Research Specialist - Political Integrity (m/f/d)

The Transparency International Secretariat is seeking a Research Specialist to support TI’s strategic priority to protect the integrity of politics, with a particular focus on political finance. As part of this priority, TI works to strengthen the resilience of integrity systems against abuse by high-level officials and undue influence by corrupt interests, including through stronger anti-corruption measures in political funding and public decision-making, and by supporting accountability for infringements.

The role will support the generation of rigorous, comparable and policy-relevant evidence to inform TI’s advocacy on political finance integrity. This includes research that helps advance follow-up to international commitments, strengthens national rules and supports their effective implementation in practice.

TI works on political finance through different projects. Among them, the Clean Money in Elections project since 2023 combines international advocacy on political finance standards with domestic advocacy for stronger rules, monitoring and enforcement in target countries across Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. In the next two years, the Research Specialist shall lead and coordinate defined research activities to these projects, including gap analyses of international election and anti-corruption monitoring methodologies, comparative assessments of national political finance frameworks and practice, monitoring of campaign expenditure, abuse of public resources, transparency gaps and weaknesses in oversight and enforcement. The role will also support the development and use of digital tools for campaign finance monitoring, contribute to policy briefs, guidance and documentation of good practices, and help translate research findings into evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, TI national chapters and relevant international monitoring mechanisms.

Working closely with the Policy & Advocacy, Global Movement and Communications teams, as well as TI national chapters and external partners, the Research Specialist will help ensure that research outputs are methodologically sound, accessible to different audiences, comparable across regions and relevant to TI’s advocacy.

The role requires a motivated researcher with strong knowledge of anti-corruption, political integrity and political finance, and the ability to conduct and coordinate research, provide thematic and methodological advice, contribute to policy recommendations, and support the dissemination of findings in relevant fora.

The position is currently estimated to start in October 2026 for a duration of 24 months.

Role Purpose: Conduct and coordinate research activities on political finance, provide technical advisory to external stakeholders, support the development of policy recommendations, and the dissemination of findings to relevant policy fora, as required.

Team: Research and Knowledge

Reporting Line: Head of Research and Knowledge
Salary Band: According to TI‑S internal salary structure; this position is aligned with band PF2, with a salary range of EUR 42.000–59.000 gross per year. Final salary placement will be determined based on the number of years of relevant professional experience.

Starting Date: 1 October 2026 , or as soon as possible.

Contract Duration: Currently we can offer an employment contract limited to a duration of 24months

Working Hours: full time [100%; 40 hours per week]

Location: Transparency International Secretariat (TI-S), Berlin – with some international travel

Based in the Research and Knowledge Team, and in close collaboration with the Policy and Advocacy, Global Movement and Communications teams, the Research Specialist will:

• Lead and coordinate defined research activities to inform TI advocacy on issues of political corruption and political finance, including cross-country analysis, country-level civil society assessments, parallel reports and inputs to international review mechanisms.
• Produce original research materials and knowledge products on political finance integrity, including reports, toolkits, guidelines, databases and good-practice materials, in collaboration with TI chapters, expert partners and external contributors.
• Contribute to the development, refinement and application of research tools, indicators and comparative methodologies to assess political finance systems and identify gaps in regulation, oversight and implementation.
• Provide thematic and methodological advice to TI chapters and partners to support high-quality, comparable evidence generation for advocacy and policy engagement.
• Support quality assurance, methodological consistency and accessibility of research outputs produced with chapters, partners and external contributors.
• Support the adaptation and use of digital tools for surveys, data collection, data management and campaign finance monitoring, including guidance on dataset selection, red-flagging, risk indicators and visualisation of findings.
• Produce and contribute evidence to inform policy briefs, technical advice products, fact sheets, advocacy materials, policy recommendations as well as blogs and other communications outputs.
• Prepare background materials, facilitation notes and outcome documentation for policy dialogues, consultations, webinars, roundtables and other knowledge exchange activities in cooperation with the TI Movement and external stakeholders.
• Generate ideas and contribute to concept notes, funding proposals, work planning, monitoring and reporting to support effective project implementation and advance TI’s work on political integrity, with a focus on political finance.
• Stay abreast of developments in political finance regulation, disclosure practice and anti-corruption monitoring, respond to relevant internal and external requests, and represent TI in relevant fora within the area of expertise as needed.
• Contribute to the overall functioning of the Research and Knowledge team by providing proactive and ad hoc support where necessary.

In order to succeed in this role, candidates will need to meet the following:

• University degree or equivalent in a relevant field of the social sciences, such as political science, sociology, economics, public administration or a related field, with a strong academic emphasis on research.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience, preferably with an international think tank, NGO, intergovernmental organisation or similar organisation working on anti-corruption, democracy support, electoral integrity or political finance.
• Strong knowledge of anti-corruption, political integrity and political finance, with demonstrated experience in policy-relevant research and analysis.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience in research design, comparative analysis, and the development or application of research tools, indicators and methodologies.
• Substantive experience conducting research and policy analysis in a multi-country or international setting; experience working on or with countries in Africa is an advantage.
• Understanding of policy development and advocacy processes at national and/or international level is an advantage.
• Demonstrated project coordination and organisational skills, including the ability to plan, prioritise and contribute to timely delivery in a dynamic environment.
• Ability to work under pressure and deliver high-quality outputs to tight timelines.
• Strong writing, editing and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex research findings into clear, accessible outputs for different audiences.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in multicultural, remote or hybrid working settings.
• Professional language proficiency in English and French required; additional languages are an advantage.
• Strong interpersonal, teamwork and intercultural communication skills.
• Commitment to the values and principles of Transparency International.

By joining the Transparency International Secretariat, candidates can expect:

• the opportunity to become part of the global movement against corruption and make a positive contribution to the work of TI in the field of transparency and accountability working on a wide range of relevant and challenging issues.
• a role with purpose, working in a team of engaged and enthusiastic colleagues in the field of anti-corruption united by the desire to curb corruption and achieve meaningful impact.
• an inspiring, stimulating, dynamic, flexible and international working environment with peers representing 45+ different nationalities and Getting Things Done (GTD) approach to work.
• a high degree of collaboration and autonomy in a lean and agile organisation with flat hierarchies, streamlined decision- making processes and a shared leadership culture with servant leadership philosophy.

Staff at TI-S enjoy a competitive compensation & benefits package designed for staff well-being and work life balance, incl.:

• a relocation package incl. sponsorship of work permit if needed and eligible. 
• financial contribution to German language classes. 
• generous time off with 30 days of annual leave per year and flexible working times around core hours. 
• remote-hybrid working model from within Germany. 
• the possibility of Work from Abroad for periods of time (currently for up to 30 working days per calendar year). 
• Friday afternoons are alternatively free or meeting-free during the summer months. 
• Sodexo Restaurant Checks with plenty of options near the office for reduced prices for meals. 
• reduced membership fees with Urban Sports Club. 
• mental wellbeing and counselling support by OpenUp. 
• discounted Deutschland Ticket.
• a centrally located office in a vibrant metropolitan city with excellent public transportation connectivity at the river  Spree. 

Interested candidates are invited to submit a CV and cover letter in English, merged into one PDF file, via our TI website clicking on the vacant position and the button ‘Apply Online’

Closing date for applications is Tuesday 22.09.2026 13:30 CET

Only applications duly completed and received through the online recruitment system will be considered.

The Transparency International Secretariat is committed to creating an inclusive work environment where diversity is valued and where there is equality of opportunity. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and therefore welcome applications from qualified candidates of all regions, countries, cultures and backgrounds. Existing permission to work in Germany is not a selection criterion and TI-S supports successful candidates in the process for applying for a work permit, if needed. Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis and we do not discriminate on the basis of national origin, race, colour or ethnic background, religious belief, sex, gender identity and expression or sexual orientation, marital or family status, age or ability. We kindly ask applicants to refrain from including in their application information relating to the above as well as from attaching photos.

DISCLAIMER

Please note that Transparency International does not charge any fees at any stage of its recruitment and selection process (whether at application, processing, testing, interviewing, traveling or otherwise). In addition, TI does not require or need to know any information relating to the bank account details of applicants.

FURTHER INFORMATION

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