Field Assistant Job in Busia


Position: Field Assistant

Deadline to Apply:18th March 2012

Start Date: 2nd April 2012

Location: Busia, with flexibility to travel within Western province, and occasionally to other parts of Kenya and some parts of Uganda

About Innovations for Poverty Action: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-profit research organization that creates and evaluates approaches to solving development problems and disseminates information about what works and what does not to policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors around the world.

Description of Work: The Field Assistants will assist the Kenya Life Panel Survey (KLPS) Tracking team. Activities include administering surveys to individuals and households, meeting with teachers, ligurus, and relatives to locate respondents, and traveling to those areas in order to interview individuals. Net books will be used to administer the surveys.

Most of the work in this project will be Busia-based, but some interviews will take place in other locations throughout Kenya and some parts of Uganda. Visiting these respondents can include taking public transport, bodaboda, boats and walking long distances.

Carrying out these interviews can involve staying away from Busia at hotels in distant locations for several weeks at a time. Working outside of standard business hours either in the morning or evening or on weekends is sometimes necessary as well.

Other tasks include taking anthropometric measurements, taking hemoglobin levels, organizing data in the field, office based matching of ID lists, compilation of survey information, photocopying, translation between Kiswahili and English and any other tasks needed to make the project run effectively or assigned by a supervisor.

Work duration: Successful applicants will initially be hired for month on a casual basis. Those who demonstrate consistent exceptional abilities and work performance may be considered for a more long term placement, with the same project.

Qualifications:

Academic Qualifications: It is preferred that candidates have obtained a college diploma or university degree, preferably in sociology, statistics, economics, education, development studies, social sciences, health, or related fields. Candidates must have completed secondary schooling.

Professional/Technical Skills: Skills in data collection and survey administration; ability to work with local administrators; training in taking anthropometric measurements preferred. Computer knowledge and typing skills required.

Other Qualities and Attributes:
 Most importantly a positive attitude towards the position; able to work in rural settings; comfortable interviewing people in their homes; comfortable taking measurements of children and adults; comfortable traveling for extended periods of time; well-organized; ability to work independently and in a team in the field; promptness; attention to detail; initiative. Candidates must be fluent in Kiswahili and English. Luhya and Luo speakers preferred.

To apply: Please send a cover letter and detailed CV, 3 references, daytime phone number(s), and email address. Your CV should include your scores or grades and other measures of academic achievement, and details about any relevant work experience.

Applications can be submitted to any of our branch offices,

or by email to jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org ,

or by post office using P.O Box 373, Busia area code 50400 Kenya.

If you submit by email, please ensure that the subject line reads: “FIELD ASSISTANT.”REF NO: KPLS-2012-03-01.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by email for an interview.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Kenya Life Panel Survey Field Assistant. 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-kenya@poverty-action.org.