Research, Policy and Planning Officer

Office of the Director of Public Officers' Declarations (ODPOD)

BACKGROUND
The Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations (ODPOD) is an independent governance public institution within the Malawi Government established in 2014 under Section 6(1) of the Public Officers’ (Declaration of Assets, Liabilities and Business Interests) Act. The Act provides legal and institutional framework for prescribed public officers to declare their assets, liabilities and business interests upon assuming office and subsequent updates each year. In this regard, under the said Act, the ODPOD is mandated to administer and manage the public officers’ declaration regime in order to promote public confidence in the public service. Furthermore, the declaration system acts as one of the tools for preventing, deterring and detecting illicit self-enrichment, abuse of office and conflict of interest by public officers in order to curtail corruption.

To achieve these goals, the ODPOD counts on members of staff that value team effort, appropriately qualified, talented, astute, brave, professional, innovative, motivated and transformational, among other general attributes.

INVITATION FOR JOB APPLICATIONS
An opportunity to recruit additional members of staff has arisen in the Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations (ODPOD). Applications are, therefore, being invited from suitably qualified Malawians to fill the vacant positions tenable at the ODPOD’s secretariat in Lilongwe, as follows:

VAC.NO. ODPOD/05/25
Job Title : Research, Policy and Planning Officer (ODP6/l)
Reporting To: The Principal Research, Policy and Planning Officer
Location: Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations, Lilongwe

JOB OVERVIEW
The Research, Policy and Planning Officer will have the responsibility of assisting the Principal Research, Policy and Planning Officer in issues of research, policy and planning, implementing, monitoring the ODPOD’s plans, developing, and reviewing organizational and departmental policies.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Assist in compiling of reports from various sections/ regions for consolidation, analysis and reporting.
  2. Assist in developing, implementing and monitoring the ODPOD’s divisional and sectional plans in collaboration with key personnel.
  3. Assist in developing and reviewing policies which affect the Directorate
  4. Design data collection tools and methodologies, including surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions.
  5. Collect, clean, and analyse data using statistical software and other tools.
  6. Interpret findings and prepare reports, dashboards, and presentations for stakeholders.
  7. Prepare working papers, reports and briefs designed to aid in the process of planning, policy formulation and problem solving
  8. Report to the Principal Research, Policy and Planning Officer on developments and changes in legislation, regulations, international standards and other relevant research
  9. Assist other departments in collection, analysis and reporting of declarations statistical data for statutory reporting purposes
  10. Maintaining an up-to-date data base for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) tracking and reporting purposes
  11. Assist in report compilation and reporting for the reform’s agenda and Performance contracts.
  12. Serving on various institutional committees.
  13. Collecting, analyzing and compiling data on the functionality and implementation of the mandate of the ODPOD.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

  1. A Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science with a major in economics, development studies, monitoring and evaluation, project management, or statistics.
  2. A minimum of two years’ work experience in planning, research and monitoring and evaluation.

CORE COMPETENCIES, SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES

  1. Working knowledge of research methods and evaluation techniques and mechanisms
  2. Excellent communication skills (oral and written)
  3. Working knowledge of public policy, research and planning
  4. Good project management skills
  5. Good team-building skills
  6. Working knowledge of regulations and procedures governing the public service
  7. Strong analytical skills and proficiency in quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques.
  8. Proficiency in statistical software such as SPSS, STATA, or any other statistical software

NOTES

  1. Due to the nature of the functions of the ODPOD, only candidates who demonstrate undoubted qualities of maturity, integrity, and high ethical standing necessary for handling sensitive and confidential information and have a clean criminal record are eligible for recruitment within the ODPOD.
  2. All shortlisted candidates shall undergo a rigorous vetting process of their integrity track records by relevant security agencies to determine their suitability for the job. In that regard, all applicants for any of the advertised positions shall, by the act of submitting their applications, be deemed to have voluntarily submitted to the vetting process. The results of the vetting process shall, for all purposes, remain confidential.
  3. The ODPOD is an equal opportunity employer. The ODPOD is committed to promoting merit, fairness, equity, honesty, integrity, impartiality, professionalism, and the rule of law. To ensure these values, the interviewing panel shall comprise experts drawn from across the various public sector institutions. As such, any form of canvassing is not allowed, and any candidate involved in canvassing of any kind shall be disqualified
  4. The Vacancy can also be accessed from the ODPOD’s website at www.declarations.gov.mw.

MODE OF APPLICATION
Interested persons who meet the above specifications should submit a written application letter together with copies of relevant certificates, a detailed current Curriculum Vitae, naming three traceable referees, in a sealed envelope clearly marked on top with the post being applied for, to:-

The Director of Public Officers’ Declarations,
Office of the Director of Public Officers’ Declarations,
Episcopal Conference of Malawi Catholic
Secretariat Office Complex, Area 11, Off Chimutu Road,
Private Bag B340,
City Centre,
LILONGWE 3

To reach him not later than Monday, 25th August, 2025