Role: Research Officer; Mining Shared Value
Location: Remote
Position: Contract
Mining Shared Value (MSV) is a program of Engineers Without Borders Canada. We work to improve the social and economic benefits of mining activity for host communities and countries by increasing local procurement by the global mining industry. Procurement is the largest socio economic opportunity in the sector, as procurement spending by a mine site is in most cases larger than the paying of taxes to governments, wages and salaries, and community investment combined.
MSV understands mining as a leverage point in resource-rich economies to build local competencies and reduce extractive sector dependency. We work to empower mining industry actors by strengthening and disseminating research, resources, and tools that exist, most notably through our partnership with the World Bank to support the online Community of Practice: Extractives-led Local Economic Diversification (ELLED) Community of Practice (CoP). Where there are gaps, we work to empower mining industry actors by developing research, resources, and tools to advance the issue and to unlock more evidence to support decision-making by all actors.
In particular, our work has included developing a standard set of disclosures on local procurement to support mining industry management of the issue – the Mining Local Procurement Reporting Mechanism (LPRM). Our research has spanned from site-level case studies, country-level analyses, to continent-wide policy examinations related to mining local procurement. We also directly advise extractive industry companies on their local procurement and supplier due diligence processes. Please visit our website for more information. https://miningsharedvalue.org/
We are looking for a Research Officer with a strong analytical background to work with our team to research and promote best practices in mining local procurement, working with a wide variety of stakeholders.
Three key projects will be of initial focus to this position:
- Support work on the finalization of the Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (CMMP) Local
Procurement Checklist - Supporting management of the ELLED Community of Practice knowledge platform and its
transition to non-World Bank funders and a new platform host outside the current Adobe platform operated by the Bank - Conducting policy analysis of local content regulations in mining, oil and gas, and renewables
- Conduct research on publicly available information on local procurement processes and spend reported on by mining companies around the world, in order to develop assessments of their performance against best practice sustainability standards.
- Engage directly with extractive industry companies on their local procurement and supplier due diligence practices
Broad activities of this position will include:
- Contribute to research and writing of reports which may include the following subject matter: global legislative developments in the natural resource sector, global news in relevant sectors, publications of new academic and grey literature.
- Assist in the creation and dissemination of communications and promotional material for the initiative and for projects run in tandem with project partners. This may include the use of software like Adobe Acrobat, social media platforms and tools for social media analysis.
- Drive internal data management including monitoring key indicators of our work with project partners. This work could include the use of Microsoft Excel.
- Participate in team meetings, and meetings with external stakeholders where relevant. Meetings will focus on the strategic direction of the initiative, business development opportunities, and project management of current work.
- Assist with administrative and logistical tasks where needed, providing an opportunity to strengthen communication and organizational skills. Activities can include drafting emails, planning for online events and meetings, managing internal databases of contacts, project activities, and creating project material.
Qualifications:
- Bachelors degree in relevant discipline (e.g. international development, economics, political science); graduate degree preferred
- Minimum two years work experience in similar roles (e.g. think tanks, advocacy organizations, consulting firms)
- Ability to work collaboratively in a team and create an inclusive environment with people at all levels of an organization
- Capability to drive an independent workstream in the context of a broader team project.
- Comfort with ambiguous, ever-changing situations
- Ability to break down and solve problems through quantitative thinking and analysis
- Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, in English
Fluency in languages commonly used in the global mining sector, especially French and Spanish, highly valued.
