Job ID: 311686

Research Associate - Africa Drug Policy

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC)

Location: Remote, Regional / Global

Apply by: 06 Aug 2026

Relevant Sectors

Government, Governance, Reforms

Human Rights, Law, Migration, Conflicts, Justice

Monitoring, Evaluation, Policy, Research, Analysis

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) is an independent civil society organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with a globally dispersed Secretariat working across 42 countries. This position is a part-time consultancy role with the West Africa Observatory, offering a one-off stipend of EUR 500 over a 2-month contract starting August 2026.

The Drug Policy Research Associate position is a selective one-month mentorship and applied research opportunity for exceptional early-career researchers and analysts working on drug policy to gain experience conducting policy-relevant field and desk research on drug policy dynamics in Africa. Working directly with senior analysts and regional experts, the Associate will contribute to a regional mapping and analysis of drug policy and legislative instruments across East and Southern Africa, and West Africa, resulting in two published research papers.

The Associate will: support the broader research team in assessing existing policy and legislative instruments governing drug markets in East, Southern and West Africa; conduct comparative legislative and policy analysis in line with pre-defined methodologies; compile datasets, analyse trends and correlations, and develop write-ups of findings; and participate in team meetings, methodological development discussions and, where feasible, interviews and external-facing meetings.

Requisite skills and experience: undergraduate degree in a relevant subject (international relations, conflict, security, economics or similar); ongoing or completed PhD in a subject relevant to drug markets or drug policy; demonstrated research experience working on drug policy issues; professional level English (C1 or higher); professional level French (C1 or higher) is desirable; proficiency using AI tools in research and analysis is desirable.

HOW TO APPLY:
Apply online via GI-TOC's BambooHR applicant tracking system at globalinitiative.bamboohr.com. All correspondence related to your application will be sent from the globalinitiative.bamboohr.com domain.
https://globalinitiative.bamboohr.com/careers/146