YLabs is a leading global design and research organization designing technologies that amplify youth power, agency, and opportunity. Founded in 2014 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, YLabs partners with young people to co-create inclusive digital products and services that improve their lives. . .

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Job Type: Contract

Job Field: Programs

Location: (Remote) Nigeria

Job Summary

We are seeking Nigeria-based Youth Researchers to support upcoming participatory research activities. 

This role is designed for early-career professionals with experience in ethnography and design research, who are locally grounded and are able to generate rich, context-based insights through direct engagement with communities and local stakeholders.

As a Youth Researcher, you will carry out observations, interviews, and group discussions with youth and other relevant community and ecosystem actors. You will capture and document insights from the field, contribute to early-stage synthesis, and help surface patterns and opportunities that can inform program design and decision-making. This role requires strong listening skills, curiosity, cultural awareness, and the ability to engage people respectfully in their everyday environments.

Primary Objectives

• Support coordination of field activities, including planning visits, managing schedules, and navigating local logistics
• Conduct research activities, including observations, one-on-one interviews, and group discussions
• Engage the community and local stakeholders in a respectful and culturally appropriate manner, creating space for open and honest conversations
• Capture field notes and reflections using structured tools, while preserving natural interactions
• Pay close attention to context, behaviors, non-verbal cues, and environmental dynamics
• Participate in regular debrief sessions to reflect on findings, share observations, and identify emerging patterns
• Contribute to early-stage synthesis by surfacing key insights, recurring themes, and tensions from the field
• Provide real-time feedback on what is emerging, what is unclear, and what requires further exploration
• Follow all safeguarding, ethical research, and data protection guidelines, and raise any concerns appropriately

Requirements

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in research, monitoring & evaluation, community engagement, design, or related work through education, training, professional work, or lived/community experience
• Ability to conduct conversations or interviews and document what you learn clearly and accurately
• Strong communication skills in English and relevant local languages
• Ability to observe carefully and capture both what people say and what is happening around them
• Comfort engaging with people from different backgrounds, roles, and levels within the community
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to organize notes and insights clearly
• Willingness to follow structured tools while adapting to real-world field environments
• Comfort with technology  and ability to adapt to new platforms and tools
• Ability to join remote team meetings and collaborate effectively online 
• Ability to handle information confidentially and operate according to ethical research and child safeguarding standards
• Experience working with major funders or philanthropic organizations across Africa is an added advantage

Pay Rate

The maximum budget for this contract is $11 per hour commensurate with experience. Payments will be made monthly via bank transfer. 

How To Apply

Interested candidates should submit their applications by May 15, 2026.

As part of the application, candidates are required to upload:

• A resume
• A short video (1–2 minutes, maximum size: 50MB) with clear audio and visuals.

The video should briefly:

• Introduce who you are and your background
• Describe your connection to your local community
• Share an example of an issue affecting people in your community and explain how you would go about understanding it and uncovering its root causes. Who would you speak to, how would you engage them? What methods would you use to make sense of the information you collected?

How to Submit Your Video

• Upload your video to Google Drive or YouTube
• Ensure the video is accessible (set to “Anyone with the link can view” or “Public”)
• Paste the video link in the application form

 Please make sure the link works before submitting, as we will not be able to review videos with restricted access.

Note: Both the resume and video are required for the application to be considered. No advanced editing required; please focus on sharing your thoughts clearly and in an organized way. We are interested in hearing from you, not production quality.