International Institute for Environment and Development
Natural Resources Group (NRG)
Job Description
Job Title:
Researcher – China
Responsible to:
Senior Researcher, Natural Resources Group (Team Leader – China Strategy)
Main purpose:
To help develop, manage and implement a programme of research on and with
China as an international development actor
Key contacts:
Internal: researchers in NRG and other Groups, other IIED members of staff
External: multidisciplinary collaborative research teams in a range of countries,
international organisations, and public and private actors working on food and
agriculture, consultants, partners, donor representatives, and the general
public
Salary:
Grade 4 £33,654 - £37,055 per annum depending on experience (up to £41,812
for exceptional candidates), plus benefits
Contract:
Full time (35 hours per week), permanent
Location:
Central London office, UK
Background to the post
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is a policy research organisation
that provides expertise and leadership in researching and achieving sustainable development at local,
national, regional and global levels. In alliance with others, we are helping to tackle the biggest issues of
our times – from climate change and cities to the pressures on natural resources and the forces shaping
global markets. With 107 members of staff working with associates and partners around the world, IIED
has been at the forefront of policy-making in sustainable development for over 40 years.
The China Strategy Team collaborates with a range of researchers across IIED (in bold those with whom
the postholder will work more closely):
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Lila Buckley, Natural Resources Group Senior Researcher – Team Leader, China Strategy
(maternity leave from October 2013)
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Seth Cook, Natural Resources Group Senior Researcher – Agroecology and Team Leader,
China Strategy (joining in September 2013)*
James Mayers, Natural Resources Group Head
Lorenzo Cotula, Natural Resources Group Senior Researcher – Team Leader, Land Rights
Krystyna Swiderska, Natural Resources Group Senior Researcher, Agroecology
Khanh Tran-Thanh, Natural Resources Group Group Senior Coordinator
Emma Blackmore, Researcher, Sustainable Markets Group (Consultant)
Steve Bass, Head, Sustainable Markets Group
Bill Vorley, Principal Researcher, Sustainable Markets Group
Gordon McGranahan, Co-Head, Human Settlements Group, Team Leader, Urbanization
Emma Wilson, Senior Researcher, Sustainable Markets Group, Team Leader, Energy
Ced Hesse, Principle Researcher, Drylands, Climate Change Group, Team Leader, Research for
Policy Advocacy
*The postholder’s line manager for the first year
The China Strategy Team works across all research groups at IIED, developing partnerships, research and
policy engagement to contribute to improving China’s role as a sustainable development actor in Africa,
Latin America and South East Asia. This work entails engaging with Chinese perspectives, understanding
the motivations and incentives of Chinese actors, investing in research to better understand Chinese
development models, and ensuring that this research informs constructive next steps to influence better
development outcomes. From a global perspective ‘engaging China’ may seem unattainable, but by
focussing on specific sectors and geographies, we find there is room to influence the direction of
change. Specifically, the Team implements projects in the following areas:
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Mapping and case studies of Chinese agriculture engagements in Africa
Coordinating a China-African forest governance learning platform
Research on Chinese investments and land-based contracts in Africa
Research on sustainability standards in Chinese trade and investment (agricultural, mining and
forestry) with Latin America
Research on the informal economy in China and its links with the informal economy in other
emerging and developing countries
Supporting Chinese smallholder innovation for resilient agriculture
Policy analysis and research on climate resilient drylands development in China
Exploring key lessons from China’s urban transition
This is a newly created research position to strengthen the capacity to deliver on a comprehensive and
coherent research programme on China within the overall IIED institutional strategy (2014-2019) which
is in the process of being developed. In conjunction with the other researchers in this team, the
postholder will contribute to research feeding into the above project areas, in particular on the themes
of China-Africa forest governance, Chinese corporate sustainability (State-owned enterprises, private
companies and SMEs), climate change and urban transitions. In addition, the postholder will support
communications work maintaining and adding Chinese language-content to IIED’s China web page and
producing Chinese translations of IIED publications. Over time and subject to funding, the postholder
will be expected to develop their own portfolio of work (and the funding to support it, with assistance
from others) that contributes to achieving IIED strategy.
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Key responsibilities
1. Contribute to the development, coordination and implementation of the full portfolio of research
projects of the China Strategy Team. The researcher might also be involved in research undertaken
by other teams or groups in IIED around aspects of IIED Strategy.
2. Prepare working papers, policy briefs and other research outputs with the support of senior
colleagues.
3. Support IIED staff, and partners in China and other countries, throughout the process of research,
publication, dissemination of findings and practical engagement to influence change. This may
include providing inputs such as literature reviews, and managing outputs such as the production
process of working papers and briefings. Specifically, the postholder will be involved in work on
China-Africa forest governance, Chinese corporate sustainability including the use and impact of
sustainability standards, consumption, the informal economy in China (particularly in agriculture,
and its links with the informal economy in other emerging and developing countries) and Chinese
urbanisation, and could also be involved in research on China’s potential contribution to
international agricultural development, and climate resilient drylands development.
4. Present findings from IIED’s work on China at relevant workshops and conferences, under the
guidance of other researchers working on this objective.
5. Assist colleagues working on the China Strategy objective with: project management, donor
reporting, event organisation, supervision of consultants and interns and the writing of funding
proposals and grant applications.
6. Participate in organisation-wide or cross-group projects or working groups.
7. Contribute to the overall China Strategy, Natural Resources Group and IIED objectives.
The job description defines the level of responsibility and area(s) of involvement of the post; the details of
the duties may change over time and do not form part of the contract between IIED and the post holder.
Person specification
Essential requirements
Academic and professional qualifications
Postgraduate qualification in environmental studies or another relevant social, economic or
environmental science discipline
Relevant experience
 Demonstrable experience of conducting research (developing research methodologies and
approaches, designing research projects, establishing research collaborations etc.) on issues related
to China as an international development actor.
 Experience of working on environment and development issues in China, including engaging with
Chinese academia, civil society, private sector and/or policy circles.
 Good knowledge of Chinese policy frameworks, agreements and initiatives especially as they relate
to China’s growing role overseas.
 Experience of writing and editing for a range of audiences including narrative reports, briefing
papers, proposals, peer-reviewed journals, and technical and non-technical publications.
 Demonstrated ability to support and manage projects, including planning, budget management,
communications, financial reporting, and monitoring and evaluation.
Key skills
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Fluent in English and Mandarin Chinese.
Strong communication skills to convey complex messages in a clear, concise and effective manner.
Excellent inter-personal skills and the ability to build effective working relationships with staff and
project partners from diverse backgrounds in a multicultural environment.
Ability to work in innovative, self-motivated and organized ways in a challenging environment (in
particular, in rural and urban areas of China and sub-Saharan Africa).
Ability to be adaptable and flexible, prioritise work effectively, multi-tasking and balance conflicting
demands without close supervision.
Advanced knowledge of business software (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software,
databases and communications).
Willingness and ability to travel as appropriate to project commitments.
Desirable requirements
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A record of published research in relevant topics
Demonstrable capacity of drafting successful funding proposals and liaising with funding agencies
Practical work experience in Asia, Latin America or Africa
Good working knowledge of a third language of relevance to the work of the China Strategy
objective (e.g. Chinese dialects other than Mandarin, Spanish, French, or Portuguese)
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