Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. With the help of researchers and decision-makers, IPA develops, carefully assesses, and improves these solutions and their applications, making sure that the evidence produced is applied to better the lives of the world’s poor. . .
Job Category: Research
Location: Abuja (Nigeria)
Job Type: International
Job Description Summary:
What You’ll Do for Us
You will be in charge of a few key core tasks within the company portfolio as a research manager. You will be in charge of overseeing the initial portfolio of projects and will be accountable for the overall management of a portfolio of three to five RCTs. This will involve helping to hire project management staff, interacting with PIs, and in-person coordination with partner organizations and Nigerian stakeholders in local, state, and federal governments. Large-scale surveys in a number of Nigerian states will be a part of these programs. Each of these initiatives is anticipated to have a regular team of one or two employees as well as up to 30 or 50 temporary workers when surveys are being conducted.
Responsibilities:
- Assist in the hiring of key project personnel, the development and implementation of sound human resource, financial, and operational policies and procedures, and compliance with organizational and Nigerian laws, standards, and requirements for research ethics; work with the country director, regional teams, and international teams to ensure a strong administrative setup of the Nigeria office;
- Serve as a vital conduit between the field office, project employees, and principal investigators, keeping the country director informed of all project developments.
- Manage transitions, the hiring of new research workers, and the upkeep of institutional records of project operations; Directly oversee project research associates.
- Maintain project schedules, general research design, sample selection, data management, and general research methods.
- Ensure that project deliverables, such as reports and financial statements, are submitted to donors and partners on time;
- Create processes and mechanisms to increase staff capability and oversee project management training for new or incoming project research staff.
- Promote inter-project best practices and take a lead in sharing best practices with projects through formal and informal trainings;
- Oversee project financial management, including creation and monitoring of project budgets, and ensuring smooth integration of projects into IPA financial systems;
- Represent IPA and attend regular meetings with government officials, donors, and other partners to ensure success of programmatic activities;
- Respond to existing calls for proposals in coordination with PIs and IPA’s Business Development team and support the development of new projects for the Nigeria office by establishing relationships with researchers, implementers, and funders, and developing opportunities and proposals.
Requirements:
Qualification
- Masters in development economics, public policy, global health, international education or a related field;
- At least three years of experience in managing multiple projects with increasing responsibility;
- Experience supervising data collection, teams of field workers, survey design and implementation and data management; background in randomized control trials;
- Advanced knowledge of quantitative data collection relevant to measurement and instrument development
Additional Qualification
- Advanced skills in Stata or any statistical packages preferably R and/or CSPro;
- Strong quantitative, budgeting and financial management skills;
- Experience interacting with partners, government officials and other key stakeholders in a developing country context;
- Experience with presenting research findings at public forums, including to non-research focused audiences Experience with data management, econometrics, and electronic data collection platforms;
- Strong attention to detail, with a quality-focused mindset;
- Ability to work independently and problem-solve, as well as enlist the support of other teams within the organization;
- Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies;
- Demonstrated experience in writing project proposals and/or grants, preferably for international field research;
- Strong written and oral communication skills and complete fluency in English is required.
What We Can Do for You:
Salary
- Competitive Pay (Very Attractive)
Additional Information
The successful applicant will be a key member of the IPA country, regional, and global teams as they establish the administrative and management structures for the new IPA Nigeria country office. This position represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He or she will play a key role in the management of IPA Nigeria and make a contribution to the creation of new initiatives, stakeholder outreach, capacity building, and policy and procedure development.
Method of Application:
Interested and qualified applicants should click on J-PAL/IPA common application for registration. After completing the brief registration, choose the Research job category, then select “Research Manager, Nigeria”. Applications require you to include a statement of purpose (cover letter), and CV.
Application Deadline
Applications will be evaluated continuously until the post is filled. The preferred start date for the position is January 2023, which should be noted by any interested applicants.