- Reports to: Research Manager
- Location: Busia, Kenya
- Deadline to apply: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
- Desired start date: As soon as possible
- Length of commitment: TBD
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international non-profit research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in New York, NY, Washington, D.C. and worldwide, IPA works with development partners and academic researchers to create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate “what works” in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of fields, including health, education, microfinance, governance and agriculture.
Innovations for Poverty Action seeks a qualified Research Associate to oversee the impact evaluation of several agriculture-related interventions in Western Kenya. The Project Associate will manage a research study investigating informational barriers to optimal input use by smallholder farmers in rural Kenya.
In partnership with the Kenyan Agriculture Research Institute in Kakamega, IPA will investigate the market for local agricultural information, the effectiveness of institutional arrangements that could support the creation of local knowledge, and the impact of obtaining this information on farmers’ knowledge, input use, and agricultural practices. The position offers an exciting opportunity to get involved with cutting-edge economic and development research, and will be most attractive to those who seek to gain first-hand field management experience. The Principal Investigators are Michael Kremer (Harvard University), Jonathan Robinson (UCSC), Frank Schilbach (Harvard University) and Raissa Fabregas (Harvard University).
Responsibilities:
- Coordinating and supervising all data collection activities
- Formulating plans to operationalize field activities suggested by Principal Investigators
- Developing and piloting survey instruments
- Ensuring that project activities are on schedule according to agreements with funders and partners
- Hiring, training, and managing teams of local enumerators that will conduct data collection
- Providing periodic updates on project activities to Principal Investigators and partners
- Budgeting and working with IPA’s financial officers to keep detailed expense accounts of all activities, including monitoring expenses in the field and summarizing current expenses
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in economics, social sciences, public policy, or related fields; a Master’s degree in any of these fields is a strong plus
- Training in economics and statistics
- Excellent management and organizational skills
- Demonstrated proficiency in Stata and experience with data management, data cleaning, and regression analysis
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple assignments simultaneously with minimal supervision
- Excellent oral and written communication skills. Fluency in English is required
- Experience conducting field research in a developing country is strongly preferred. Previous experience with impact evaluations and/or randomized controlled trials is a strong plus
Application Instructions:
Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application. Please select the position(s) you are interested in applying for on the 'Submit Application' page. 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.
Innovations for Poverty Action is an EO Employer-MF/Veteran/Disability. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected class.
IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org or via phone at 1-203-772-2216.
DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the Research Associate. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions to jobs@poverty-action.org.
** Please note that only qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring manager.
