Research Officer Generalist

JOB PROFILE

Position#:00126340

TITLE: RESEARCH OFFICER, GENERALIST CLASSIFICATION: BAND 2

JOB OVERVIEW

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner is an independent officer of the Legislature that exists to address the root causes of inequality, discrimination and injustice in B.C. by shifting laws, policies, practices and cultures. Under B.C.’s Human Rights Code, the Commissioner is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights in the province. BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) envisions a province free from inequality, discrimination and injustice, where we uphold human rights for all and fulfil our responsibilities to one another. We do our work through education, research, advocacy, inquiry and monitoring.

Reporting to the Manager, Research, the Research Officer, Generalist, develops and supports strategic research initiatives related to human rights issues in B.C. The Research Officer designs and delivers both primary and secondary research, working within an interdisciplinary research team to draw on a wide range of research methodologies, including both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The Research Officer writes reports and other materials for both internal use and for public audiences. Public research reports are used to amplify the voices of people with lived experience, draw attention to systemic human rights issues, and contribute evidence to help shape public conversation about human rights in B.C. The Research Officer also provides research support for other work done by the Office, including inquiries and investigations, public education campaigns, and policy analysis and recommendations.

The Research Officer helps design complex primary research projects that centre the perspectives of people with lived experience of human rights issues. The Research Officer provides research support throughout the project lifecycle, including early engagement, research design, developing research instruments, conducting interviews, analyzing data, and writing reports and other materials to share research findings. The Research Officer frequently works with community partners and seeks to conduct research that embodies the 4Rs of a decolonial approach: responsibility, reciprocity, relevance, and respect. In addition, the Research Officer regularly reviews, evaluates, and synthesizes work done by other researchers, public agencies, and community organizations. Through this secondary research work, the Research Officer develops a deep understanding of various human rights issues and helps ensure that the work of BCOHRC is informed by a high standard of research evidence.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Designs and conducts research and data analysis related to human rights using a variety of research methodologies and techniques.
• Provides input on the development of new research initiatives, including identifying potential research methods and assessing the strengths, limitations, risks, and opportunities associated with different research approaches.
• Engages with diverse community partners to design and implement research projects (e.g., advisory circles, project participants) as required.
• Applies a rights-based, intersectional, ethical and decolonizing lens throughout research design and data analysis.
• Develops research instruments (e.g., survey questionnaires, interview guides) and conducts primary research (e.g., conducting interviews and focus groups) as required, with a focus on ethical and trauma-informed engagement practices.
• Writes literature reviews, statistical reviews, jurisdictional scans, research memos reports, research papers, briefing materials, notes and other materials to communicate primary and secondary research findings both internally and to public audiences.
• Identifies and collects qualitative and quantitative data from established information sources, pursues new information sources, provides technical data support, reviews and verifies the value and accuracy of information, and identifies relationships, differences and anomalies in information sources.
• Reviews and critically analyzes research studies conducted by ministries, research institutes, and jurisdictions to support evaluation of, and recommendations for improving, policies, practices, and services relating to human rights.
• Provides research support to other BCOHRC teams and works collaboratively with other BCOHRC departments in the delivery of research initiatives.
• May be required to supervise research assistants and junior researchers and guide collaborative data collection, analysis and design.
• Performs other related duties and special projects as and when required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A master’s degree in social sciences, or a related discipline, with training in qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis (e.g., public policy, political science, sociology, gender studies, health sciences, human geography, anthropology, economics) or equivalent.
• Experience working in an environment that supports or promotes human rights, equality and justice (for example, through paid/volunteer work or education).
• A combined minimum of three years’ relevant research experience including:

- Conducting primary and secondary research and analysis (e.g. interviews, literature reviews, jurisdictional scans, synthesis of complex research materials)

- Critically analyzing and synthesizing secondary research (e.g., researching and writing literature and/or jurisdictional reviews).

- Writing clear, concise reports, research papers, briefing notes, presentations, and other materials that disseminate complex issues to a diverse audience that may include provincial government policy makers, service providers, community partners, and the general population.

• Experience participating in research projects that require engagement and relationship management with multiple stakeholders or partners.
• Successful completion of security screening requirements of the BC Public Service, which may include a criminal records check, and/or Criminal Records Review Act (CRRA) check, and/or enhanced security screening checks as required.

An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

WILLINGNESS STATEMENT: MUST BE WILLING TO TRAVEL TO URBAN, RURAL AND REMOTE AREAS

ACROSS THE PROVINCE.

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WITH THE FOLLOWING:

• To complement the diversity of the BCOHRC team, preference may be given to applicants who are Indigenous, Black or racialized, LGBTQ2SAI+, people with diverse gender identities or expressions, and/or people with disabilities.
• Lived experience with human rights work, which could be through your own identity and/or personal experiences related to human rights.
• Experience building relationships and/or collaborating on research initiatives or other projects with diverse groups or communities, such as Indigenous, Black or racialized peoples; LGBTQ2SAI+ people; persons with disabilities; ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities; immigrants and refugees; children and youth; older adults; people experiencing homelessness; and/or people with mental health and/or substance use challenges.
• Experience working with or for Indigenous nations or organizations.
• Experience applying evaluation methods to measure impact in relation to strategic objectives.
• Experience applying decolonizing research methodologies and/or Indigenous research methodologies.
• Experience conducting both qualitative and quantitative research.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Commitment to and passion for human rights.
• Excellent analytical, strategic, and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills, ensuring the ability to work effectively and with flexibility in a dynamic environment with shifting priorities and tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly and persuasively for different audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to review, analyze, and summarize complex material accurately and concisely.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with stakeholders and partners and build relationships over time.
• Demonstrated ability to apply anti-oppression principles and plan and implement projects that are inclusive and equitable in both process and outcome.
• Knowledge of the provincial economic, social, cultural and political context, including relevant and current issues, legislation, research and initiatives.
• Knowledge of research methodologies, including the strengths, limitations, challenges, and opportunities associated with different research approaches.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of confidentiality, discernment, tact and diplomacy in dealing with issues that could have a significant impact on the image and credibility of the Office.
• Openness to continuous learning, working in complexity, and commitment to decolonizing and anti-racism work.

INDIGENOUS RELATIONS COMPETENCIES

• Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand and directly experience the emotion of another. It involves listening with heart, accepting their message, and staying focused on their experience rather than reacting. It means understanding that the behaviour may be connected to something outside of the immediate situation.
• Sustained Learning and Development means continually increasing your ability to build and maintain respectful and effective relationships with Indigenous people. Central to this competency is appreciating that there are many other cultural understandings of knowledge and ways of working that have legitimacy and deserve respect – and therefore require our continual learning and development, including direct exposure to cultural and community ways.
• Process orientation places a priority on how things are done. It is a willingness to remain open and follow in new directions. It means setting aside mainstream ways of achieving results and instead following culturally respectful processes that also produce results. It is letting go of agendas or the need to control and trusting that the appropriate outcome will emerge from a good journey together. It means accepting that both the use of process orientation and a good relationship are concrete results.
• Building a Trust-Based Relationship requires a fundamental understanding that "relationship" is the foundation from which all activities happen and that building a good relationship takes time and commitment. It is a willingness to build a personal relationship in addition to a professional one, participating in open exchanges of experiences and

culture. It requires a genuine, non-controlling approach and relies upon demonstrated integrity and transparency. Building a trust-based relationship requires a high level of consciousness of the experience of Indigenous people with Crown relations. It assumes that strengths abound in Indigenous people, cultures and communities.

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Planning, Organizing and Co-ordinating involves proactively planning, establishing priorities and allocating resources. It is expressed by developing and implementing increasingly complex plans. It also involves monitoring and adjusting work to accomplish goals and deliver to the organization’s mandate.
• Analytical Thinking is the ability to comprehend a situation by breaking it down into its components and identifying key or underlying complex issues. It implies the ability to systematically organize and compare the various aspects of a problem or situation, and determine cause-and-effect relationships ("if...then…") to resolve problems in a sound, decisive manner. Checks to ensure the validity or accuracy of all information.
• Conceptual Thinking is the ability to identify patterns or connections between situations that are not obviously related and to identify key or underlying issues in complex situations. It includes using creative, conceptual or inductive reasoning or thought processes that are not necessarily categorized by linear thinking.
• Seeking and using feedback involves knowledge and skills of seeking and using feedback from other to improve one’s performance and authenticity. This requires active listening and modeling personal change in order to foster trust in the whole organization.
• Teamwork and Co-operation is the ability to work co-operatively within diverse teams, work groups and across the organization to achieve group and organizational goals. It includes the desire and ability to understand and respond effectively to other people from diverse backgrounds with diverse views.

For more information on competencies, see:

Competencies in the BC Public Service

BC Public Service competencies list

Indigenous relations behavioural competencies