Senior Research and Conflict Data Lead at HumAngle Media Limited

HumAngle Media Limited, an African media organisation focused on conflict, development, and humanitarian issues, is recruiting a Senior Research and Conflict Data Lead in Abuja.

The successful candidate will provide intellectual and methodological leadership for HumAngle’s research work while helping develop a commercially sustainable research and advisory practice. The role combines Conflict Research, data leadership, team development, client engagement, proposal development, and delivery of commissioned research.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Research and Conflict Data Lead will be responsible for:

• Designing and leading original research on armed groups, political violence, terrorism, violent extremism, conflict economies, civilian protection, and regional security.
• Developing and improving research methodologies covering field interviews, source assessment, verification, triangulation, confidence scoring, and evidentiary standards.
• Leading research involving conflict-affected communities, field networks, subject-matter experts, and regional researchers.
• Applying quantitative, qualitative, geospatial, network-analysis, and mixed-method approaches where appropriate.
• Producing and supervising research reports, analytical briefs, datasets, maps, policy products, commissioned studies, and data-driven investigations.
• Clearly distinguishing verified findings, analytical judgements, hypotheses, and unresolved information gaps.
• Maintaining high standards of intellectual independence and analytical integrity.

Conflict Data and Methodology

The role will also involve:

• Developing and maintaining HumAngle’s conflict-data architecture.
• Establishing standards for data collection, classification, documentation, provenance, validation, version control, and quality assurance.
• Developing systems for evaluating source reliability and confidence in analytical conclusions.
• Ensuring datasets and analytical products are sufficiently documented for internal review and appropriate external use.
• Identifying applications for statistical analysis, GIS, network analysis, OSINT, and other research technologies.

Research and Advisory Leadership

The successful candidate will help grow HumAngle’s research and advisory practice by:

• Building and managing a lean multidisciplinary team of researchers, analysts, data specialists, and research assistants.
• Developing research and advisory offerings for institutional clients, including international organisations, foundations, development partners, research institutions, and appropriate private-sector organisations.
• Identifying business development opportunities and contributing to technical proposals, scopes of work, and competitive bids.
• Working with leadership on project costing, staffing, delivery planning, and client management.
• Developing multi-year research programmes and recurring analytical products.
• Maintaining strong client and partner relationships while protecting research independence and editorial integrity.
• Building a sustainable pipeline of research and advisory engagements.

Team Leadership and Institutional Development

Responsibilities will include:

• Recruiting, supervising, mentoring, and developing researchers and research assistants.
• Establishing research workflows, review procedures, performance expectations, and quality-control mechanisms.
• Building internal capacity in research design, conflict data, verification, analytical writing, quantitative methods, and related skills.
• Promoting a research culture that values evidence, acknowledges uncertainty, and encourages analytical challenge.
• Developing partnerships with universities, think tanks, international organisations, research institutions, and technical specialists.
• Representing HumAngle’s research and advisory work before technical, policy, academic, client, and international audiences.

Research Ethics, Security and Quality Assurance

The Senior Research and Conflict Data Lead will also:

• Establish and enforce research ethics, informed-consent, source-protection, safeguarding, information-security, and data-protection standards.
• Exercise sound judgement when dealing with sensitive sources, vulnerable participants, and potentially sensitive information.
• Ensure research complies with applicable laws, contracts, organisational policies, and professional standards.
• Maintain appropriate separation between source access and evidentiary conclusions.
• Escalate significant methodological, ethical, safeguarding, security, legal, or conflict-of-interest concerns through appropriate channels.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates should possess:

• A Master’s Degree or higher in Conflict and Security Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Economics, Data Science, Geography, Sociology, Peace and Conflict Studies, or another relevant research-intensive discipline.
• A PhD is an advantage but is not mandatory where the candidate has an exceptional record of applied research and analytical leadership.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience, with substantial exposure to one or more of the following:
  • Conflict and security research.
  • Political violence and terrorism research.
  • Conflict or event data.
  • Humanitarian research.
  • Organised crime or illicit economies.
  • Field research in fragile or conflict-affected environments.
  • Quantitative or mixed-method research.
  • Geospatial or network analysis.
  • Research consultancy and advisory services.

Application Closing Date

21st September 2026.

How to Apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply online through HumAngle Media Limited’s recruitment portal.