Deputy Regional Director (DRD), East Africa at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Job Summary

Qualifications

• At a minimum, MPA, MPP, and Masters in a relevant subject area such as economics, statistics, public policy, development, etc. as well as at least 5 years of leadership and direct non-profit management experience
• Strong communication skills, ability to multi-task and a creative approach to work is required
• Ability to coordinate with members of other teams at a variety of levels.
• Ability to deal with a wide variety of cultures and personalities gracefully.
• Ability to present academic research in clear, simple language and to engage policymakers and donors in a discussion on using and scaling rigorous evidence
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, cope with change, and comfortably handle risk and uncertainty
• Experience advising others on how to approach complicated management, human resource, and logistical problems.
• Experience in an IPA Country Program, or similar organization, strongly preferred
• Experience working with donors, government agencies, policymakers, and researchers on evidence-based policymaking
• Passion for and experience with quantitative research and evidence-based policymaking
• Experience developing or managing research projects in multiple sectors, ideally randomized controlled trials, is strongly preferred.
• Experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa is strongly preferred.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently within the region.

Responsibilities 

The specific responsibilities of the DRD include:

Country Office Support and Oversight

• Provide oversight to the overall financial and operational health and sustainability of assigned country offices and across the region with a focus on risk management, financial management and delivery. The DRD will support across the region in the absence of the RD or while on vacation/travel.  
• Advice and assist Country Offices on management issues, as required.
• Guide and oversee Country Programs with annual planning and oversee country teams throughout the year to ensure that plans are executed successfully.
• Collaborate with IPA’s functional teams and Global Operations Director to support and advise Country Programs on operational issues, roll-out and troubleshoot operational manuals and policies, and coordinate necessary internal staff to achieve results for Country Programs as needed.  
• Line manage the Country Directors/ Country Managers of assigned countries and work with them to improve operational systems and financial sustainability
• Support across the region to improve operational systems and financial sustainability of country programs
• Where applicable, support the establishment of new country offices in the region
• Provide in person and or remote support to country offices during management transitions

Project Development Support

• Identify and support potential research/ impact evaluation project opportunities with new partners and academic researchers to determine feasibility, assist in research design, and contribute to stronger cost-effective budgeting based on productivity assumptions in assigned countries.
• Oversee the development of new research projects in assigned Country Offices, ensuring that they align well with IPA’s mission and standards and that new projects are adequately planned and budgeted for; review project budgets before submission for accuracy and precision.
• Work with IPA’s Business Development team to fundraise for assigned Country Programs, targeting new funding sources opportunities, partnerships, and consortiums.

Research and Policy Development and Quality

• Work with assigned Country Programs to refine their focus and grow their sector approach with key stakeholders and to set a corresponding agenda for policy engagement and project development.
• Promote high-quality research and support the roll-out of innovations in research methods in assigned countries
• Stay abreast of IPA/J-PAL evidence and support linkages between global and local research agendas
• Lead and oversee the implementation of IPAs Management Philosophy across assigned IPAs Country Offices

go to method of application »

IPA is seeking a Policy Manager to lead the execution of policy engagement, policy strategy, and results dissemination for an initiative  that seeks to improve the availability and quality of evidence to inform gender-responsive policy and programming for the COVID-19 crisis. The Policy Manager will work with a range of stakeholders to collaboratively develop data and evidence projects related to women's work, entrepreneurship, time use, youth skilling, and youth school-to-work transitions. In this role the Policy Manager will collaborate with policymakers, researchers, experts, and internal IPA stakeholders to identify decision-maker needs and develop actionable insights to inform policies and programs impacting women and girls during the evolving COVID-19 crisis. Policy Managers will receive guidance from gender experts and local academics in Kenya who are influential in the evidence-to-policy spaces in these contexts.

Responsibilities 

Partner Development, Policy Engagement, Results Dissemination:

• Cultivate relationships with key policy makers/ practitioners and regularly engage with them to identify and assess policy needs and priorities
• In partnership with gender experts, researchers, and other stakeholders, provide technical assistance in the development of our partners’ policy and programmatic responses to data and evidence
• Develop and execute policy impact strategies and dissemination events in Kenya (in partnership with research teams, PIs, and Global Policy & Comms team)
• Convene policy partners, IPA policy and sector leads, technical experts, and donor to participate in existing sector working groups or steering committees focused on using evidence to inform policy in relevant sectors
• Manage the dissemination of results with partners and collaborate with colleagues to plan and participate in policy roundtables
• Support other staff in executing project activities

Project and Research Development

• Identify and develop project opportunities such as diagnostic surveys and impact evaluations in partnership with researchers and global staff based on the needs of key policy partners
• Lead the development of Memoranda of Understanding and protocols that guide relationships with key players in women's work, entrepreneurship and time use, and youth skilling and school-to-work transitions
• Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor
• Maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures

Qualifications 

• Experience and interest in gender-related policy and programming, particularly in small and medium enterprises and women's work, entrepreneurship and time use, and youth skilling and school-to-work transitions
• Experience working with or within government departments or NGOs making or influencing gender policy in Kenya is preferred
• Interest in and understanding of Kenya’s policy landscape, COVID-19 related policies and programming
• Knowledge of and demonstrated interest in the use of rigorous evidence for policy required
• Connections with policymakers and stakeholders in these sectors is a plus
• Knowledge and experience with randomized controlled trials is a plus
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders informally and in presentations
• Attention to detail and advanced presentation skills for communicating policy lessons from academic papers in ways that policymakers understand. This requires clear, precise, non-technical writing, and confident, effective spoken communication and presentation style.
• Proven ability to multitask and successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision.
• Willingness to work hard, be self-motivated, and learn will be essential for doing well in this position.
• Ability to work effectively with colleagues across time zones
• Master's degree in gender, economics, development, international relations, public administration, public policy or a closely related field strongly preferred. Will accept additional experience in place of a Master's.
• 5 or more years of relevant experience, including at least 1 year of experience working closely with national government officials or large NGOs.