Oliver (Ben) Chandler

Senior Research Analyst East Africa - 11/23 - 02/25

Research and Assessments Manager East and North Africa - 02/25 - Present

• Project Management: Led resourcing and planning for multiple cycles of longitudinal tracking projects with public sector clients. Coordinated suppliers, junior staff, and cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality reports within tight deadlines and to budget.
• Team Management: Trained and upskilled new team members in research best practices, subject expertise, and internal processes. Developed systems for task allocation and progress tracking. Served as key contact for junior staff, providing daily guidance on task clarity and prioritisation. Regularly reviewed and delivered detailed feedback on team outputs.
• Line Management: Supported professional development and goal setting for direct reports. Fostered an open, positive team culture. Delivered regular coaching and feedback, including 360-degree evaluations.
• Product Development: Led development and revision of major client tracking project, simplifying complex data into accessible, engaging reports for diverse public sector audiences.
• Client Briefings: Regularly delivered concise briefings on complex topics with tailored recommendations. Praised for engaging presentation style and ability to condense extensive data into actionable insights, often on short notice.
• Report Writing & Research Consolidation: Synthesised multiple data streams into clear, client-prioritised narrative reports accessible to non-expert audiences.
• Quantitative Research: Designed targeted questionnaires aligned with client goals and deadlines. Analysed and visualised polling data to extract core insights, filter noise, and inform evidence-based recommendations.
• Qualitative Research: Developed discussion guides and protocols for tracking and bespoke projects, including focus groups and interviews with high-level stakeholders. Conducted thematic analysis to identify trends and actionable insights for client decision-making.
• Media Monitoring: Led development of team-wide media monitoring processes and designed systematic methodology for assessing foreign media narrative risks, producing quantifiable threat scores aligned with client objectives.
• Open-Source Research: Integrated OS with primary research to contextualise findings and construct coherent narratives and hypotheses speaking to client goals.

Junior Researcher: 04/2019 - 12/2020

Researcher: 01/2021 - 12/2021

Senior Researcher: 01/2021 - 11/2023

• Data Analysis & Visualisation: Analysed large open-source datasets and translated findings into accessible visuals and briefs using Excel and Tableau.
• Open-Source & Desktop Research: Conducted literature reviews and quickly engaged with complex topics, including African geopolitics, sovereign debt, and the green energy transition.
• Content Production: Led planning and production of reports, research briefs, factsheets, and presentations that communicated complex topics clearly and accessibly.
• Composite Index Development: Designed composite indicators to measure aspects of economic governance; collected, cleaned, and normalised data for index production.
• Surveys & Polling: Designed online surveys and social media polling questions to capture public sentiment and social insights.
• Dissemination & Stakeholder Engagement: Presented research findings to partners across government, academia, multilateral institutions, and NGOs.
• Research Project Management: Oversaw report and brief production; organised workloads and implemented quality control checks for junior team members to ensure timely delivery in a high-pressure environment.
• Mentoring & Capacity Building: Mentored junior colleagues on data analysis, visualisation, research standards, and internal processes.
• External Relationship Management: Served as main point of contact for partner organisations; managed contract negotiations with data providers.

• Desktop Research
• Content Production
• Identifying Grant Opportunities
• Survey Design & Creation (Survey Monkey)
• Data Aggregation & Trend Analysis
• Production of Fragile States Index

• Report Writing/Editing
• Stakeholder Mapping
• Advocacy: Travelled within Kenya in both urban and rural settings, learning about grassroots social movements and advocacy.
• Conferences: Represented Fahamu at UN Environmental Assembly.
• Video Editing: Recorded and edited videos on key projects intended for prospective funders.