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Full Time |
Nigeria |
Posted 1 year ago |
Job Title: Associate Director, Research
Location: Nigeria
Employment Type: Full-time
Job Description
- We seek an Associate Director of Research to support the Nigeria country program. As a member of the country management team, the Associate Director (AD) will work closely with the Country Director to provide strategic direction, research oversight, and capacity building to a team of local and international staff.
- The AD will have a strong focus on research management for the Nigeria office, represent IPA in Nigeria, and provide oversight to a portfolio of impact evaluations that are expected to span across multiple sectors over time: financial inclusion, peace and recovery, social protection, health, education, agriculture, and enterprise development.
- He/she will contribute to IPA Nigeria’s continued expansion by initiating new partnerships and projects in the country and will support the dissemination of results to development practitioners and policymakers.
- This position provides a unique opportunity to gain high-level management experience in a growing country program, and to be closely involved in policy-relevant research, working with top academics, donors, governments, and other practitioners to foster evidence based-policy making.
Responsibilities
Ensure high-quality research projects in Nigeria:
- Manage a team composed of Research Managers/Associate Research Managers whose responsibilities include project design, management of data collection, data management, and analysis, and writing of research reports, all in close collaboration with the Principal Investigators.
- Ensure that IPA research is implemented according to IPA’s quality standards and Principal Investigators’ direction.
- Lead with transitions, on-boarding/off-boarding of new Research Managers/Coordinators staff, and maintaining institutional memory of project activities.
- Promote inter-project best practices and take the lead in sharing best practices with projects through formal and informal training for staff.
- Work to incorporate best practices and lessons learned in research and data quality by other IPA offices and research affiliates.
- Build systems and structures to build staff capacity and ensure overall data quality.
- Directly manage research project(s), as needed, including providing technical/field support, liaising with researchers, overseeing grant management, data collection and reporting.
Contribute to IPA’s continued expansion by supporting new partnerships and projects in Nigeria:
- Share leadership of business development with the Country Director to grow the two country offices and identify new research and policy project opportunities.
- In collaboration with potential partners and Principal Investigators, identify and develop potential projects with meaningful research and policy implications in line with IPA’s mission.
- Conduct partner outreach, including meetings with interested organizations/researchers and review of new project ideas.
- Participate in research project design and lead budgeting/proposal materials development for new and ongoing projects to ensure evaluations meet IPA standards.
- Review proposal materials, including budgets, in collaboration with Country Director.
- Participate in capacity building of staff on project development tasks and responsibilities.
Policy Impact and External Relations:
- Represent IPA in national and local government agencies and partner organizations
- Develop and maintain relationships with current and potential IPA partner organizations, implementing partners, the government and academia for the country office to maximize its impact
- Engage government partners and other stakeholders to identify research questions of interest and cultivate potential research projects in those areas
- Oversee/participate in capacity building of local development partners in evidence-based policy making and rigorous impact evaluations
- Oversee targeted dissemination, encourage scale up of successful interventions
General Management and Operations Support:
- Work with the Country Director to set the vision and strategic plan for the country program and track progress
- Support the supervision and management of the operations function including compliance, procurement, finance, and administration
Education and/or Work Experience Requirements
- Master’s Degree in Project Management, Development Economics, International Affairs, International Public Policy, or field related to international economic development.
- A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, including 3 years in a management position; preferably experience in research and policy engagement, ideally in West Africa.
- Strong technical research skills
- Demonstrated ability to lead large teams and multiple projects
- Experience in randomized controlled trials preferred
- Experience developing research projects, experience with budgeting and project planning
- Passion for connecting rigorous research to policy makers and practitioners and communicating what works in development
- Commitment to leading a diverse team in a multicultural environment and building staff capacity
- Ability to communicate effectively across cultures with multiple stakeholders including international and local academic researchers, government officials, NGO partners, enumeration teams, and study participants.
- Experience in people and financial management, including managing funds from multiple donors preferred.
- Experience in grants and contracts management, preferably in a research setting, preferred.
- Excellent management and organizational skills and ability to work independently with proven ability to multi-task.
- Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player.
- Fluency in both written and spoken English is required.
Application Closing Date
Not Specified.
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Job Features
Job Category | Research / Survey |