Job Title:       Research Manager – Financial Inclusion Panel

Organization: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda, Tanzania and Pakistan

About IPA:

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is an international non-profit research organization based in New Haven, CT, with offices in Washington, D.C. and worldwide. IPA discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA designs, rigorously evaluates, and refines these solutions and their applications together with decision-makers to ensure that the evidence created is used to improve opportunities for the world’s poor. Since our founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 350 leading academics to conduct over 450 evaluations in 51 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.

Job Summary: The Research Manager will manage a portfolio of three nationally representatives surveys in Tanzania, Uganda and Pakistan. These surveys are part of an effort to develop a high-quality panel survey to track the expansion of mobile financial services across these countries. The job holder works closely with the IPA country programs and partners to ensure the completion of the data collection and that the data collected is of the highest quality. The Research Manager will work closely with the project’s principal investigator, Tavneet Suri, and will directly oversee all data collection and data analysis related to the project. This position will report to the Director of IPA’s Financial Inclusion Program and to the Country Directors of the IPA Offices where s/he will be located. The position will be based in Tanzania (6 months) and Uganda (12 months) and will travel across each country to oversee data collection efforts. The Manager is expected to complete all project activities in 18 months and may be asked to travel to Pakistan to oversee data collection for short periods of time. The Research Manager is responsible for the overall management of the project. S/he oversees direct implementation of the surveys in Tanzania and Uganda, while also managing the relationship with our partner for data collection in Pakistan. The Research Manager is responsible for the successful implementation of the surveys in all three sites, ensuring that all activities are compliant with research protocols, quality standards and are managed within budget.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

·         Oversee the logistics of a large-scale data collection, including hiring and managing field staff,  managing data collection partners and project timeline

·         Ensure adherence to data quality protocols, including auditing enumerators, monitoring data collection, and conducting data quality audits

·         The incumbent will oversee project financial management, including monitoring of project budgets, and ensure  that project deliverables, such as reports and financial statements, are submitted to donor on time

·         Act as a key link between the field staff, partners,  IPA Country Programs, and Principal Investigator

Qualifications, Skills and Experience: 

·         The ideal candidate should preferably hold a Master’s degree in related field, such as development economics, public policy, public health, or education policy

·         At least two years of relevant research management experience

·         Advanced experience with data management and applied statistics is desired

·         Significant experience supervising data collection, teams of field workers, survey design and implementation and data management. Background in randomized control trials is strongly preferred

·         Strong budgeting and financial management skills

·         Strong written and oral communication skills and complete fluency in English is required

·         Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies required; developing country experience required

·         Good quantitative skills

·         Working knowledge of Stata and/or other programming languages

·         An desire to commit to this position for at least 18 months

·         Flexible and proactive work ethic with a demonstrated interest in the vision and mission of IPA

·         Previous professional experience in East Africa is an added advantage

·         Past exposure and experience with electronic data collection platforms

·         Proven ability to work with donors and/or partner organizations; experience with grants management is desired

·         Past exposure and experience with presenting research findings at public forums, including to non-research focused audiences, is preferred

How to Apply:

Please complete the Online application at J-PAL/IPA common application. Please select the position(s) you are interested in applying for on the ‘SubmitApplication’ page. Please include two letters of recommendation, statement of purpose (cover letter), CV, and transcripts. We will consider your application even if you are unable to obtain reference letters before the deadline, but please be advised that we will be requiring them should you be invited for an interview. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

NB: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted by email for interviews.

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