified candidates should please submit a current resume and a one-page cover letter that tells us why you’re interested in working at CDD and include the days and hours you will be available to work to: [email protected] using the “Job Title” as the subject of the email.

Note

• Applications without a resume and cover letter will not be considered.
• Due to the anticipated volume of interest, we are unable to respond to telephone or email inquiries regarding this position. CDD is an equal opportunity employer