Kenya Life Panel Survey (KLPS/Tracking) Project
POSITION: Research Associate (1 position)
REPORTING TO: Associate Research Manager
START DATE: 14th November 2022
LOCATION: Busia
DURATION: 1 Year (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
prepping to start the round-5 of data collection that is focused on the aging
of the participants and will have both Dried Blood Spots (DBS), cognitive
module and Kids modules components. Currently we are in the piloting
phase of the round-5 f data collection.
About the Position: The Research Associate,
under the general supervision of the Associate Research Manager 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 Associate Research Manager. 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 Associate
Research Manager.
Duties and Responsibilities
Data Management
- Data
Processing, and Storage
o Designing
smooth, functioning, and timely data flow between various project
activities according to Standard Operating Procedures.
o Using STATA to
process and clean data, prepare summary statistics.
o Designing Stata
auditing tools for high frequency checks and back-checks.
o Supporting the
Office Assistant in maintaining proper storage of all paper surveys in a
secure, well-organized, and well-documented repository.
o Ensuring proper
storage of all computer data including regular backups.
o Ensuring strict
adherence to the Standard Operating Procedures of Dried Blood Spots (DBS)
as well as other study modules.
- Survey
Programming
o Developing data
collection instruments for computer-aided interviews (CAI) using Survey
CTO, phone surveys and field-based paper surveys.
o Designing and
pre-testing of data collection tools data entry tools.
o Conducting spot
checks for the field enumerators and providing feedback accordingly • Data Protection and Security
o Ensuring all
staff comply with all policies and procedures related to data protection.
o Ensuring
appropriate computer security on devices handling data using password
protection and encryption.
o Controlling
physical access to paper surveys, computers, and any other sensitive
materials.
- Policy
and Documentation
o For all areas
of responsibility, contribute to the development of policy briefs,
Project summary web page as well as compliance with all aspects of Policy
Minimum Must Dos (MMDs).
Field Management
- Human
Subjects
o Ensuring that
all field team comply with the IRB requirements including the study’s
human subject’s protocol
o Managing IRB
for the project including preparing the documents for submission as well
as timely submission as required
- Field
Logistics
o Conducting spot
checks for the field enumerators and providing feedback accordingly. o Supporting
the process of locating respondents, ensuring compliance with protocols o Supporting
project guidelines governing field staff who work remotely and locally o Aid
in preparation supply procurement, upkeep, and calibration of field supplies
o Supervising
field activities with the other field management team
o Send weekly
field report to the PI team
- Human
Resource Management
o Participating
in the selection process for staff hiring and assist with training as
needed
o Assisting with
staff evaluations and make recommendations regarding renewal of staff
contracts
o Enforcing all
IPAK policies and communicate regularly with management team • Financial Management
o Keeping track
of project expenses and prepare financial summary reports
o Review expense
reports and share feedback and/or reports as required
- Perform
any other assigned duties related to project implementation and
administrative tasks as needed
Qualifications and Experience:
- Preferably
Master’s degree in management, social sciences, public policy, or related
fields. Bachelor’s degree (required).
- Proven
5 and above years of field management experience. Extensive experience
supervising, designing, and implementing data collection and/or
field work activities, and managing teams of field workers.
- 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 along survey with multiple randomization and skips using
surveyCTO (required)
- Ability to manage and clean
complex datasets, preferably, using STATA (required)
- Advanced user of Microsoft Office
suite especially use of Excel to generate summary productivity
reports (Required).
- Proven
experience in coordinating and managing multiple large datasets.
- Excellent
financial and organizational management skills.
- Flexible,
self-motivating, able to manage multiple teams in different locations
efficiently, and team player (required)
- Demonstrated
ability to manage high-level relationships with stakeholders including
multiple PI team(s) and government partner(s).
- Experience in coordinating and
managing multiple modules running at the same time (preferred) • Excellent
oral and written communication skills in both English and Kiswahili • Excellent
supervisory and management experience related to fieldwork and data
collection
How to Apply
Please click
here to 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.
