• Reports to: Research Manager
• Location: Kampala, Uganda with frequent travel up-country
• Deadline to apply:  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
• Desired start date: January 2015
• Length of commitment: 16 months

Innovations for Poverty Action seeks a qualified Research Associate to oversee the impact evaluation of an information campaign on voter behavior in the context of the 2015 primary elections and 2016 general elections in Uganda. The intervention will involve the recording of ‘Meet the Candidates’ sessions with Ugandan candidates for political office. Sessions will be recorded and edited by local film crews and will be screened in a random selection of polling station catchment areas. The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. The Principal Investigators for this project are Melina Platas Izama (Stanford University) and Pia Raffler (Yale University).

Responsibilities: 

• Coordinating and supervising all data collection activities
• Closely work with partner organizations, including political parties, on the recording and screening of ‘Meet the Candidate’ sessions
• Formulating plans to operationalize field activities suggested by Principal Investigators
• Developing and piloting survey instruments
• Working closely with the Principal Investigators and the local partners running the program to ensure study protocols are followed
• Hiring, training, and managing teams of local enumerators that will conduct data collection among business owners, workers, and household members
• Planning, organizing and reporting on surveys in the field
• Managing the project data from collection to cleaned datasets
• Tracking expenses and adhering to the project budget
• Writing regular progress reports

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, social sciences, public policy, or related fields; a Master’s degree in any of these fields is a strong plus
• Training in economics and statistics
• Excellent management and organizational skills
• Demonstrated proficiency in Stata and experience with data management, data cleaning, and regression analysis is a must
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple assignments simultaneously with minimal supervision
• Excellent oral and written communication skills. Fluency in English is required
• Experience conducting field research in a developing country is strongly preferred. Previous experience with impact evaluations and/or randomized controlled trials is a strong plus

Application Instructions:

1.  Please send an email to jobs-uganda@poverty-action.org following these instructions exactly:

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

Please do not include any text besides the position line(s) 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. Please select the position(s) you are interested in applying for on the ‘Submit Application’ page. Statement of purpose (cover letter), CV and reference. We will consider your application even if you are unable to obtain reference letters before the deadline, but please be advised that we will be requiring them should you be invited for an interview.Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Innovations for Poverty Action is an EO Employer-MF/Veteran/Disability.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected class.

IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org or via phone at 1-203-772-2216.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the 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 prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions to jobs@poverty-action.org.

** Please note that only qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring manager.