Research Officer at Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD)

Precision Agriculture for Development, Inc. (PAD) seeks a Kenya Research Manager to support PAD research, operations, and scale-up activities in Kenya and in the greater East Africa region by overseeing multiple research projects in collaboration with one or more key partner organizations.

PAD was established with a keen eye towards rigorous evaluation and constant experimentation. Each of our programs and partnerships have a strong complement of research, ranging from large- and small-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to A/B tests to pilot trials. Most of PAD’s research projects are led by Shawn Cole (Harvard Business School) and Michael Kremer (Harvard University). PAD’s research activities are also supported by affiliated researchers from other institutions and are overseen by PAD’s Boston-based Senior Researcher.

Kenyan and East African citizens are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

The Kenya Research Manager will be responsible for the following main tasks:

• Work closely with PAD researchers and our partner organizations to identify, develop, and launch new research projects;
• Supervise from start to finish the implementation of various research projects in collaboration with our partners. This includes developing research designs and proposals, managing data collection activities, and conducting data cleaning and analysis;
• Ensure project adherence in the field to general research design, sample selection, data quality and security, and research protocols;
• Directly supervise project research staff (Research Associates, Field Staff), and lead training and onboarding of new/incoming project research staff;
• Maintain excellent relationship and communication with our partners to ensure the success of our projects.
• Develop and maintain work plans and timelines across projects to ensure optimal allocation of resources and meeting key deadlines on time;
• Keep the Kenya Country Director appraised of all developments on the projects in their portfolio, and serve as key link between partners, project staff, and PAD researchers;
• Support the dissemination of results via presentations and reports to our partners;
• Contribute to project financial management, including creation and monitoring of program budgets.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• A master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field. Graduate level coursework in microeconomics, econometrics, and development economics is required.
• Strong technical understanding of economics and randomized evaluations.
• At least 2 years’ experience running or managing quantitative research projects focusing on impact evaluation.
• The candidate must be comfortable engaging with high level policy contacts (e.g. senior officials, senior staff from international organizations).
• Proficient in using Stata or R for data analysis.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders. Strong self-motivation with skill in working under tight timelines.
• Strong leadership and relationship-building skills with experience managing staff.
• Willingness to travel both within Kenya and the East Africa region.

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

• Proficient in using SurveyCTO or a similar program for survey design.
• Experience working on randomized evaluations.
• Experience working on agricultural programs.
• Previous work experience in Kenya or East African countries.