Job Openings at Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD)

We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Research Associate to support PxD’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 PxD’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 PxD’s research activities in Kenya. The Research Associate will report to the Research and Operations Manager (Kenya) and will work with the Director of Research and relevant Research Affiliates. The position will be located in Kenya.

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

go to method of application »

We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Research and Operations Manager (ROM). You will work in a non-hierarchical team and have opportunities to work closely with PxD and affiliated researchers and substantially contribute to PxD’s research programs that test new ideas and measure their impacts.  

Responsibilities

The Research and Operations Manager will be responsible to provide ongoing support to PxD’s research operations and management in Kenya as well as other countries in Africa where we currently work (e.g. Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria). In order to facilitate a steady stream of research and programmatic opportunities, the successful applicant will also actively contribute to fundraising, funder reporting, and research dissemination. The Research and Operations Manager will work closely with the Director of Research, Africa Regional Director, Research Affiliates, Research Associates and the relevant teams. The position will be located in Kenya. PxD is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.

Research management and support

• Work with relevant PxD teams, researchers, and research affiliates to manage the implementation of research projects and ensure that projects adhere to policies, procedures, and timelines.
• Provide guidance and oversight to Research Associates on research activities, including data cleaning, power calculations, and preliminary analysis. 
• Apprise PxD researchers, research affiliates, and country leads on the progress of projects on a regular basis.
• Support the project teams in preparing progress reports for funders and partners.
• Work closely with PxD researchers and our partner organizations to identify, develop, and launch new research projects, and ensure technical rigor.
• Guide program teams on the use of evidence-based approach and contribute to the building of institutional knowledge of the evidence base.
• Take lead on preparing Institutional Review Board applications and modifications with oversight from PxD researchers and research affiliates.
• Support literature reviews and other desk research to inform research activities as well as programmatic functions for PxD.
• Assist with proposal development for prospective funders and partners, alongside other PxD team members.
• Support PxD in developing processes to maintain the integrity and the quality of research
• Stay abreast of the latest research related to mobile phone-based agricultural extension.

Knowledge management

• Maintain library of relevant research for all PxD team members.
• Take lead on maintaining the PxD’s institutional knowledge base on current landscape of other organizations and companies operating in the mobile phone-based agricultural advisory space.
• Write research summaries and results in various formats, including briefs, website text, presentations, emails, etc.
• Actively contribute to research dissemination and outreach activities.
• Support PxD in creating and maintaining institutional knowledge related to its research findings. 

Other

• Contribute to general management tasks important for PxD’s functioning and success – including but not limited to budgeting, hiring, and strategic planning – on an as-needed basis.

Qualifications and experience

• Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field (we may consider exceptional candidates without a Master’s degree who have extensive experience in experimental research in developing countries)
• Deep understanding of economics, econometrics, and statistics
• At least 4 years of professional experience 
• Experience with randomized controlled trials
• Experience with statistical software, such as Stata and/or R
• Strong communication skills in English, both written and oral
• Experience with research in developing countries
• Experience managing partnerships with an implementing organization.
• Experience managing program and/or research staff.
• Interest in agricultural development and technology for development
• Strong interest in and commitment to PxD’s mission to leverage technology to improve the lives of the poor at scale.
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Experience working in a start-up environment desired but not required.
• Experience working with an organization across multiple geographies desired but not required.

Position details

• Full time
• Start date: as soon as possible
• Location: Nairobi or Kakamega, Kenya
• Due to the ongoing pandemic, PxD operations have been remote since March 2020. PxD will continue to monitor the situation in all of our countries of operation to assess safety and feasibility of our office operations. 
• Compensation: Commensurate with experience

go to method of application »

We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Global Research and Operations Manager. 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 research programs that test new ideas and measure their impacts.  

Responsibilities

PAD’s Global Research and Operations Manager will be responsible to provide ongoing support to PAD’s research operations and management across geographies. In order to facilitate a steady stream of research and programmatic opportunities, the successful applicant will also actively contribute to fundraising, funder reporting, and research dissemination.

The Global Research and Operations Manager will work closely with the relevant Program Leads, Director of Research, Country Directors, and Research Affiliates. The position will be located in one of PAD’s program locations and will require frequent travel. PAD is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.

 Research management and support

• Work with relevant PAD country teams, researchers, and research affiliates to manage the implementation of research projects and ensure that projects adhere to policies, procedures, and timelines.
• Provide guidance and oversight to Research Associates on research activities, including data cleaning, power calculations, and preliminary analysis. 
• Apprise PAD researchers, research affiliates, and country leads on the progress of projects on a regular basis.
• Support the project teams in preparing progress reports for funders and partners.
• Work closely with PAD researchers and our partner organizations to identify, develop, and launch new research projects, and ensure technical rigor.
• Guide program teams on the use of evidence-based approach and contribute to the building of institutional knowledge of the evidence base.
• Take lead on preparing Institutional Review Board applications and modifications with oversight from PAD researchers and research affiliates.
• Support literature reviews and other desk research to inform research activities as well as programmatic functions for PAD.
• Assist with proposal development for prospective funders and partners, alongside other PAD team members.
• Support PAD in developing processes to maintain the integrity and the quality of research
• Stay abreast of the latest research related to mobile phone-based agricultural extension.

Knowledge management

• Maintain library of relevant research for all PAD team members.
• Take lead on maintaining PAD’s institutional knowledge base on current landscape of other organizations and companies operating in the mobile phone-based agricultural advisory space.
• Write research summaries and results in various formats, including briefs, website text, presentations, emails, etc.
• Actively contribute to research dissemination and outreach activities.
• Support PAD in creating and maintaining institutional knowledge related to its research findings. 

Other

• Contribute to general management tasks important for PAD’s functioning and success – including but not limited to budgeting, hiring, and strategic planning – on an as-needed basis.

Qualifications and experience

• Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field (we may consider exceptional candidates without a Master’s degree who have extensive experience in experimental research in developing countries)
• Deep understanding of economics, econometrics, and statistics
• At least 4 years of professional experience 
• Experience with randomized controlled trials
• Experience with statistical software, such as Stata and R
• Strong communication skills in English, both written and oral
• Experience with research in developing countries
• Experience managing partnerships with an implementing organization
• Experience managing program and/or research staff
• Interest in agricultural development and technology for development
• Strong interest in and commitment to PAD’s mission to leverage technology to improve the lives of the poor at scale.
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Experience working in a start-up environment desired but not required
• Experience working with an organization across multiple geographies desired but not required

 Position details

• Full time
• Start date: as soon as possible
• Location: one of PAD’s country offices in India, Pakistan, Kenya, or Ethiopia
• Country nationals with work authorization in countries where PAD has active projects are strongly encouraged to apply (India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia)
• Due to the ongoing pandemic, PAD operations have been remote since March 2020. PAD will continue to monitor the situation in all of our countries of operation to assess safety and feasibility of our office operations. 
• Compensation: Commensurate with experience

go to method of application »

We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Global Research Associate. 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 research programs that test new ideas and measure their impacts.  

Responsibilities

The Global Research Associate will be responsible for the following main tasks:

• Work with PAD Research Managers and affiliated Researchers to develop and implement a wide range of research projects, including randomized controlled trials.
• Work with and support country teams to ensure that research projects adhere to policies, procedures, and timelines.
• Conduct literature reviews and other desk research.
• Develop and update project documentation regularly.
• Manage, document, and clean project data sets and prepare them for analysis.
• Assist in conducting data analysis.
• Assist in managing partner relations and working with external stakeholders for implementation of field operations.
• Support in-country research teams in developing and submitting IRB protocols, renewals, and amendments.
• Stay up to date on the latest research ethics guidelines and handling of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in research projects.
• Work with the project team to write project reports.
• Work with PAD Research Managers and affiliated Researchers to write research grant proposals and journal articles.
• Support PAD institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.

Qualifications and experience

Required

• A bachelor’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, statistics, or a closely related field
• Strong understanding of economics, econometrics, and familiarity with randomized evaluations.
• Experience with Stata or R or similar software for data analysis.
• Experience working on field research in development economics.
• Understanding of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Fluency in English. Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interest in and commitment to PAD’s mission to leverage technology to improve the lives of the poor at scale.
• Ability to work under time pressure and solve problems creatively.
• Willingness to travel to project sites and conduct field work (when the Covid-19 pandemic allows).

Desirable

• Experience working on IRB protocols for protection of human subjects in social science research.

• Good understanding of data security protocols for handling Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in research projects.

• Proficiency in using SurveyCTO or a similar program for survey design.
• Experience working on agricultural programs.
• Previous work experience in developing countries.

 Position details

• Full time
• Start date: as soon as possible
• Location: one of PAD’s country offices in India, Pakistan, Kenya, or Ethiopia
• Country nationals with work authorization in countries where PAD has active projects are strongly encouraged to apply (India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia)
• Due to the ongoing pandemic, PAD operations have been remote since March 2020. PAD will continue to monitor the situation in all of our countries of operation to assess safety and feasibility of our office operations. 
• Compensation: Commensurate with experience