Research Job in Kenya

Innovations for Poverty Action Kenya Sandalwood Lane, off Riverside Drive

P.O. Box 72427-00200, Nairobi, Kenya poverty-action.org/Kenya

info-kenya@poverty-action.org 0707 387 429 and 020 271 0237

Kenya Life Panel Survey (KLPS/Tracking) Project

POSITION: Research Associate (1 position)

REPORTING TO: Research Coordinator

START DATE: 2nd August 2021

LOCATION: Busia

DURATION: 6 Months (Renewable)

DEADLINE: Applications reviewed on a rolling basis ELIGIBILITY:                       

Position open to local Kenyan hires only

About Innovations for Poverty Action: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy non-profit Organization that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. 

About the project:

The Kenya Life Panel Survey is a longitudinal study that seeks to rigorously examine the medium- to-long term impacts of several programs that invested in rural Kenyan youth then (now young adults). These programs include the Primary School Deworming Project (PSDP), which provided deworming treatment to primary school students in rural Kenya between 1998 and 2002, the Girls’ Scholarship Program (GSP), which provided merit based scholarships to young women in a separate set of primary schools in rural Kenya in 2001 and 2002, and the Vocational Training Voucher Program (VTVP), which provided vouchers to a subset of PSDP and GSP participants allowing them to obtain vocational training between 2009 and 2010 and lastly Start-up Capital for Youth (SCY) program which subsequently randomly allocated unconditional cash grants to support the start-up or expansion of small businesses, among the same sample of individuals who were part of the TVVP. The KLPS panel data collection effort seeks to follow recipients of these programs into adulthood and collect information on a range of life outcomes, with particular focus on expenditure, income, health, education, labor market participation, migration, fertility and marriage among others. We are almost launching the intensive tracking phase of the second wave of the fourth round of KLPS follow- up which has both adult and biological Kids component. The current adult component is mainly a behavioural module (focused on non-expenditure outcomes) while the Kids component mainly entails a series of age-specific cognitive tests with two add-on intervention arms dubbed “storybook” and “sleep” interventions.

About the Position:

The Research Associate, under the general supervision of the Research Coordinator and within the limits of Innovations for Poverty Action-Kenya policies and procedures, coordinates the facilitation of field and data activities and functions within IPAK. This position will be based in Busia and oversee the day-to-day running of both KLPS Nairobi and Busia offices in close consultation with the Research Coordinator. Below is a list of some of the general duties and responsibilities of the Research Associate, to be carried out as needed according to the determination of the Research Coordinator.

Duties and Responsibilities

Data Management

  • Data Processing, and Storage
    • Designing smooth, functioning, and timely data flow between various project activities according to Standard Operating
    • Using STATA to process and clean data, prepare summary
    • Designing Stata auditing tools for high frequency checks and back-checks.
    • Supporting the Office Assistant in maintaining proper storage of all paper surveys in a secure, well-organized, and well-documented repository.
    • Ensuring proper storage of all computer data including regular
  • Survey Programming
    • Developing data collection instruments for computer-aided interviews (CAI) using Survey CTO, phone surveys and field-based paper
    • Conducting spot checks for the field enumerators and providing feedback accordingly
  • Data Entry
    • Planning and managing data entry from paper surveys using data entry
    • Designing and pretesting data entry
  • Data Protection and Security
    • Ensuring all staff comply with all policies and procedures related to data
    • Controlling physical access to paper surveys, computers, and any other sensitive
    • Ensuring appropriate computer security on devices handling data using password protection and
  • Policy and Documentation
    • For all areas of responsibility, contributing to the development of policies, manuals, and other documentation.

Field Management

  • Human Subjects
    • Ensure that all field team comply with human subjects’ protocol and IRB
    • Managing IRB for the project including preparing the documents for submission as well as timely submission as
  • Field Logistics
    • Undertaking regular field monitoring for all the project activities accordingly
    • Supporting the process of locating respondents, ensuring compliance with protocols
    • Supporting project guidelines governing field staff who work remotely and locally
    • Aid in preparation supply procurement, upkeep, and calibration of field equipment as necessary
  • Supervising field activities with the other field management
  • Human Resource Management
    • With the rest of the project management team, train and manage the field teams that conduct household surveys
    • Participating in the selection process for staff hiring and assist with training as needed
    • Assisting with staff evaluations and make recommendations regarding renewal of staff contracts
    • Enforce all IPAK policies and communicate regularly with management team
    • Assisting in the writing of weekly reports
    • Other duties related to project implementation and administrative tasks as needed
  • Financial Management
    • Keeping track of project expenses and prepare financial summary reports
    • Review expense reports and share feedback and/or reports as required

Qualifications and Experience:

  • Preferably Master’s degree in management, social sciences, public policy, or related Bachelor’s degree (required).
  • Proven minimum 5 years of field management experience. Extensive experience supervising, designing, and implementing data collection and/or field work activities, and managing teams of field
  • Previous experience in managing data collection and survey administration for adult household surveys and the kid’s assessments (preferred)
  • Experience in training staff to improve data collection efforts and their accuracy (required)
  • Advanced experience in programming long surveys with multiple randomization and skips using SurveyCTO (required).
  • Strong problem-solving skills and a good understanding of team
  • Proven experience in managing IRB submissions and approvals for a
  • Ability to manage and clean complex datasets, preferably, using
  • Excellent management and organizational Ability to effectively manage multiple data collection activities in a project will be a requirement.
  • Excellent financial management
  • Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple teams in different locations and across different complex activities efficiently, and team
  • Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with stakeholders including multiple PI team(s), partner organizations and policy
  • Demonstrated experience in managing and maintaining long-term study participants (desired).
  • Advanced user of Microsoft Office suite especially Excel to generate summary productivity reports (Required).
  • Proven experience in coordinating and managing large
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in both English and Kiswahili and proven ability to make presentations of field reports to the

How to Apply

Please click herto apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted 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 Research Associate-KLPS. 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.