Research Manager at Precision Development (PxD)

Responsibilities (including but not limited to):

The role will grow as you develop, but you will start by focusing on the following key responsibilities: 

• Manage the implementation of research activities for the project, ensuring adherence to appropriate rigor, policies, timelines, and budgets.
• Manage financial and human resources for the project.
• Guide teams on the use of evidence-based approaches and ensure that PxD maintains the standards for technical appropriateness and rigor.
• Oversee data management and analysis for the project and survey creation and implementation.
• Oversee documentation of research activities, research results, and rationale for decisions made.
• Interpret and contextualize external and internal evidence and insights for PxD programs.
• Manage partner relations and work with external stakeholders for successful project implementation.
• Develop and ensure compliance with IRB protocols for human subject research and relevant in-country research permission requirements.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to Associate-level staff.
• Contribute and support internal and external communications to disseminate project results and research findings, including briefs, blogs, reports, and presentations.
• Contribute to PxD’s institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate will have: 

• Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field.
• Professional experience working on at least two large projects involving the design and management of rigorous research and/or evidence-based programs in LMIC countries.
• Ability to draw inferences from data to identify pathways for program improvement.
• Adept at consuming large amounts of academic and scientific literature as well as other technical information, synthesizing key findings, and applying takeaways to program and research design.
• Deep understanding of economics and randomized evaluations.
• Excellent knowledge of Stata or R or similar software for data analysis
• Experience in using SurveyCTO/ODK or a similar program for survey design.
• Strong grasp of the research & program life cycle and ability to supervise all activities on the ground.
•  Experience managing program and/or research staff.
• Experience managing partnerships with an implementing organization.
• Understanding and application of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills.
• Willingness to travel to field sites in Kenya.