Research Associate at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Job Description

• Reports to: Deputy Country Director or Country Director
• Deadline to apply: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until position is filled

Position Summary

IPA seeks a highly motivated and qualified individual with outstanding project management, data analysis, people management and communication skills as a Research Coordinator to oversee a portfolio of 2 to 3 research projects. This portfolio will cover various sectors including education, financial inclusion and agriculture and may include for example evaluations of cash grants for female entrepreneurs, seed markets for maize producers or a kindergarten teacher training program. Lead researchers that the Research Coordinator will likely work with include Prof. Christopher Udry, Prof. Dean Karlan and Prof. Sharon Wolf.

The Research Coordinator position is a unique opportunity to provide strong leadership and act as a critical bridge between leading academic researchers, policymakers, and staff implementing research on the ground. He/she will join the dynamic and committed IPA Ghana team and contribute to the successful implementation of research projects, development of new projects and capacity building of team members. Developing and fostering good relationships with local stakeholders and implementing partners, such as the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, is another core element of the Research Coordinator role.

IPA is looking for someone who can smoothly interact with leading researchers and development partners, enjoys managing and improving internal processes, and has a team-oriented mindset. Outstanding candidates should have a background in both research and project management, be clear analytic thinkers, and be unafraid to accomplish a tremendous amount with enduring good humour.

This position will be based in Accra or Tamale, Ghana.

Responsibilities

The Research Coordinator (RC) will be responsible for the overall management of a portfolio of 2-3 research projects, most of which will be in the education, financial inclusion or agriculture sectors and will include wide scale surveys across multiple regions of Ghana. Each of these projects is expected to be staffed with a permanent team of 1 or 2 staff and up to 50-100 short term staff during survey periods.

In particular, the Research Coordinator (RC) will:

• Recruit and onboard project personnel such as Research Associates and Field Managers.
• Coach, manage, and support a team of Research Associates and field staff in the implementation of complex impact evaluations around the country.
• Manage relationships with investigators in multiple research institutions, funders and implementing partners to ensure successful projects.
• Plan and supervise survey implementation, quality assurance, data cleaning, data analysis and other activities related to rigorous impact evaluation implementation.
• Oversee the quality of client and partner deliverables
• Develop and manage project budgets to ensure expenditures are always within budgeted amounts.
• Produce reports for donors, researchers and other stakeholders.
• Maintain compliance with IPA’s policies and procedures as well as the Ghanaian law.
• Support the development of new projects in Ghana, by establishing relationships with researchers, implementers, and funders, and developing opportunities and proposals.
• Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor

Required Skills or Experience

• Master’s in development economics, or a field related to international economic development or public policy;
• At least 2 years of relevant experience;
• Experience conducting social science or economic field research; experience in conducting field research in developing countries required. Background in randomized control trials is a plus;
• Experience supervising data collection and teams of field workers, designing and implementing surveys;
• Experience with data analysis and interpretation;
• Experience with Stata required. Advanced knowledge of Stata, R or Python is highly preferred;
• Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies required;
• Strong critical thinking and judgment to quickly identify problems and devise solutions as well as escalate matters as needed;
• Strong quantitative, budgeting, and financial management skills required;
• Ability to present research findings, including to non-research focused audiences;
• Strong written and oral communication skills and complete fluency in English is required; and
• Passion for making data-driven decision a reality in the development sector.

We are looking for a commitment period of at least three years for this position.