Senior Associate- Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Resilience Management at Busara Center

Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities:

Senior Associates will work closely with Busara offices and  directly with academic researchers and advisory clients to perform a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to:

Client & Advisory Leadership

• Own the client relationship across the full engagement lifecycle — from scoping and contracting through delivery and dissemination.
• Lead senior-level conversations with donors, implementing partners, ministries, and private sector clients; anticipate needs, navigate complexity, and manage expectations proactively.
• Translate client problems into well-defined research and advisory briefs; push back constructively when questions are ill-formed or scope is misaligned.
• Develop proposals, concept notes, and pitch decks; contribute to business development within the food systems and climate resilience space.
• Represent Busara at conferences, technical working groups, and client convenings — presenting findings with clarity and confidence to non-specialist and expert audiences alike.

Qualitative Research & Technical Execution

• Design and lead qualitative research components — including in-depth interviews (IDIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), ethnographic observation, and participatory methods — with rigor and cultural sensitivity.
• Synthesize qualitative evidence into coherent, actionable narratives; identify behavioral drivers and barriers embedded in complex social and institutional contexts.
• Apply behavioral science frameworks (e.g., COM-B, dual process theory, social norms models) to agricultural and climate adaptation challenges.
• Oversee mixed-methods research design, ensuring qualitative and quantitative workstreams are well-integrated and mutually reinforcing.
• Maintain quality control across all research outputs — guides, transcripts, codebooks, analysis memos, and final reports.

Project & People Management

• Own project timelines, budgets, deliverables, and staffing plans; escalate risks early and manage scope proactively.
• Directly manage and mentor Analysts and Project Leads embedded on your engagements; build their research and advisory skills through active coaching.
• Coordinate across Busara's Data, Programming, and Operations teams to ensure smooth execution of field and remote research activities.
• Contribute to onboarding and knowledge management so institutional learning is captured and usable.

Organizational Contribution

• Contribute to FaRM team strategy and knowledge development — including internal research, sector thought pieces, and methodology innovation.
• Participate in hiring, onboarding, and performance management of junior team members.
• Champion a culture of intellectual rigor, constructive feedback, and psychological safety within your project teams.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Required

• 5–8 years of experience in research, advisory, or program design roles with a meaningful focus on food systems, agriculture, or climate resilience in sub-Saharan Africa or comparable contexts.
• Deep expertise in qualitative research methods — IDIs, FGDs, thematic analysis, and synthesis with strong fieldwork experience in low-resource settings.
• Demonstrated ability to manage senior client and partner relationships with confidence, clarity, and professional maturity.
• Proven track record leading complex, multi-stakeholder projects from inception to delivery.
• Strong analytical and synthesis skills, you can turn messy qualitative data into a crisp, defensible argument.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English; able to write for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (Social Sciences, Development Studies, Agricultural Economics, Public Policy, or related).