The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) works to improve food security and reduce poverty in developing countries through research for better and more sustainable use of livestock. ILRI is a CGIAR research centre - part of a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

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Consultant Roster – Research Methods

SCOPE OF WORK

Consultants may be engaged across all research domains. Requests will typically specify the domain and level of support required.

2.1 Study Design

This is the primary and preferred point of engagement. Analysis support is also a significant component of demand. Support may include:

• Translating research questions into feasible, rigorous study designs (RCTs, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative, or mixed-methods)
• Sampling strategy, power calculations, and sample size justification
• Randomization, blinding, and allocation procedures
• Contributions to study design protocols
• Design of data collection tools and instruments

2.2 Data Analysis

Support requirements vary in scope and depth:

• Consultation on appropriate analytical approaches — qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods analysis as appropriate to the study.
• Data cleaning, management, and documentation standards (including protocols)
• Scripting and/or implementation of analyses in R, Stata, Python, or other relevant software
• Review of analytical outputs

2.3 Publication Support

Consultants may be engaged to support journal submissions:

• Review of methods and results sections
• Support for post-peer-review revisions requiring methodological input
• Co-authorship may be considered for substantial intellectual contributions, subject to ILRI Authorship Guidelines (https://hdl.handle.net/10568/63493) and explicit prior agreement

Note: Engagements may be one-off inputs — discrete, bounded tasks with scope and time agreed between the consultant and the Research Methods Coordinator — or ongoing support to a specific project or study, with total duration and budget defined by the Principal Investigator and formalized in a project-specific agreement. All engagements are routed through the Research Methods Coordinator.

3. RESEARCH LIFECYCLE ENGAGEMENT

Consultants and ILRI researchers are encouraged to initiate engagement at the earliest feasible stage of the research process. The following lifecycle stages are recognized as entry points; consultation is available at all stages:

4. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in research methods, applied statistics, biostatistics, data science, epidemiology, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience providing research methods or statistical support to research teams, preferably in agricultural, food systems, or development research contexts
• Proficiency in one or more of the analytical tools commonly used at ILRI: R and Stata for formal statistical analysis; NVivo or ATLAS.ti for qualitative analysis; Python or R for machine learning applications
• Familiarity with open science practices and FAIRER data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable, Ethical, and Replicable)
• Experience with human and/or animal research ethics processes is an advantage
• Fluent spoken and written English; proficiency in additional languages is an advantage
• Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural, multidisciplinary research environments
• Strong communication and capacity development skills, including the ability to deliver clear methodological guidance, training, and mentorship to research staff
• Commitment to knowledge sharing: consultants are expected to document their work in ways that build, not merely extract, institutional capability

5. DURATION, DUTY STATION, EXPECTED PLACES OF TRAVEL

Engagement Modalities

Two modalities of engagement are available under this roster:

On-call engagement:

Project-embedded engagement:

All engagements will be routed through the Research Methods Coordinator, who manages intake via a dedicated ticketing system.

Duty Station: Remote. Consultants based in Nairobi or Addis Ababa are particularly welcome, as occasional in-person support at the ILRI campus may be beneficial. Such in-person engagements will be agreed in advance and will not alter the remote-first nature of the arrangement.

Travel: Limited. Consultants may occasionally be requested to travel for workshops or field activities; associated costs will be covered by the relevant project budget and agreed in advance.

6. DELIVERABLES, MONITORING AND PROGRESS CONTROLS

6.1 Standard Deliverables

Deliverables will be defined for each engagement but will typically include one or more of the following:

6.2 Open Science and Reproducibility Requirements

Consistent with ILRI’s commitment to FAIRER data principles, consultants are required to:

• Provide fully commented, reproducible analysis scripts for all relevant work
• Follow ILRI data documentation standards and metadata templates where provided
• Ensure outputs are structured for replicability: another qualified analyst should be able to reproduce the analysis from the script and documentation alone
• Where pre-analysis protocols are used, document any deviations and their justification
• Not share ILRI data, proposal materials, or unpublished findings with third parties without explicit written authorization
• Use of AI tools in the preparation of deliverables is expected and encouraged, subject to ILRI’s AI use guidelines. Consultants must disclose which tools were used in each deliverable.
• Full records of AI interactions — including prompts, model outputs, and any modifications made — must be retained and submitted as part of the deliverable package.

6.3 Capacity Development Contribution

For engagements

• Translating research questions into feasible, rigorous study designs (RCTs, quasi-experimental, observational, qualitative, or mixed-methods)
• Sampling strategy, power calculations, and sample size justification
• Randomization, blinding, and allocation procedures
• Contributions to study design protocols
• Design of data collection tools and instruments
• Consultation on appropriate analytical approaches — qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods analysis as appropriate to the study.
• Data cleaning, management, and documentation standards (including protocols)
• Scripting and/or implementation of analyses in R, Stata, Python, or other relevant software
• Review of analytical outputs
• Review of methods and results sections
• Support for post-peer-review revisions requiring methodological input
• Research question framing, design feasibility, design options
• Full study design, sampling plan, randomization, and power considerations
• Support to tool design, quality assurance checks
• Data structure, documentation, and quality standards
• Selection of appropriate analytical approach, data analysis, output review
• Methods write-up, results presentation and review
• Targeted methodological revisions in response to reviewer comments

• Proficiency in R, Stata, Python
• Proficiency in NVivo or ATLAS.ti
• Familiarity with open science practices and FAIRER data principles
• Strong communication and capacity development skills

• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in research methods, applied statistics, biostatistics, data science, epidemiology, or a closely related field
• Demonstrated experience providing research methods or statistical support to research teams, preferably in agricultural, food systems, or development research contexts
• Experience with human and/or animal research ethics processes is an advantage
• Fluent spoken and written English
• Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural, multidisciplinary research environments