Director, U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre

Position as U4 Centre Director is available

The Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway, invites interested candidates to apply for the position of Director, U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre.

The position is permanent and is available from the 1st of January 2024. 

U4 - A leading centre for anti-corruption expertise

The U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre (U4) at the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) works to reduce the harmful impact of corruption on society. At U4, we study the causes and pathways of corruption in society, document its effects on development outcomes, and identify and support efforts to address it. We share research and evidence to help international development actors get sustainable results. Since 2003, we have advanced the anti-corruption field together with global research networks and practitioners.

The U4 funding partners’ development agendas inspire our independent research. U4’s international team of anti-corruption researchers apply academic rigour to explain the complex nature of corruption. U4’s purpose is to communicate practical entry-points and build capacity for reducing corruption - through dialogue, publications, online training, workshops, and a helpdesk.

To shape the future with us, we need you to be our:

Leader:
The U4 advisers are a team of highly competent and dedicated staff with diverse academic and professional backgrounds. You guide our strategic thinking and steer processes for choosing optimal priorities. You lead and support us in our efforts to deliver what we promise with high quality, and within a healthy working environment. You promote team members and support them in communicating U4 work to donors and key policymakers.

Ambassador:
CMI and U4’s well-established relationship with the funding partners is based on continual engagement and mutual understanding about what practitioners and researchers need to advance the anti-corruption field. You thrive as a spokesperson and networker who represents CMI and U4 in the partner group and international fora. Your communication efforts contribute to U4's visibility in the anti-corruption and development community. Visibility is important for securing funding.

CMI management team member:
You are a member of the CMI management team and report to the CMI Director. You contribute actively to leading and developing U4 and CMI. You promote an inclusive and healthy work culture that encourages and thrives on diversity in all its forms.

Research for a just and equal world

CMI's vision is to generate research for a just and equal world. Our mission is to address global challenges by providing research-based knowledge that inspires and shapes policy and practice. CMI is an independent research institute and funded through research grants and by sucessfully winning research projects. For more information regarding CMI's values and vision, see the CMI Strategy (2023-2028). As U4 Director, you identify with CMI’s and U4's visions and strategies. 

U4's four strategic goals

• Greater impact on the ground
  • To respond to the challenging environments in many countries, and to ensure contextualised interventions, we will support our partners to achieve greater impact in countries where they run programmes by moving closer to local practice and challenges.
• A coherent, global approach to anti-corruption
  • To respond to rising powers and competing agendas, we will work with our partners to develop a coherent, global approach to anti-corruption by being a leading convener and trusted knowledge-broker.
• Addressing the complexities of corruption
  • To respond to the ever-increasing intricacy and transnational nature of corruption, we will equip our partners to address complex corruption issues by taking new perspectives.
• Pushing anti-corruption up the agenda
  • To respond to the uncertainty practitioners face, we will ensure that anti-corruption remains a top priority in our partners’ home countries by strengthening the U4 partnership and demonstrating the need to make anti-corruption a top priority.

You can read the U4 Centre's vision and strategy in full here: Vision & strategy (u4.no). 

Qualifications and Personal Skills

• Demonstrated leadership skills:
  • Strategic thinking and practice
  • Effective and clear communication
  • Foster positive collaboration
  • Ability to motivate independent and qualified staff
  • Be a good listener
  • Ability to build trust, internally and externally
• Demonstrated management skills:
  • Efficient and organised
  • Set priorities and make effective decisions on operational matters
• Ability to lead a multi-national and multi-disciplinary team:
  • We are looking for an experienced personnel leader who can be a team builder and nurture each member's skills and competencies

• Professional experience in development policy and/or practice. Good understanding of bilateral and multilateral development cooperation. Deep knowledge of governance in development.
• An experienced fundraiser.
• Solid understanding of the value of research-based knowledge in addressing development challenges. Engagement for developing effective ways of communicating knowledge, including on digital platforms.
• Relevant Master-level education. A PhD is an advantage.
• Proficiency in English (working language at U4/CMI). Norwegian is an advantage. Excellent writing skills.
• Commitment to U4 and CMI’s purpose and mission.

CMI can offer you:

• The opportunity to be a driving force at a centre that is highly regarded internationally - located within Scandinavia’s leading development research institute.
• An exciting opportunity to combine knowledge generation with policy influence.
• A central position in an inspiring working relationship with multiple bilateral donors committed to reducing the harmful effects of corruption.
• Remuneration commensurate with qualifications and experience. 
• A vibrant and international working environment.
• Work-life balance and home office opportunities.
• Opportunity to work in Norway, with English as the working language
• A conducive environment for families with children.

Bergen is a picturesque city situated between fjords and mountains, with excellent opportunities for cultural experiences and an active lifestyle. 

Relevant staff benefits:

• In additional to the annual 5 week holiday leave, CMI offers staff paid leave from the 24th of December to the 1st of January, and during the Easter week each year.
• Support for gym membership.
• Support if moving from abroad to join CMI.
• Norwegian language classes for employees moving to Norway from abroad. Excellent travel insurance that covers both work and private travel (terms apply).
• Defined contribution pension (innskuddspension). Contributions are paid with 7% of the salary up to 7.1 G and 25.1% of the salary between 7.1-12 G (2% are deducted from the employee, terms apply).

Location 

This position is located in Bergen, Norway. CMI is not in a position to offer remote working arrangements for new staff members. We offer home office agreements, allowing all staff to work up to two days a week from home office in Norway.

How to apply

CMI only accepts applications through the JobbNorge recruitment system. 

Please submit the following: 

• A cover page outlining your motivation for the position, and your qualification for the role 
• CV
• Proof of highest degree received (i.e., copy of diploma or transcript)
• A minimum of three references, including phone numbers and e-mail addresses

The application deadline is the 15th of October. 

Chr. Michelsen Institute 

CMI is an independent, non-profit, development research institute based in Bergen, Norway, with around 110 staff members. In cooperation with partners from all over the world, we address key development challenges in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.

We combine high quality research with an engagement to make knowledge accessible and used. We work in multi-disciplinary teams, where the main disciplines are economics, political science, and social anthropology. We have an international staff and a vibrant working environment.

Questions about the position

Espen Villanger
CMI Director
+4799799476
espen.villanger@cmi.no

Hanna Fløysvik
HR Director
+4799239240
hanna.floysvik@cmi.no

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