Research and Policy Associate at African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)

About the position 

AFIDEP is looking to recruit a Research and Policy Associate who will join our research and policy team to conduct focused research, evidence synthesis, and translation; engage stakeholders, such as policymakers, to promote consideration and utilization of evidence in decision-making processes; and participate in capacity development activities.

The position will be based at AFIDEP’s Nairobi office.

Key responsibilities 

• Writing research protocols.
• Applying for ethics review application and research permits.
• Designing and conducting systematic literature reviews and policy analysis including structured searches for literature using databases such as Pubmed, systematic data extraction and referencing using a reference manager such as Endnote or Mendeley.
• Designing quantitative and qualitative research tools including use of online tools such as survey monkey.
• Quantitative and qualitative data analysis including use of softwares such as NVIVO, Excel, SPSS or STATA.
• Writing study reports, briefs such as policy briefs, evidence briefs or systematic reviews and other evidence products like factsheets and infographics.
• Engaging with stakeholders including government, academia, NGOs and development partners including participating on government technical working groups or organising workshops, dialogues and webinars including delivering trainings.
• Developing and delivering presentations.
• Coordinating project implementating including monitoring and evaluating projects and writing project progress reports.
• Working knowledge of concepts such as evidence informed decision making, knowledge translation and gender equity and inclusion concepts.

Qualifications and requirements

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Development Studies, Public Policy, Research, Project Management, M&E or related field;
• At least 5 years’ experience coordinating (or managing) and implementing research projects Strong qualitative and/or quantitative research skills;
• Writing skills with experience in scientific writing, synthesizing research evidence into outputs that are usable by policymakers, or developing policy-oriented advocacy materials;
• Demonstrated experience in the use of scientific software for data analysis and management, such as Endnote, SPSS, Stata, NVivo, or Atlas.ti;
• Experience designing and implementing research and/or conducting policy analysis;
• Experience in program management and/or monitoring and evaluation;
• Experience working in or with the public sector (e.g. governments);
• Strong intra and interpersonal skills, analytical and critical thinking.