Research Associate - International Consultancy

Organizational Context

The Research Associate role is within the UN Secretariat, specifically the UNRWA Programme Relief & Social Services Department in Amman, Jordan. This position supports the Camp Origins Project, part of the Archive Initiative, which documents the establishment of Palestine refugee camps across five fields of operation.

Job Purpose

The Research Associate will contribute to the Camp Origins Project by conducting in-depth archival research into the historical establishment of Palestine refugee camps. This involves identifying, compiling, and assessing relevant archival materials, preparing them for legal clearance, and applying necessary redactions. The role is crucial for producing accurate, evidence-based written accounts of camp origins suitable for both institutional and external dissemination, supporting the overall documentation and historical understanding of the Agency's operations and the refugee experience.

Responsibilities

The Research Associate will develop and execute search strategies within the Agency’s digitized archive to locate materials related to camp establishment. Key duties include retrieving and compiling relevant documents such as site agreements, population records, and field office reports. The role requires maintaining detailed search logs and assessing the relevance of archival material, distinguishing establishment records from later operational documents. A significant responsibility is drafting concise, evidence-based narrative profiles for each camp, ensuring all factual claims are traceable to cleared sources and identifying any evidential gaps. The associate will also contribute to comparative synthesis across historical periods and perform other related duties as required to support research delivery and documentation quality.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years of demonstrated experience in conducting research using primary sources or archival collections is required, including identifying relevant material and assessing its value. At least one year of this experience must be international. Experience producing well-cited analytical or narrative outputs and excellent English drafting skills are also required. Experience with digitized archives, document management systems, or preparing materials for legal review is desirable.

Skills

Archival research, primary source analysis, document retrieval and compilation, legal clearance preparation, redaction, evidence-based writing, comparative synthesis, digital archive navigation, document management systems, knowledge of Middle East history (desirable), Arabic language proficiency (desirable).

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