Research and Program Coordinator

The Role

We are looking for someone who can support the operational, research, stakeholder engagement, and communications work of the Hub.

This is a practical coordination role at the centre of REFA’s day to day work. You will help keep work moving across research activity, stakeholder engagement, events, documentation, public communications, and internal systems. You will track deadlines, follow up with partners, organise information, support delivery, and make sure the project lead has a clear view of what is moving, what is blocked, and what needs attention.

You will work closely with the project lead, but you will not be given a daily task list. You will be expected to manage your own workload, identify priorities, bring structure to moving parts, and flag issues early.

This role may suit a strong recent graduate or early career professional looking for a stretch opportunity in a programme they can grow with. Prior experience matters less than evidence of initiative, clarity, reliability, problem solving, and strong execution.

We are looking for someone who can think clearly, write well, learn quickly, take initiative, and follow through. The ideal candidate is not simply someone who waits for instruction, but someone who can look at a situation, identify what needs to happen next, and propose a practical way forward.

A genuine commitment to Africa’s transformation and to the ethos of building knowledge from within the continent is essential.

What You Will Do

• Coordinate events and research activities, including research seminars, policy discussions, writing sessions, public lectures, partner meetings, and other program activities. This includes scheduling, speaker logistics, invitations, coordination, and follow up.
• Manage institutional outreach and stakeholder engagement. Draft and send correspondence, follow up with network members and institutional partners, track responses, maintain contact lists, and keep relationship pipelines organised.
• Support research dissemination via the Hub website and social media channels, including publications, briefs, event announcements, and a regular spotlight series. This includes uploading content, keeping pages current, supporting LinkedIn updates, preparing simple public facing materials, and ensuring the Hub’s public presence remains professional.
• Track active workstreams using a central project tracker. Keep tasks, deadlines, owners, and status updates current. Flag blockers early and produce regular progress updates.
• Support research and grant related administration, including formatting documents, coordinating inputs from collaborators, maintaining grant records, tracking opportunities, and supporting application logistics.
• Support institutional partnerships and research collaboration agreements that anchor the research network, including coordination of agreements, document preparation, and communication with partner stakeholders where needed.
• Organise documents, meeting notes, correspondence, and shared folders so that information is easy to find and work does not get lost.
• Identify problems and propose solutions proactively. If there is a gap in the work, flag it and suggest how to fill it. If something needs to be researched, scoped, followed up, drafted, or organised, take initiative and move it forward.

What We Are Looking For

Essential

• A degree in a relevant field (social sciences, law, public policy, development studies, economics, or similar). A postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• Demonstrable experience coordinating projects, managing multiple workstreams, and working to deadlines. We are less interested in job titles and more interested in evidence that you can run things.
• Strong written communication in English. You will be drafting correspondence, reports, briefs, and public facing content. The quality of your written expression matters.
• Comfort with digital tools: WordPress (content management), Microsoft Office (especially Excel), email platforms, social media scheduling. You do not need to be a developer, but you need to be confident and quick with technology.
• Strong self management skills. You should be able to look at a project, identify what needs to happen next, and move things forward with minimal supervision.
• Familiarity with the African research, policy, or development landscape. You do not need to be an expert, but you need to understand the context we operate in and care about it.
• Based in Nigeria, with reliable internet access and availability during standard working hours. Strong preference for candidates based in or near Abuja.

Desirable

• Experience working in or with academic institutions, research networks, or civil society organisations in an African context.
• Familiarity with grant application processes and research administration.
• Experience with event coordination (online and in person).
• An understanding of Nigeria’s institutional and regulatory landscape.
• Evidence of having started, coordinated, led, improved, or built something, whether through work, study, volunteering, student leadership, community activity, research, or independent initiative.

Who This Role Suits

This role is for you if

• You are early in your career but unusually sharp, organised, and dependable.
• You may not yet have had a major professional title but have clear evidence of initiative, strong writing, good judgement, and the ability to make things happen.
• You want to grow with an emerging research and translation hub and are willing to take real ownership of coordination, systems, communication, and follow through.

This role is not for you if

• You need constant instruction before acting.
• You are looking only for routine administrative work.
• You are uncomfortable writing, organising information, following up, using digital tools, or communicating with external stakeholders.
• You cannot be reliably available during Nigerian working hours.

Terms

• Engagement type :Full time independent contractor role
• Remuneration :₦170,000 to ₦270,000 per month, depending on experience and fit ( Please note that this band is none-negotiable for the role )
• Working arrangement :Primarily remote, with occasional in person requirements for events and stakeholder engagements

Location :Nigeria based candidates only, with a strong preference for Abuja or environs

Start date :July/August 2026, or as soon as agreed

Screening Question

Please answer as part of your application

What does it mean to build knowledge about Africa’s economic futures from within the continent, and why does that matter to you?

Please answer this question in your own words. Do not use AI generated responses. We are assessing your judgement, clarity, writing, and ability to think through the work. Responses that read as generic, inflated, or AI generated will be marked down.