Deputy Country Director at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Responsibilities

As Deputy Country Director, Kenya, responsibilities include but are not limited to, the following:

General Management and Operational Support (15%)

• Provide support to CD in ensuring the overall organizational and legal compliance of IPA Kenya
• Work with the CD to set vision and strategic plan for the country program, and track progress
• Ensure safety and security, legal compliance of research/operational teams
• Provide supervision and support to procurement team; ensure compliance with procurement protocols and procedures
• Oversee the data management team to ensure they have capacity and support to provide top-notch data support to all projects
• Fill in for CD as needed as senior-most representative of the Kenya Country Program
   

Research Oversight and Project Backstopping (70%)

• Oversee and manage research teams led by Associate Research Managers, whose responsibilities include project design, management of data collection, data management and analysis, and writing of research reports; all in close collaboration with the Principal Investigators
• Ensure that IPA research is implemented according to IPA’s quality standards and Principal Investigators’ direction
• Promote inter-project best practices and take the lead in sharing lessons learned in research and data quality with projects through formal and informal training/meetings with staff
• Build systems and structures to build staff capacity and ensure overall data quality
• Lead with transitions, on-boarding/off-boarding of new Associate Research Managers, and maintaining institutional memory of project activities
• Directly manage research project(s), as needed, including providing technical/field support, liaising with researchers, overseeing grant management, data collection and reporting

New project development and partner outreach (10%)

• In collaboration with potential partners and Principal Investigators, identify and develop potential projects with meaningful research and policy implications in line with IPA’s mission
• Conduct partner outreach, including meetings with interested organizations/researchers and review of new project ideas
• Participate in research project design and lead budgeting/proposal materials development for new and ongoing projects to ensure evaluations meet IPA standards
• Review proposal materials, including budgets, in collaboration with Country Director
• Participate in capacity building of staff on project development tasks and responsibilities

Policy impact and external relations (5%)

• Represent IPA in national and local government agencies and partner organizations
• Develop and maintain relationships with current and potential IPA partner organizations, implementing partners, the government and academia for the country office to maximize its impact
• Engage government partners and other stakeholders to identify research questions of interest and cultivate potential research projects in those areas
• Oversee/participate in capacity building of local development partners in evidence-based policy making and rigorous impact evaluations
• Oversee targeted dissemination, encourage scale up of successful interventions

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in project management, development economics, international affairs, international public policy, or field related to international economic development
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, including 3 years in a management position; preferably experience in research and policy engagement, ideally in Kenya.
• Strong technical research skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead large teams and multiple projects
• Experience in randomized controlled trials preferred
• Experience developing research projects, experience with budgeting and project planning
• Passion for connecting rigorous research to policy makers and practitioners and communicating what works in development
• Commitment to leading a diverse team in a multicultural environment and building staff capacity
• Ability to communicate effectively across cultures with multiple stakeholders including international and local academic researchers, government officials, NGO partners, enumeration teams, and study participants
• Experience in people and financial management, including managing funds from multiple donors preferred
• Experience in grants and contracts management, preferably in a research setting, preferred
• Excellent management and organizational skills and ability to work independently with proven ability to multi-task
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
• Fluency in both written and spoken English is required