Research Quality Associate
Position Summary
IPA Sierra Leone is seeking a Research Quality Associate who will promote and improve methods and systems that ensure top quality data collection and adherence to research design in our Sierra Leone and Liberi offices. This position will also support the Global Research and Data Support (GRDS) team to meet organizational objectives by providing support with:
• Resource Development: Supporting development of technical resources and systems.
• Technical Support: Supporting research projects by providing technical support on advanced research methods, statistics, programming, and analysis, especially using SurveyCTO and Stata.
• Training and Capacity Building: Supporting development of research and technical capacity among IPA staff through in-person and remote trainings.
The Research Quality Associate focuses on providing technical support to research projects, especially around customizing IPA’s protocols and best practices to their needs. This position also contributes to strengthening IPA staff technical capacity through global training, monitoring, and coordination.
Responsibilities
Training and Capacity Building (40%):
• Support development of technical capacity among IPA staff through in-person and remote trainings
• Deliver technical content in his/her area of expertise at various international and remote trainings, as required
• Support the development of curriculum and content for technical aspects of onboarding of research staff
Technical Support (40%):
• Provide technical support to research projects through survey programming in SurveyCTO
• Provide technical support to research projects through statistical programming in Stata (or R)
• Support the analysis of research data for presentation or publication
• Support capacity building of technical staff in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and regional offices
• Conduct research quality reviews of research projects in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and globally
Resource Development (10%):
• Support development of systems and software that help research staff to:
o improve research quality,
o manage field research operations, and
o monitor compliance with research protocols
• Support decisions about technical support resource allocation with clear forecasting and analysis
• Provide general support to the Global Research and Data Support team as required
Qualifications
Required
• Required: At least two years working in a research organization
• Preferred: At least one year working in field-based research position
• Required: Experience with complex data management
• Required: Experience in providing research assistance or teaching assistance
• Required: Experience in conducting field research in developing countries
• Preferred: Experience supporting delivery of training programs
• Required: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in economics, social sciences, research methods, statistics or other related fields
Preferred
• Required: Excellent working knowledge of statistical programming (in Stata (preferred), R, or Python)
• Required: Training in econometrics, research methods, and/or statistics
• Required: Expert knowledge of digital data collection platforms (preference for Open Data Kit, SurveyCTO experience)
• Ability to quickly and effectively build relationships with team members, project members, and trainees
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary assistance to internal/external stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments within given parameters
• Strong attention to detail, with a proven ability to handle multiple responsibilities at one time, successfully manage time, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines
• A strong interest in providing remote support to research staff
• Results-oriented and committed to excellence
Reports to
Country Director
Deadline to Apply
Jul 26, 2024
Location
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Application Instructions
About IPA
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 of 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 a tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 900 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.
IPA's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)
As an organization, IPA is dedicated to improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable populations through evidence and policy. We also recognize how important it is for our staff to reflect the diversity of the places where we work and the communities we work with. As such, IPA is committed to hiring from a diverse pool of candidates, from a range of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. We know that this makes our work stronger and more responsive to the challenges faced by those we work with and for and we encourage people from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Click here to learn more about IPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.