Political Education Researcher

About the role

The Political Education Researcher will lead field‑based investigations on priority medicinal plants, working closely with traditional healers and authorities to document and protect indigenous knowledge. The role combines community engagement, spatial data collection, and coordination of a national expert team.

Key responsibilities

• Interview traditional healers to gather data on the availability of priority medicinal plants and feed this information into the red‑list assessment process.
• Engage traditional authorities and healers to share knowledge about sacred sites and key medicinal‑plant resource zones.
• Document the location of sacred sites and medicinal‑plant zones using appropriate spatial software.
• Coordinate a team of national experts on medicinal plants.
• Distribute cultivated medicinal‑plant material to traditional healers to reduce pressure on wild populations.

Required profile

• Experience in participatory methodologies and community engagement.
• Knowledge of priority medicinal plants and cultural practices respecting indigenous knowledge holders.
• Workshop facilitation and stakeholder‑engagement skills.
• Project and time‑management abilities.
• Ability to mentor students and interns.
• Self‑motivated, proactive, and able to work with minimal supervision.
• Strong relationship‑building and communication skills.
• Valid driver’s licence with at least one year of practical driving experience and willingness to travel.

Required skills

• Basic Geographical Information System (GIS) skills.
• Computer literacy for data handling and reporting.