Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), Research Associate Jobs in Tanzania

  • Reports
    to:

    Research Manager
  • Location:
    Mbeya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • Deadline
    to apply:

    Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
  • Desired
    start date:

    TBD
Innovations
for Poverty Action (IPA) discovers and promotes effective solutions to global
poverty problems. IPA designs, rigorously evaluates, and refines these
solutions and their applications together with decision-makers to ensure that
the evidence created is used to improve opportunities for the world’s poor.
Since our founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 350 leading academics to
conduct over 450 evaluations in 51 countries. This research has informed
hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals
worldwide.
IPA
seeks qualified applicants for the position of Research Associate for an
evaluation of TechnoServe’s ‘Strengthening Rural Youth Development through
Enterprise’ (STRYDE) 2.0 program in Tanzania.
The
Program
TechnoServe
has been implementing the STRYDE 1 program since 2011, which has impacted the
lives of 15,000 rural youth and their households in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.
Based on the successes and lessons learned from STRYDE 1, the program is now
entering a second phase, where it will work with an additional 48,015 youth and
include new geographies (Northern Uganda and Tanzania). STRYDE 2 is a five-year
program funded by the MasterCard Foundation that has been running since August
2014 to July 2019. The overall goal of the project is to improve the livelihood
of rural youth and their households by providing them with the necessary tools
that will motivate them and enhance their ability to exploit existing
opportunities. The project will train rural youth on basic life and career
skills and later link the trained youth with potential employers or support the
youths to develop business plans. The goal is that this will allow local youth
to increase their long term earning potential and actively participate in the
local economy.
The
Evaluation
The
STRYDE 2.0 program will be evaluated through a mixed-methods research design,
including:
  • Multiple
    ethnographic studies and focus group discussions/interviews beginning in
    Q3 2015)
  • A
    phased-in Randomized Controlled Trial (beginning Q1 2016)
The
key outcomes of interest include increased youth confidence and ability to make
decisions, enhanced career skills and entrepreneurial skills, increased youth
awareness of potential business opportunities, and increased openness of local
businesses and employers in engaging with youth. This evaluation will be led by
Principal Investigators Nathan Fiala, Lemayon Melyoki, and Rachel Steinacher.
Essential
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Research Associate will be
responsible for successful implementation of the STRYDE 2.0 evaluation. This
will include:
  • Supporting
    the on-going design of the STRYDE 2.0 evaluation
  • Working
    with the IPA Research Team to plan all project activities
  • Being
    responsible for implementation of all project activities, including data
    collection, data quality assurance protocols, survey tool draftingand
    piloting, etc.
  • Regularly
    communicating successes and challenges to the IPA Research Team
  • Facilitating
    communication with the STRYDE 2.0 M&E and program implementation teams
  • Working
    with the STRYDE 2.0 M&E and program implementation teams to ensure
    core concepts and outcomes are clearly mapped out in the STRYDE 2.0 Theory
    of Change
  • Ensuring
    that the evaluation data collection activities and TechnoServe’s internal
    data collection systems are aligned
  • Participating
    in field observations of STRYDE 2.0 program activities
  • Conducting
    qualitative data collection, including focus groups discussions/interviews
    with youth in the Mbeya region and ethnographic studies of the STRYDE 2.0
    program
  • Mapping
    out external stakeholders and opportunities for scale and policy
    influence; facilitating development of relationships with these
    stakeholders
  • Supporting
    recruitment, training and managing of a team of Field Officers to conduct
    data collection
  • Securing
    research permit(s) and IRB(s) as required for research with STRYDE 2.0
    participants
  • Responsibility
    managing project finances
  • Ensuring
    all stages of the project are well documented in IPA’s knowledge
    management resources
Education
and/or Work Experience Requirements:
This section is used to describe what
knowledge, skills and abilities are required to perform the daily tasks and job
duties bulleted above. Some examples are:
  • Excellent
    verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively
    communicate with internal and external stakeholders
  • Must
    be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a
    positive attitude and producing high quality work
  • Ability
    to work independently and to carry out assignments as agreed upon with the
    Research Team
  • Experience
    working in East Africa is preferred
  • Bachelor’s
    degree required, Master’s degree strongly preferred
  • Fluency
    in Swahili is required
  • Basic
    proficiency in Stata and MS Office required
Application
Instructions:

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.
IPA
will never require monetary compensation as part of its application process.
Any requests for monetary compensation by persons claiming to be IPA employees
or persons claiming to represent IPA should be disregarded and reported to IPA.
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.
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