Research Manager job at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA): career opportunity in Uganda

Job Title: Research Manager, Uganda
Organisation:Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
About Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), a US-based, non-profit research organization, seeks a Research Manager to assist in managing and developing a growing research portfolio in Uganda. IPA works with development partners and academic researchers to create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate what works and what does not work in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of fields, including microfinance, agriculture, education, health, nutrition, and governance.

The Uganda Research Manager will supervise ongoing impact evaluations and interventions, ensuring close collaboration and communication with the local government, practitioners and the research community. The Research Manager will provide advice and guidance on the research designs, survey instruments, sample selection, ongoing data collection and analysis. In addition, the Research Manager will focus on dissemination of results, outreach efforts, project development, and strengthening connections with local partners. The Research Manager will also participate in IPA Uganda Senior Management discussions and strongly contribute to IPA Uganda policy and research training and resource development. The position is based in Kampala, with frequent travel to field sites around the country.

Duties and Responsibilities
 Supervise a team of project associates and coordinators managing a portfolio of research projects to ensure a high degree of quality and professionalism
    Provide technical guidance on research design, data management and analysis, and overall project management for projects in collaborative supervision with the survey coordinator and close coordination with principal investigators
    Help with transitions, on-boarding of new research staff and maintaining 'institutional memory' of project activities
    Oversee project financial management, including creation and monitoring of program budgets, and ensuring smooth integration of projects into IPA financial systems
    Enforce existing country office research protocols and develop new protocols as appropriate
    Support the continued transition to electronic data collection, including selection of hardware and software, development of programming capacity, and transfer of knowledge across projects
    Initiate, develop and implement innovative training activities for local and international staff in collaboration with IPA's training department and take a lead in sharing best practices among IPA staff
    Manage relationships with current and potential partner organizations
    Communicate progress and results via presentation and reports to donors, principal investigators, and other stakeholders
    Assist the CD in the development of new research proposals including the technical designs, budgets, and applications for funding support
    Assist with recruiting international and local staff as needed
    Participate in IPA Uganda management discussions and activities

 Qualifications and Skills Graduate degree in economics, social sciences, international development, or related field. Graduate level coursework in econometrics, statistics, and development economics is required. A strong technical understanding of economics is necessary.
    Work experience: A minimum of 2 years prior relevant work experience and a track record of success managing large-scale field research studies in developing countries, or similar work experience with the responsibilities listed above.
    Technical skills: Strong quantitative skills and excellent knowledge of Stata required; Experience with electronic data collection, programming and other technical knowledge a strong plus.
    Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills. Fluency in English required.
    Personal characteristics: Excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity. Meticulously organized approach, attention to detail without losing sight of the big picture, ability to prioritize and manage multiple assignments simultaneously with minimal supervision.
    Previous work experience with IPA and/or familiarity with randomized controlled trials strongly preferred.

 Application procedurePlease follow the application instructions below. Any applications or resumes submitted outside this process will not be considered. Note, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

1. Send an email to jobs-hr@poverty-action.org, copying Jobs-uganda@poverty-action.org,following these instructions exactly:

    In the subject line: Copy exactly the following position line: 100950IPAUganda, Research Manager, Uganda.
    Attachments: Please attach ONLY your CV and cover letter.
    In the email body: Put your full name, first (given) name followed by last (family) name

Please do not include any text besides your name in the body of the e-mail. Adding extra text will interfere with the processing of your application

2. Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application at https://apply.povertyactionlab.org/login Please note: you are not required to include transcripts or letters of recommendation upon initial submission. After submitting, you can edit your application at any time and may add these materials, if requested.

Closing Date: Thursday, 15 August 2013