About the organization
Armed Conflict Location & Event Data organization (ACLED) is a disaggregated data collection, analysis, and crisis mapping institution. The ACLED team collects conflict information, conducts analysis to describe, explore, and test conflict scenarios, and makes both data and analysis open for free use by the public. ACLED’s work is regularly used to inform journalism, academic research, and public discourse on conflict, and to support practitioners and policymakers. ACLED is the highest quality and most widely used real-time data and analysis source on political violence and protest around the world.
The opportunity
ACLED is recruiting an Afghanistan Researcher to assist in the collection, review and management of political violence and protest data across Afghanistan. Researchers must be available for around 10 to 15 hours per week. This opportunity is fully remote and can be done from any location with reliable internet service. This is an entry-level independent consultant opportunity and may require regular submissions on mid-week and weekends.
This opportunity is open to nationals of any country. For more information, please review the Applicant FAQs.
Collection of data is conducted by reviewing news, international organization, NGO and security reports on a list of assigned countries, and recording the incidents of political violence into an Excel template. Researchers will focus on coding events to provide holistic coverage of current political violence, ranging from protests to battles.
Review and management of data involves ensuring the quality, consistency and reliability of the data produced. The role provides team members with experience conducting detail-oriented tasks, and producing and managing quantitative data.
Please note that this position involves working with conflict-related media and reading about violent events.
Specific deliverables and responsibility:
Candidates who are selected will undergo extensive ACLED training. The training consists of several exercises. Candidates’ exercises will be scrutinized and only those who are performing at the required level will be retained as Researchers.
For those selected, the initial consultancy period will be from September 2025 to June 2026. After this, continuation may be possible, pending performance and availability of funding.
Remuneration:
Remuneration is 20 USD per hour.
Skills and competencies:
ACLED is seeking applicants who have the following skills and experience:
- University degree in international relations, political science, conflict studies, peacebuilding, international development, or related field;
- Familiarity with Excel (essential);
- Fluency in English (essential);
- Fluency in Dari (essential);
- Fluency in at least one or more major regional languages, including Pashto and Farsi (preferred);
- Experience conducting desk-based research;
- Experience working to deadlines with limited supervision;
- A high level of attention to detail and ability to receive and incorporate feedback;
- Research focus or professional experience
How to apply
To apply for this opportunity, please submit a CV and cover letter detailing qualifications, experience and language proficiency to our career portal. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested candidates are advised to apply as soon as possible. We will only review applications received through our career portal, so please make sure to use the application form on the portal. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to complete a two-hour exercise as part of the evaluation of their coding aptitude.
Please make sure to check your spam folder for correspondence.
Further information is available online at acleddata.com.
FAQs
1. What is ACLED?
ACLED (Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project) is a non-profit research organization that collects, analyzes, and maps data on political violence and protest events worldwide.
2. What does the Afghanistan Researcher role involve?
The role focuses on monitoring, collecting, and analyzing data related to political violence, protests, and other relevant events in Afghanistan. Tasks include verifying information, coding events, and ensuring data accuracy.
3. Is this position remote?
Yes. This is a fully remote position, meaning you can work from anywhere with a stable internet connection.
4. What is the pay rate?
The role offers $20 USD per hour, with flexible working hours based on project needs.
5. What are the eligibility requirements?
Applicants should have expertise in Afghanistan’s political and security landscape, excellent research skills, proficiency in English (and ideally local languages), and the ability to work independently.
6. Are there set working hours?
No fixed hours, but you must meet project deadlines and work within agreed timelines. Some flexibility may be required for time-sensitive tasks.
7. How can I apply?
Applications are typically submitted through the ACLED careers page. You’ll need to provide your CV, cover letter, and possibly a short writing or coding sample.
