Career Opportunities at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Description

• This role will work closely with the Right-Fit Evidence Unit (RFE) at IPA, a global advisory team. In close collaboration with IPA’s sector programs, policy team, and country office teams worldwide, the unit advises organizations on how to use data and evidence to design more effective programs and create meaningful measurement routines, accompanying them through the process of analysis and adaptation. 
• We particularly encourage Ghanaian nationals to apply, although the role is open to international applicants. We also encourage those with the following profiles to apply as these skills and interests are a particularly strong fit:
• Management consultants with some international development experience who would be excited in a career shift to an entrepreneurial and impact-focused environment leveraging their skillset
• M&E practitioners who are interested in broadening their scope and impact on the field by advising organizations on state-of-the-art M&E practices
• Research professionals in international development who enjoy working closely with practitioners and are interested in broadening their scope to all the types of data and evidence that can inform decisions.
• Irrespective of their background, RFE staff tend to learn through their work, and this position is a great fit for anyone with a growth-oriented mindset.

Responsibilities 

• Provide strategic and technical advisory expertise: target credible, actionable, and cost-effective advice on MEL systems to build government capacity to identify and improve on challenges in implementation during DL roll out, including but not limited to the following examples: 
• Lead the data collection design process, analysis, and reporting in collaboration with the Sr. Research Associate and GES to ensure that learning is effectively incorporated in implementation progress
• Guide GES in the development of MEL tools, such as monitoring forms and revision of the reporting platforms to ensure effective usage at the school and district level
• Design prototyping and pilot exercises to answer key learning questions and reduce risks in implementation success, such as testing new content adjustments 
• Lead on updates and roll out of live digital teacher training evaluation, analysis, and reporting systems for teacher training to enable the reinforcement of key points based on feedback from evaluation results dashboards. 
• Support on the design of potential nimble RCTs to test different models of refresher trainings and follow up nudges to improve adoption of teaching practices, in collaboration with academic researchers
• Workshop design and implementation: Design and facilitate various kinds of external MEL-related workshops, improving the capacity and ownership of government around long-term MEL practices 
• Professional deliverables: Own the preparation and presentation of various types of advisory and analytical deliverables, maintaining the highest standards of communication efficiency

Qualifications 

• A Bachelor’s or Master´s degree in economics, public policy, international development, or related fields and ;
• 2-5 years of relevant work experience, including experience in M&E (public sector), organizational performance/R&D/operational research (private sector), or experience in management consulting/other professional services. Exceptions may be made for excellent candidates who do not meet this criterion. 
• Superior analytical and conceptual thinking skills
• Strong client-facing and presentation skills. Ability to present information in a structured and insightful way, both in writing and orally.
• Demonstrated ability to manage relationships with partner organizations;
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial mindset, versatility, and ability to learn at a fast pace.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills; attention to detail;
• Familiarity with statistics and data analysis (including strong command of Excel)
• Willingness to travel within Ghana;
• Capability to manage multiple tasks efficiently;
• Passion for making data-driven decisions a reality in the international development sector

Preferred additional qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, social science, or a related field
• Familiarity with the Education Sector
• Experience living and working in developing countries, particularly Ghana
• Familiarity with the concepts surrounding the Theory of Change and the core tools of M&E (both quantitative and qualitative research methods)
• Familiarity with SurveyCTO, Open Data Kit or similar survey software
• Ability to use Stata, R or similar statistical software
• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials;

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Description

• The Associate Research & Project Development Manager’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

New project development (60%):

• The Associate Research & Project Development Manager (ARPDM) will lead new project development in the Ghana office. In particular, as part of the project development component of the position, the Associate Research & Project Development Manager will:
• In collaboration with the Country Directors, Research Managers and the Global Business Development team, develop and continuously review and adapt as needed, a project development and stakeholder engagement strategy for the various sectors;
• Recruit and manage a team of 2-4 interns;
• Lead and initiate a portfolio of project development efforts with researchers, funders, and partner organizations;
• Identify priority research questions and key concerns for policymakers in the various sectors, and initiate and manage the development of corresponding new research proposals;
• Propose cost structures and budgets for potential funding opportunities and proposals;
• Ensure that institutional arrangements are taken care of to submit proposals applications – in line with the donors’ deadlines and requirements – and collaborate with the Grants team and the Business Development team to submit research proposals and set up new grant awards;
• Develop new and manage existing relationships with IPA partner organizations and principal investigators to enhance the relevance and influence of IPA’s research, support targeted dissemination of research findings, encourage scale-up of successful projects;
• Represent IPA at local (and potentially regional and global) forums focused on priority sectors, identified in collaboration with the Country Directors and Policy team, including workgroups, tasks forces, advisory committees, conferences, etc.;
• In coordination with the Global Business Development team, develop resources for project development and ensure all internal project development files, folders and tracking systems are up to date.

Research Management in (40%):

• The Associate Research & Project Development Manager will be responsible for the overall management of research projects. In particular, as part of the research component of the position, the ARPDM will:
• Work with Principal Investigators to ensure their adherence to research design, sample selection, data collection, data management and general research protocols, as well as overall project objectives timelines;
• Directly supervise 1 or 2 permanent research project staff, with an eye on their professional growth;
• Keep the Country Director appraised of all developments on the project within their portfolio, and serve as a key link between the field office, project staff, and Principal Investigators;
• Ensure compliance with IPA’s research quality protocols, promote inter-project best practices and take the lead in sharing best practices with projects through formal and informal trainings;
• Work with field office staff to ensure sound human resource and operational management of projects;
• Oversee project financial management, including creation and monitoring of project budgets, and ensuring smooth integration of projects into IPA financial systems;
• Take part in regular meetings with local government officials and other partners to ensure the success of programmatic activities; and
• Support the dissemination of interim results via presentations and reports to non-academic audiences.

Qualifications 

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in economics, political science, international development, public policy, or other related field;
• At least 3 years of work experience in a similar position;
• Excellent project management skills;
• Previous experience in managing research projects and sound understanding of research methods, including quantitative data management;
• Experience in developing research projects, experience with budgeting and project planning;
• Previous experience working on fundraising with public and private donors;
• Demonstrated experience in research and policy engagement;
• Passion for connecting rigorous impact evaluation research to policy makers and practitioners and communicating what works in development;
• Experience in grants and contracts management, preferably in a research setting;
• Excellent management and organizational skills and ability to work independently;
• Experience working in sub-Saharan Africa preferred;
• Advanced communication and presentation skills in English.

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Description

• IPA’s country office in Ghana is looking to bring on board an intern starting this November to work closely with the Research Manager and provide data management support and assist with project development efforts.

Responsibilities 

• At IPA we are committed to improving lives through research and evidence. We are proud to welcome interns year round to help support our mission. This internship program is an opportunity for students and recent graduates like you to gain hands-on professional experience in a truly global organization. In addition to gaining real world experience, you will be exposed to several of IPA’s teams and be able to take advantage of tailored training and development opportunities. As an intern, here are some tasks and activities that you can look forward to: 
• Working with data sets, preparing and running codes for data cleaning and/or management using STATA. 
• Liaising with the project team running evaluations and collaborating with them including occasional travel to research field sites for monitoring fieldwork and advising on quality control of data collection practices.
• Working with the project team to write field data collection reports for donors.
• Developing robust sector literature reviews and notes through desk research and stakeholder interviews.
• Scoping new research topics, including possible field work (for in person interns) and stakeholder meetings
• Developing technical narratives and budgets for grant proposals.
• Supporting the administrative and organizational functions of the PD team, including entering records into Salesforce, tracking the status of proposals, finding new funding opportunities, researching donors, taking notes at meetings, developing new tools/systems for a more efficient workflow.

Qualifications 

• Prefer candidates who are currently completing a Master’s Degree in Economics, International development, Public policy, or other related fields; will consider strong candidates in their final year undergraduate programs with previous experience in data management
• Experience with STATA or other statistical software is a plus
• Experience with SQL Server, JAVA and other programming languages
• Takes initiative, resourceful, and detail-oriented, with excellent organizational skills
• Ability to cross-check one’s own work and respond to critical feedback
• Consistently make decisions that resolve programming related problems;
• Be organized, thorough, and have great attention to detail
• Eager to learn, and gain experience in a fast-paced organization
• Familiar with randomized controlled trials

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Description

• The RFE Manager will report primarily to the Head of Policy Ghana and will receive additional support and oversight from senior managers from the RFE and Policy teams at the global level, as well as a Ghana-based Senior Policy Manager.
• The RFE Manager will manage 1-2 RFE Advisors based in Ghana, and provide support to one Ghana Sr. Research Associate on IPA Ghana’s Policy & RFE team.
• We encourage those with the following profiles to apply as these skills and interests are a particularly strong fit:
• Management consultants with some international development experience who would be excited in a career shift to an entrepreneurial and impact-focused environment leveraging their skillset
• Education/early childhood development project managers with a strong analytical leaning, who have experience managing large scale education programs in developing countries and are interested in a role that emphasizes government support on data and evidence use  
• M&E practitioners who are interested in broadening their scope and impact on the field by advising organizations on state-of-the-art M&E practices
• Research professionals in international development who enjoy working closely with practitioners and are interested in broadening their scope to all the types of data and evidence that can inform decisions
• Irrespective of their background, RFE staff tend to learn through their work, and this position is a great fit for anyone with a growth-oriented mindset.
• The role is also open to both Ghanaian and international applicants. IPA Ghana will sponsor work permits/visas for international applicants, if hired.

Responsibilities 

Project/Team Management

• Project management: lead small teams of RFE/Policy unit staff to develop tailor-made solutions for the learning needs of partners, and support their implementation. Contribute to project financial management.
• Stakeholder Management: manage IPA Ghana’s relationship with a wide range of education sector partners, maintaining strong communication and partnerships
• Business development: Be the main interface for the Right-Fit Evidence Unit for a set of active or potential funders and occasionally represent the Unit in conferences or other similar events
• People Management: Directly oversee 1-2 Advisors based on Ghana, and support their professional development
• Design and Execute High Impact Strategic Advisory, Training, Field Experiment, and Field Piloting Activities
• Refining and testing the implementation of ECE and DL MEL tools with government and implementing agencies: Provide technical Monitoring and Evaluation expertise to develop and refine monitoring tools that inform local and national decision-makers on key aspects of the ECE policy implementation and DL program implementation.
• Designing and executing workshops: Liaise with key policymakers, ECE implementers, and academics to plan, moderate, and execute various kinds of external workshops related to data, evidence and learning. Those workshop can be aimed collaboratively designing evidence generation strategies, MEL capacity building, etc.
• Producing professional deliverables: Own the preparation and presentation of various types of advisory and analytical deliverables, maintaining the highest quality standards

Qualifications

 Education and Experience:

• A Bachelor’s or Master´s degree in economics, public policy, education, early childhood development, international development, or related fields and;
• 4-10 years of relevant work experience, including experience in M&E (public sector), education policy or program management (public/non-profit/private sectors), organizational performance/R&D/operational research (private sector), or experience in management consulting/other professional services.

Technical Skills:

• Significant exposure to the design and management of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning systems (or similar area of work that may be called differently in other sectors)
• Experience designing and supervising quantitative and qualitative data collection
• Demonstrated ability to coach and train others on MEL methodologies data analysis or statistics
• Familiarity with statistics and data analysis (including strong command of Excel)

Stakeholder Management Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to manage relationships with external partners
• Strong client-facing and presentation skills. Ability to present information in a structured and insightful way, both in writing and orally, to a variety of audiences

Project Management Skills:

• Project/budget management skills; attention to detail; preparing narratives for donor/external stakeholders 
• Ability to manage and organize various workstreams efficiently 
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial mindset, versatility, and ability to learn at a fast pace.