POSITION: Data Research Associate (1 position)
REPORTING TO: Data
Specialist
START DATE: ASAP
LOCATION:
Nairobi/Busia
DURATION: 1 Year
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 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 Data
Department: The Data Department supports IPA Kenya projects to collect,
process and manage survey data. The Data Department does this directly by
programming computer-assisted interviews (CAI), computer assisted telephone
interviewing (CATI), preparing data quality checks using IPA’s Data Management
System (DMS) and cleaning data. The department further supports in
training project staff to complete these tasks themselves. At all times,
the Data Department ensures compliance to the data protection law by adhering
to high standards of data
security protocols and
management to ensure the proper handling of sensitive respondent
information.
About the
Position: This position is intended to support the data team, as a Data
Associate, while also acting as a roving Research Associate. Therefore,
duties are more data-focused than a typical Research Associate at
IPA-Kenya, but the position will also require skills in research
oversight. Below is a list of some of the general duties and
responsibilities of the Data Research Associate, to be carried out as needed
according to the determination of the Data Coordinator.
Duties and
Responsibilities
Data management &
survey programming
- Developing data collection instruments for CAI
using Survey CTO and Qualtrics for surveys to be conducted in the
field or over the phone (CATI), including bench-testing
- In collaboration with the project management
teams, train teams on electronic survey implementation observing the
SurveyCTO best practices
- Design and develop data quality assurance tools
including back checks, high frequency checks, and spot checks, using STATA
and SurveyCTO
- Use STATA to process and clean data, prepare
summary statistics, and assist in preliminary analysis on well
documented .do/.ado files
- Develop and set up projects on the use of IPA’s
Data Management System (DMS), automating the projects’ data
flow
- Ensure all projects and staff comply with all
policies and procedures related to data protection • Ensure
appropriate computer security on devices handling data using password
protection and encryption
- Design smooth, functioning and timely data flow
between various project activities according to Standard Operating
Procedures
- For all areas of responsibility, contribute to the
development of policies, manuals and other documentation Project
management (in addition to data tasks listed above)
- Ethical review boards and approvals
- Assist with coordination of submissions for
ethical approval and research permits
- Keep up-to-date record of all approval letter and
submission materials
- Obtain any introduction and permission letters
required for fieldwork
- Design and outreach
- Develop and maintain close relationships with
partners
- Help develop and revise study materials for local
context and edit survey instrument(s) with PI feedback
HR and financial
work
- o Manage day-to-day expenditures and maintain
timely communication with appropriate IPA staff on budget management
and in-country finances
- o Lead recruitment and hiring for project
fieldwork positions including shortlisting and interviewing top
candidates
- o Oversee the drafting of contracts and
payroll for field staff over their period of hire
- o Supervise and finalize all DSA payments
being requested for any field staff who are working away from their
workstation.
Field Management
- o Lead trainings for field staff on all
aspects of data collection
- o Manage field team, including development of
effective reporting channels
- o Supervise timely implementation of
developed field plan, ensuring it is within budget
- o Closely monitor team day-to-day in the
field and oversee problem-solving efforts
- o Develop and implement data quality measures
and manage arising issues in the quality of data, resolving any
data-related discrepancies
- o Ensure adherence to data quality protocols,
including overseeing field teams, monitoring data collection,
conducting data quality audits and ensuring data security
Reports and
Meetings
- o Assist in consolidation of findings from
pilot and sharing information with PIs for protocol revisions prior
to launch
- o Assist in consolidation and cleaning of raw
data received from the field
- o Ensure timely exchange of data and
information between IPA and partners
- o Help write and prepare reports for
presentation to partners
- o Write IPA field reports
- o Attend all conference calls during
fieldwork preparation, implementation, and
analysis/reporting o Create financial tracking systems to ensure
spending is as budgeted
- o Write and disseminate financial reports to
PIs and partners in a timely manner
Qualifications
- Preferably Master’s degree in management, social
sciences, public policy, economics, or related fields. Bachelor’s
degree (required).
- Proven minimum 3 years of field and data
management experience. Extensive experience supervising, designing,
and implementing data collection and/or field work activities, and
managing teams of field workers. • Experience in training staff
to improve data collection efforts and their accuracy
(required) • Advanced experience in programming long surveys
that include randomization, repeat groups and skips using surveyCTO
(required).
- Experience implementing data flow processes and
setting up and running quality checks as required • Strong ability
of complex problem solving and good understanding of team
dynamics. • Proven experience in managing IRB for a
project.
- Ability to manage and clean complex datasets,
preferably, using STATA.
- Experience using Power BI (added advantage).
- Proven experience in coordinating and managing
large datasets.
- Excellent management and organizational
skills.
- Ability to effectively manage multiple data
collection and data management tasks will be a
requirement. • Excellent financial management skills.
- Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple
teams in different locations and across different complex activities
efficiently, and team player.
- Demonstrated ability to manage high-level
relationships with stakeholders including multiple PI team(s),
partner organizations and policy makers.
- Advanced user of Microsoft Office suite especially
MS Excel to generate summary productivity reports (Required).
- Excellent supervisory and management experience
related to fieldwork and data collection • Excellent oral and
written communication skills in both English and Kiswahili and proven
ability to make presentations of field reports to the PIs.
How 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 Data 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.