National Consultants, Gender-Based Violence Research (Roster): Somalia

Consultancy · Project-based · Based in Somalia · Closing 28 August

This position is restricted to female applicants. Being a woman is a genuine occupational requirement for this role. Please see "Occupational requirement" below.

About Bodhi

Bodhi Global Analysis is a woman-led international development research consultancy established in London in 2017, with subsidiaries in Nairobi (2018), Singapore (2023), Dar es Salaam (2025), and The Hague (2026). We specialise in formative and evaluative research through participatory approaches, serving UN agencies, bilateral donors, INGOs, and regional organisations across fragile and conflict-affected contexts. As an ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001 certified organisation, Bodhi maintains rigorous quality control across all operations. We are signatories to the Women's Empowerment Principles.

About the Role

Bodhi is expanding its Somalia roster of female National Consultants specialising in gender-based violence (GBV). We are recruiting experienced women researchers to conduct primary data collection with women and adolescent girls on GBV and related protection concerns, including in-depth interviews with survivors, same-sex focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with GBV service providers and women's rights organisations.

This work is methodologically demanding and ethically exacting. You will be interviewing women and girls about experiences that carry real risk of social, physical and psychological harm if handled poorly. We are looking for researchers who already understand that, who have done this work before, and who treat survivor safety as the first consideration rather than a compliance step.

This is a roster engagement. Successful applicants are added to Bodhi's consultant roster and contracted on a project-by-project basis as assignments arise, with immediate deployment opportunities anticipated in the short term.

Occupational requirement

This role is open to women only. This is an operational and ethical requirement of the work, not a preference.

The role involves conducting interviews and same-sex focus group discussions with women and adolescent girls about their experiences of gender-based violence, including sexual violence. International research ethics standards for this work, including the World Health Organization's Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Researching, Documenting and Monitoring Sexual Violence in Emergencies (2007) and Putting Women First (2001), specify that interviews with women about violence must be conducted by female interviewers. These standards are the accepted benchmark across the sector and are adopted by the UN agencies and donors who commission this research. Departing from them would place respondents at risk of harm and would materially compromise both the safety of participants and the quality of the evidence.

Being a woman is therefore crucial to this post. Bodhi relies on the occupational requirement provisions of Schedule 9, Part 1 of the Equality Act 2010 in restricting this role to female applicants.

Where an assignment requires data collection with male respondents, Bodhi recruits separately for those components.

Key responsibilities

Data collection with survivors and women's groups

  • Conduct in-depth interviews with women and adolescent girls who have experienced gender-based violence, applying a survivor-centred approach grounded in safety, confidentiality, respect and non-discrimination
  • Facilitate same-sex focus group discussions with women and adolescent girls on GBV, harmful practices, protection risks, service access, and social norms
  • Conduct key informant interviews with GBV service providers, women's rights organisations, health facilities, protection and case management actors, MHPSS providers, local authorities, and religious and clan leaders
  • Obtain informed consent in Somali, ensuring respondents understand the purpose of the research, the nature of the questions, their right to decline any question, and their right to end the interview at any point
  • Conduct all interviews in genuinely private settings, and reschedule or relocate where privacy cannot be assured

Ethics, safeguarding and referral

  • Apply the WHO ethical and safety recommendations and the IASC Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action throughout data collection
  • Verify, before data collection begins, that functioning GBV response services exist and are accessible in each location, and maintain an up-to-date referral pathway covering health, psychosocial, protection, legal and safety services
  • Recognise and respond appropriately to disclosure and distress, offering referral without pressure and never facilitating a referral the respondent has not consented to
  • Identify and escalate safeguarding concerns and child protection concerns in line with Bodhi's safeguarding policy and reporting protocols
  • Handle all data in accordance with Bodhi's data protection requirements, including secure storage, anonymisation, and never recording identifying information alongside disclosure content

Analysis and reporting

  • Produce accurate, well-organised interview notes and transcripts, with Somali to English translation where required
  • Contribute contextual interpretation of findings, including on clan dynamics, displacement, service availability, and the practical barriers women face in reporting and accessing support
  • Participate in team debriefs, analysis sessions and validation activities
  • Provide the project team with contextual and security updates, flagging risks to respondents or to the field team and advising on mitigation

Field coordination, where required by the assignment

  • Recruit, train and supervise female enumerators and note-takers, drawing on your existing network
  • Manage respondent mobilisation and scheduling in a manner that does not draw attention to participants or expose them to risk
  • Implement daily quality assurance, including debriefs and review of submitted material

Qualifications and experience

Essential

  • Female applicant (see "Occupational requirement" above)
  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline (for example gender studies, social work, psychology, public health, sociology, development studies, law, or a related social science), or equivalent professional experience in GBV research or programming
  • A minimum of five years' professional experience in research, monitoring and evaluation, protection or GBV programming, with at least three years focused specifically on GBV, protection, or sexual and reproductive health and rights
  • Demonstrated experience conducting interviews with survivors of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, in a research, case management, service delivery or programme monitoring capacity
  • Demonstrated experience facilitating focus group discussions with women and adolescent girls on sensitive subjects
  • Training in survivor-centred approaches, GBV guiding principles, and psychological first aid or equivalent
  • Working knowledge of the WHO ethical and safety recommendations for research on violence against women, and of GBV referral pathways in your area of operation
  • Fluency in Somali and English, written and spoken, with the ability to conduct interviews in Somali and report in English
  • Established professional relationships with women's rights organisations, GBV service providers, or protection actors in your area of operation
  • Current residence in Somalia, with the ability to travel within your region
  • Commitment to research ethics, informed consent, confidentiality, and safeguarding, and willingness to undergo Bodhi's vetting and reference checks

Desirable

  • Master's degree in a relevant discipline
  • Background in counselling, social work, case management or MHPSS
  • Experience with the GBV Information Management System (GBVIMS) or comparable GBV data standards
  • Experience conducting research or delivering services in IDP settlements and hard-to-reach or newly accessible areas
  • Experience working with UN agencies, bilateral donors, or INGOs
  • Familiarity with OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, theory-based evaluation, or outcome harvesting
  • Proficiency in both Maxaa and Maay, or in other regional dialects relevant to your area of operation
  • Training in PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse)
  • First aid, safety, or security training relevant to fieldwork

What We Offer

  • A consultancy engagement with inclusion on Bodhi's consultant roster for consideration for future assignments and project opportunities as they arise
  • The opportunity to contribute to technically rigorous research for UN agencies, donors, and development partners
  • Collaboration with an experienced, multidisciplinary international research team
  • Professional development through exposure to Bodhi's established research methodologies and quality assurance frameworks
  • Structured support for researchers working on GBV, including project-specific ethics and safeguarding briefing, defined escalation routes, team debriefs during fieldwork, and recognition that this work carries a risk of vicarious trauma

How to Apply

To apply, please go to www.bodhiglobalanalysis.com/jobs, select this role, click on Apply, and follow the instructions. You will be invited to submit:

  • A CV demonstrating relevant experience in GBV research or programming and in primary data collection
  • A cover letter addressing (1) your experience conducting interviews or providing services to survivors of gender-based violence, (2) your area or areas of operation within Somalia and your ability to travel within them, and (3) your availability for deployment
  • Proof of right to work in Somalia

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Early application is strongly encouraged, as we may close the vacancy before the deadline for exceptional candidates.

Safeguarding

Bodhi has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation and abuse, and to any conduct that places research participants at risk. All consultants engaged for this work are subject to vetting, reference checks, and contracting under Bodhi's safeguarding and data protection frameworks, and are required to complete safeguarding and PSEA briefing before deployment.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Bodhi is a women-owned enterprise committed to gender parity at all levels of the organisation. We particularly welcome applications from women researchers and candidates who bring lived experience from the regions where we work. Within the occupational requirement set out above, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religious belief, national origin, clan, gender identity, age, marital status, socioeconomic background, or disability.

For more information about our organisation, please visit www.bodhiglobalanalysis.com.

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