The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:    Research
Associate/Senior Research Associate

Organisation: Innovations
for Poverty Action (IPA)

Duty Station: Based
in Kampala, Uganda with about 30% field work in Kamwenge

Reports to:
Research Manager/Research Coordinator

Desired Start Date: 1^st August, 2019

Department:
Research

About US:

Innovations for
Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit 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. In recent decades, trillions of
dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but
clear evidence on which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist,
decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together
leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we
create leads to tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA
has worked with over 575 leading academics to conduct over 650 evaluations in
51 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that
now impact millions of individuals worldwide.

About Uganda Rural Water Study:

Stanford University
and IPA, in collaboration with the US-based NGO Water for People (WFP), is
conducting an assessment of the installation of two multi-village piped water
schemes being implemented by WFP. The infrastructure investment is designed to
reduce the time costs and physical burden of water supply for rural households
in Kamwenge District, and also to improve the quality of water delivered to
users. Three rounds of data collection are envisioned: A baseline before system
commissioning in late September, then a midline and endline approximately 1 and
2 years later.

Job Summary:  IPA is seeking a highly motivated and
qualified Research Associate/Senior Research Associate (RA/SRA) to manage a
research study comparing the effects of domestic water infrastructure
investment on household water use behaviors and well-being. The study involves
a quasi-experimental design using individually matched treatment and control
households in neighboring areas of Kamwenge District, Uganda. The Principal
Investigator is Jenna Davis (Stanford University), with co-PIs Kanwaljeet J. S.
Anand (Stanford University), Scholastic Ashaba (Mbarara University of Science
and Technology), and Alexandria Boehm (Stanford University).

This position
provides an excellent opportunity to gain extensive hands‐on
experience in a field setting and to have significant management responsibility
in a vibrant organization undertaking cutting‐edge development
research. Key areas of involvement will include: sample frame development,
contributing to and pilot testing survey questionnaires, recruiting, designing
and conducting field team training in collaboration with the study PI, managing
survey teams, designing and supervising logistics for the field activities,
designing and implementing QA/QC procedures, cleaning and analyzing survey
data, managing a mixed-methods process evaluation and assisting in the writing
of project reports and policy memos.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: The Research Associate/Senior Research
Associate (RA/SRA) will perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited
to:

·        
Obtain data
and conducting analyses needed for sample frame development

·        
Contribute
to and organize piloting of the data-collection instruments, including
programming digital data collection and managing the translation and
back-translation of the survey into the local language.

·        
Hire and
manage the field teams that will conduct the data collection. Create and
maintain a team culture that is supportive and encourages questions but also
sets high expectations for committed and high quality work.

·        
Work
with the PI to design and carry out effective training for enumerators.

·        
Manage
all field logistics during the training and data-collection periods

·        
Ensure
that local leaders are aware of and support study activities, securing any
necessary approvals from local authorities, and maintaining good relations with
communities in the study area.

·        
Develop
and implement QA/QC procedures to ensure collected data is of the highest
quality, including ensuring all data quality protocols are followed, auditing
enumerators and performing daily checks of incoming data, and taking corrective
measures as needed to address problems with data-collection instruments and/or
enumerator performance.

·        
Manage
the data from collection through cleaning to delivery of a final, cleaned
dataset.

·        
Manage
the budget including tracking all expenses to ensure costs are within project
funds.

·        
Act as a
liaison between the research team and the Water for People implementation team.

·        
Maintain
regular communication with the study PI and other members of the research team
regarding fieldwork progress, as well as challenges encountered and strategies
to resolve them.

·        
Perform
related duties as assigned by supervisor.

·        
Maintain
compliance with all company policies and procedures.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience: 

·        
The ideal
candidate must hold a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, statistics,
data science, international development, social sciences, or related field

·        
At least
two years of research project experience at a field research management or
analyst position in low- and middle-income countries

·        
Proficiency
with Stata, SurveyCTO programming language and Microsoft Office tools;
programming and other technical knowledge a plus

·        
Familiarity
with quasi-experimental research designs, particularly those incorporating
matching methods

·        
Demonstrated
ability to manage relationships with stakeholders (especially principal
investigators and partner organizations)

·        
Strong
written communication skills

·        
Excellent
command of English, both spoken and written

·        
Demonstrated
commitment to IPA’s high standards of data quality

·        
Excellent
management, interpersonal, and organizational skills

·        
Demonstrated
ability to coordinate work effectively over email and phone

·        
Flexible,
self-motivating and team player

·        
Substantive
knowledge of water supply, public health, and/or child development preferred
but not required

How to Apply:

To complete the
application, send an email to jobs-uganda@poverty-action.org with a copy to
eatuhumuza@poverty-action.org. Upload your updated CV including 3 professional
referees: Maximum 2 pages in length, 2) Cover letter: Maximum 1 page in length
and 3) your highest level degree or diploma: Maximum 2 pages in length. Due to
the high number of applications, only candidates who successfully passed the CV
screening step will be contacted.

DISCLAIMER: The
above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the
work being performed by Research Associate/Senior 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. IPA is an equal
opportunity employer.

Deadline: 14^th July 2019

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