Short-Term Research Consultant – National Oil Company (NOC) Database

Background: National Oil Companies, also known as NOCs, play central roles in the global oil market and in the economies of oil-producing countries. In spite of their significance, NOCs have historically published little information about their operations and finances, impeding strong public oversight of their activities. Over recent years, however, more NOCs have begun to publish detailed information, creating new opportunities to assess their roles and performance.
The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) has a history of analyzing the governance of NOCs as part of the organization’s mission to promote more effective and accountable management of these critical actors. This research and data project is a central component of NRGI’s efforts to increase global understanding of priorities for NOC governance and financial management.
Project
NRGI launched the National Oil Company Database in April 2019, including financial and operational information from more than 70 National Oil Companies worldwide. The database draws information from the financial reports of companies on their revenues, expenditures, and operational and financial performance.
The database is designed to serve as an open public tool to help governments, company executives, activists and journalists better understand the roles played by National Oil Companies, benchmark performance and enhance governance. The database has generated significant interest among officials from oil-rich countries and has been featured in a range of publications including the Financial Times, Foreign Policy, and The Economist.
The database is intended to be a living tool and NRGI plans to update it with new data as it becomes available. The next stage of the project’s development is to update the database with data published by NOCs covering the 2020 financial year.
Timeline and Consultant deliverables
We are looking to hire a Research Associate to compile data for the upcoming round of updates to the database. The research associate will be responsible for gathering the reports of NOCs – from company and government websites, reviewing those reports and adapting data from them into the format required by the NRGI database. The task involves a significant amount of interpretation in order to apply the database’s definitions to data contained in the official reports.
A detailed description of the data gathering methodology can be found at: https://nationaloilcompanydata.org/api/publications/content/y64yAR7F3vBQg5MKf1bBxGY2pbTttFCTt0NdNXo6.pdf. The types of data we are gathering include:

• Operational information on oil-company production and exploration
• Revenues, drawn from income statements
• Taxes paid to government, drawn from income statements
• Assets and liabilities, drawn from balance sheets
• Expenditures, drawn from cash-flow and income statements

We are looking for a candidate or candidates who is able to start working in early October, 2021. An ideal candidate would be able to work 30 to 40 hours per week for approximately 4 to 6 weeks.
If we are unable to find one candidate who is able to work the full number of hours, we will also consider hiring two candidates who are able to work 15 to 20 hours per week for approximately 4 to 6 weeks.
Specific responsibilities include:

• Finding and downloading source reports from government and company websites
• Identifying data in the reports covering new years of information not already captured in the National Oil Company Database
• Interpreting the data in those reports in order to fill in a data template for each company, according to the project’s standardized methodology
• Compiling detailed source notes, which cite the source of the information and explain any interpretation that was necessary
• Engaging regularly with the project management team to discuss challenges of data interpretation and make final decisions
• Performing other analytical and data-management tasks on an as-needed basis.

Expression of Interest deadline:
Please upload a CV, and include a brief expression of interest in the space reserved for cover letter. Please note that we will unfortunately not consider those applicants who do not submit an expression of interest.
Application deadline is September 30, 2021, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and candidates are strongly encouraged to apply at their earliest convenience.
The position will pay $25 – 30 per hour, commensurate with experience.
Location:
Candidate will be expected to work remotely, with regular check-ins over skype with the project manager.
Requested qualifications for the consultant, firm or organization
The following are mandatory qualifications:

• Education and/or experience related to company financial statements (balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements), and familiarity with key financial terminology
• Strong Excel skills
• Experience in the collection and organization of quantitative data sets
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently
• Strong writing skills, necessary in order to make detailed notes on questions of data interpretation
• Bachelor’s degree in economics, accounting, business, or other social-science discipline requiring data gathering

The following are desirable but not mandatory qualifications:

• Ability to comprehend financial documents in Spanish, French, Russian and/or Arabic
• Master’s degree in economics, accounting, business, or other social-science discipline requiring data gathering
• Knowledge or demonstrated interest in the governance of the oil sector and/or the roles of National Oil Companies

Currently-enrolled graduate students and recent graduates are encouraged to apply, if their schedule allows for them to work the number of hours listed above.
NRGI’s Values: NRGI seeks candidates who align with our values:
Integrity

Maintaining our independence and credibility. Willing to speak truth to power. Engaging with respect. Practicing what we preach. Upholding the highest standards of excellence in all we do.

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Impact*

Strategic and selective in approach. Mindful of context, adapting to changing realities and seizing new opportunities. Looking critically and openly at what works and what doesn’t, and why. Integrating that learning into our forward-looking work. Accountable to our mission, the actors with whom we work and each other.

Collaboration

Partnering internally and externally to affect change. Capitalizing on NRGI’s comparative advantage. Valuing teamwork, diversity and inclusion. Working with different stakeholders and across different stakeholder groups. Commitment to building the field and inspiring others to act.

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Passion*

Commitment to social justice. Prudently optimistic that we can and will shift entrenched power dynamics. Dedication, creativity and resiliency in the fact of obstacles. Investing in change makers and strengthening NRGI.

Rigor

Technical competence, intellectual leadership and commitment to quality. Generating and leveraging the evidence base. Interrogating our work. Innovation and initiative to push the boundaries of our field.

NRGI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. NRGI considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, gender, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
Your privacy is important to us and we are committed to collecting, processing, storing and destroying all information in accordance with the GDPR, UK data protection laws and the NRGI Privacy policy. Please note that only successful candidates will be contacted.
***No recruiters or agencies, please***

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Job Type: Part-time

Work Location: Multiple Locations