Research and Operations Manager at Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD)

We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Research and Operations Manager to support PAD’s new operations in Kenya. You will work in a non-hierarchical team and have opportunities to work closely with PAD and affiliated researchers and substantially contribute to PAD’s programs that test new ideas, measure their impacts, and scale them up.

Kenyan and East African citizens are strongly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

The Research and Operations Manager will be responsible to provide ongoing support to manage PAD’s research and operations in Kenya. The Research and Operations Manager will report to the Kenya Country Director, with additional support from the Africa Regional Director, and will work closely with the relevant Program Leads, Director of Research, and Research Affiliates. The position will be located at PAD’s office in Nairobi, Kenya (alternatively, it is also possible for the position to be based at PAD’s office in Kakamega, in Western Kenya), and will temporarily be a work-from-home position due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

PAD is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.

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

• Supervise the development and rapid-iteration of PAD mobile services in Kenya, including developing protocols for monitoring our digital platform, ensuring rigorous testing and piloting of the platform, collecting feedback from the platform users, and planning the development of new features;
• Work closely with PAD researchers and our partner organizations to identify, develop, and launch new research projects, and ensure their technical rigor;
• 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;
• Guide program teams on the use of evidence-based approach and contribute to the building of institutional knowledge of the evidence base;
• Directly supervise project staff (Research Associates, Field Staff, Interns), and lead training and onboarding of new/incoming project 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 general management tasks important for the organization's functioning and success including but not limited creation and monitoring of program budgets, hiring, and strategic planning.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• A master's degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field.
• Strong technical understanding of economics and randomized evaluations.
• At least 4 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 up both within Kenya and the East Africa region.

Desired Qualifications and Experience: Our preferred candidates are likely to have some, but not all, of the following qualifications

• 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 other East African countries.

 Position details

• Full time
• Start date: As soon as possible
• Location: Nairobi, Kenya (temporarily work-from-home due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, until it is safe to work from PAD’s office) 
• Compensation: Commensurate with experience

To apply, please visit the PAD website and use the online application form. The job position will be reviewed on a rolling basis and open until the position is filled.