Research Associate at Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD)

Job Details

We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Research Associate to support PAD’s existing 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 Associate will be responsible to provide ongoing support to PAD’s research activities in Kenya. The Research Associate will report to the Kenya Research and Operations Manager and will work with the Director of Research and relevant 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 Associate will be responsible for the following main tasks:

• Supervise the implementation of field operations and research activities;
• Support and manage the development of digital platforms to disseminate information to smallholder farmers via their mobile phones;
• Monitor and analyze usage of the SMS and IVR services;
• Hire, train, and supervise data collection staff;
• Supervise data management activities, clean and analyze data;
• Work with PAD team to ensure that all projects and operations adhere to policies, protocols, and timelines;
• Develop and update project documentation regularly;
• Assist in managing partner relations and working with external stakeholders for implementation of field operations

Qualifications

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• A bachelor's degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, statistics, or a closely related field.
• Fluency in English. Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills.
• Management and organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work independently and be supervised remotely.
• 1-2 years' work experience running or managing research projects.
• Knowledge of Stata or R or similar software for data analysis.
• Ability to work under time pressure and solve problems in the field.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% to project areas nationally.
• Good understanding of economics and familiarity with randomized evaluations.

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

• Master's degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, statistics, or a closely related field.
• Proficient in using SurveyCTO or a similar program for survey design.
• Experience working on randomized evaluations.
• Experience working on agricultural programs.
• Experience managing teams and working in groups.
• 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
• Work authorization: This position is contingent upon the candidate being able to get work authorization in Kenya.

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.