IPA Research Manager Job in Kisumu Kenya

Position: Research Manager
 

Reference Code: FK-2012-09-01
 

Deadline to Apply: Rolling, but no later than October 20, 2012
 

Start Date: January 2013 or as soon as possible
 

Location: Kisumu
 

Length of Commitment: Minimum of two years; ability to make a longer commitment is preferred
 

Introduction Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a rapidly growing, global organization, and operate in almost 40 countries. 

 

We design innovative, cutting-edge approaches to solving development problems, rigorously evaluate these programs and promote the adoption of those with proven impact. 

 

This occurs both through the dissemination of results to policy makers, practitioners, and donors, as well as through supporting the large-scale implementation of evidence-based programs. 

 

IPA-Kenya (IPAK) is IPA’s oldest country office, and the site of many of its most influential projects, including seminal studies on de-worming, clean water promotion, bed-net usage and fertilizer subsidies. 

 

IPAK employs more than 300 contracted staff working on 20 different projects across offices in various locations around Kenya. IPAK project staff work closely with Principal Investigators (PIs), researchers who are affiliated with elite academic institutions such as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California, Berkeley. 

 

IPAK is in the process of restructuring its project oversight design, and is creating an in-country Research Manager position to provide an additional layer of project support. The Research Manager will be given a portfolio of 4 to 5 projects to supervise. 

 

These projects will be based around a specific geographic area, and might include both evaluation and interventions components. They could span a range of technical areas, such as agriculture, health, governance and micro-finance. 

 

Possible examples might include: a project studying the comparative health benefit of water, hygiene, sanitation and nutrition interventions; a project measuring the impact of IT systems on sugar-cane farmer productivity; and a project testing methods of selecting and incentivizing community workers.
 

As part of their supervisory role, the Research Manager will work closely with the country office to ensure effective support is being given to projects, and projects are working within the relevant policies and procedures. 

 

The Research Manager will also participate in IPAK senior management discussions and contribute to IPAK research policy development and capacity building. 

 

This position will be based in Kisumu, focusing on projects in Western and Nyanza (travel required).
 

The Research Manager will be responsible for the following tasks: 

• Keep Country Director, or his/her designated representative, appraised of all developments on the projects in their portfolio, and serve as key link between the country office, project staff, and Principle Investigators. 
• Ensure project adherence in the field to general research design, sample selection, data management and analysis, and overall project management. 
• Oversee project financial management, including creation and monitoring of program budgets, and ensuring smooth integration of projects into IPA financial systems. 
• Work with country office staff to ensure sound human resource and operational management of project. 
• Directly supervise project research assistants (Project Associates or Project Coordinators), and help with transitions when new research staff come on board; maintain “institutional memory” of project activities. 
• Lead training on data management and general project management for new/incoming project research staff. 
• Promote inter-project best practices and take a lead in sharing best practices with projects through formal and informal training opportunities. 
• Attend regular meetings with local government officials and partners to ensure success of programmatic activities. 
• In select cases, support the dissemination of results via presentations and reports to academic and non-academic audiences. 

Desired Qualifications 

• Masters in development economics, or a field related to international economic development or health. Undergraduates with at least 5 years of field experience will also be considered. 
• Extensive experience conducting social science or economic field research. Background in randomized control trials is strongly preferred. 
• At least two years of project management experience. Extensive experience supervising data collection, teams of field workers, and survey design and implementation. 
• Experience with data management, econometrics, and advanced knowledge of Stata or any statistical packages preferably SPSS and or CSPro. 
• Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies required. Experience in conducting field research in developing countries required. 
• Strong budgeting and financial management skills.
• Experience with presenting research findings at public forums, including to non-research focused audiences, is preferred. 
• Strong written and oral communication skills and complete fluency in English is required. Kiswahili proficiency is preferred.

How to Apply

 

To apply:  

 

Please send a cover letter and detailed CV, 3 references, daytime phone number(s), and email address. 

 

Your CV should include your scores or grades and other measures of academic achievement, and details about any relevant work experience.

Applications can be submitted to any of our branch offices, 

 

or by email to jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org,

 

or by post office using P.O Box 373, Busia area code 50400 Kenya. 

 

If you submit by email, please ensure that the subject line reads: “RESEARCH MANAGER.”REF NO: FK-2012-09-01. 

 

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by email for an interview. 

 

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

 

Disclaimer: 

 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Research Manager. 

 

The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. 

 

Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. 

 

Please direct questions to jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org.