Position: Research Associate
Deadline to Apply: 20th May 2015
Start Date: June
1st 2015(non-negotiable)
Location: Nairobi,
Kenya
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
is a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting effective
solutions to global poverty problems.
In close partnership with decision
makers -- the policymakers, practitioners, investors, and donors working with
the poor around the world -- IPA designs and evaluates potential solutions to
poverty problems using randomized evaluations, the most rigorous evaluation
method available.
We also mobilize and support these
decision makers to use these solutions to build better programs and policies at
scale
About the Job: IPA
Kenya seeks qualified applicants for the position of Research Associate for the
Improving use of commitment savings Accounts project
The project will begin in June 2015 and its activities will take place in Nairobi with some travels to Ndaragwa in Central Kenya.
The research project will aim at
designing and implementing a randomized controlled trial being coordinated by
the Principal Investigator who is from Stanford University.
The research will examine different features of commitment savings accounts (different trade-off between liquidity and commitment) on financial savings.
Commitment savings accounts have been
shown to have large positive impacts on savings in both the developing and the
developed world.
The Research Associate will take a
lead role in collecting data in the field, managing large databases, piloting
the interventions, and managing relationships with the project partners.
It is expected that the Research
Associate will work independently and maintain regular communication with the
PI.
The position requires excellent interpersonal and organization skills. It also requires proficiency with Stata. Familiarity with other data management and statistical packages is a plus.
The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research.
The principal investigator is Tavneet
Suri -Maurice J Strong Career Development Associate Professor of Applied
Economics at MIT Sloan School of Management
Essential Duties and
Responsibilities:
The Research Associate will work
closely with the IPA-Kenya Country Office and the Principal Investigators to
perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to:
- sophisticated logistic planning,
- significant in-person oversight of
implementing partner managing the implementation field team, monitoring
implementation quality,
- checking and analyzing data,
- cleaning data and assisting in preliminary
analysis,
- assisting in the writing of project reports
and policy memos,
- financial/expenditure oversight,
- HR management, and
- various administrative tasks.
The Research Associate will be based
in Nairobi, Kenya but the position may involve field visits in other regions.
The employment period is 12 months.
Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:
Required Qualifications:
- A Bachelor's degree in economics, statistics,
social sciences, public policy, or related fields
- Excellent management and organizational skills
along with strong quantitative skills
- Fluency and excellent communication skills in
English
- Working knowledge of Stata
- Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage
multiple tasks efficiently, a team player
- Assertive personality and demonstrated ability
to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
Desired Qualifications:
- Familiarity with randomized controlled trials
preferred
- Familiarity with other data analysis software
If you are interested, please follow
the instructions below:
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 must be submitted by email to jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org, please ensure that the subject line reads: “RESEARCH ASSOCIATE.” REF NO: COMMITMENTS SAVINGS-2015-05-01.
Only short-listed candidates will be
contacted.
Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the
general nature and level of the work being 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-kenya@poverty-action.org.