Vacant Positions at Busara Center

Role Purpose 

• Busara's FaRM team applies behavioral science to some of the most complex challenges in food systems, smallholder agriculture, and climate resilience across the Global South. As a Senior Associate, you will work closely with the Engagement Director to lead the delivery of rigorous research and advisory projects for donors, governments, NGOs, and private sector clients working on food security, climate adaptation, and agricultural market systems. 
• You are a skilled researcher and project executor, someone who can take a well-scoped engagement and drive it forward with rigor, initiative, and attention to detail. You bring deep qualitative research expertise, genuine sector knowledge, and the organizational ability to keep complex, multi-method projects on track.
• You translate behavioral evidence into actionable recommendations, backed by the credibility that comes from real field experience and methodological depth. You are comfortable representing Busara's work in client settings and holding your own in a room with a senior government official or seasoned development economist while knowing when to loop in senior leadership.
• This is not a role for generalists. We are looking for someone who has spent meaningful time in the field and understands the lived realities of smallholder farmers and agri-food value chains. In this role, you will take ownership of project deliverables and client relationships, directly manage project staff, and coordinate effectively across Busara's internal teams to ensure engagements are executed to the highest standard.

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).

Strongly Preferred

• Master's degree in a relevant field.
• Experience applying behavioral science formally or informally to agricultural extension, climate adaptation, or food value chains.
• Familiarity with quantitative methods and data analysis tools (Stata, R, or Python); comfort interpreting quantitative findings even if not the primary analyst.
• Experience with experimental or quasi-experimental designs (RCTs, difference-in-differences, etc.) as a research lead or collaborator.
• Existing networks within the East or West African food systems or climate finance ecosystem.

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Purpose of the Role

• The Psychosocial Support Officer will provide specialized professional expertise to safeguard participant well-being throughout the assignment, with a particular focus on identifying, preventing, and responding appropriately to emotional distress or unforeseen crises that may arise during sensitive interviews, surveys, or other field interactions. The role will also support the wider field team in maintaining a safe, ethical, and trauma-informed approach to engagement with participants

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor participants for signs of distress, trauma, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm during sessions.
• Provide immediate emotional support and grounding techniques to help distressed participants regain a sense of safety and stability.
• Protect participants’ privacy by treating personal stories and mental health information with the highest level of confidentiality.
• Prepare data collectors to recognize and respond appropriately to emotional stress in themselves and others during the data collection exercise.
• Facilitate brief daily debriefs to help the team reflect on difficult experiences and support one another after demanding field days.
• Offer practical guidance and brief supportive counseling to staff members who may feel overwhelmed.
• Apply established safety protocols and ethical guidelines when engaging on sensitive topics.
• Escalate any significant safety concerns or incidents to lead researchers immediately.
• Contribute to adjustments in field plans when new emotional risks emerge during implementation.
• Prepare an incident report at the end of the data collection exercise, summarizing any incidents identified and the mitigation and referral measures implemented in line with Mastercard Foundation’s Safeguarding policies.

Indicative Deliverables

• A financial proposal/quote itemizing the services to be provided.
• A brief psychosocial support plan outlining participant safety measures, distress response procedures, and escalation pathways for field activities.
• Field support notes or debrief summary capturing key wellbeing concerns, actions taken, and any follow-up needs identified during the assignment.
• An incident and referral log documenting any psychosocial risks, responses provided, and referrals made in line with safeguarding protocols.
• A concise end-of-assignment report summarizing psychosocial support activities, key observations, mitigation measures, and recommendations for future fieldwork.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• A bachelor’s degree in social sciences, psychology, gender studies, development studies, community development, or a related field from a recognized institution in Kenya; a master’s degree is an added advantage.
• At least 5–7 years of professional experience in psychosocial support, safeguarding, gender-responsive programming, inclusive fieldwork, or related work in Kenya, preferably in development or humanitarian settings and with vulnerable groups such as refugees, displaced persons, women, youth, or persons with disabilities.
• Demonstrated experience supporting qualitative fieldwork or participant engagement, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to apply trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and ethical approaches when working with diverse communities.
• Working knowledge of safeguarding principles, confidentiality, duty of care, and referral pathways in the Kenya context, including the ability to respond appropriately to sensitive disclosures.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills in English and Kiswahili; knowledge of additional Kenyan local languages or experience working effectively with interpreters is an advantage.
• Prior experience contributing to donor-funded evaluations, field research, or program reviews is an added advantage.

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Purpose of the Role

The Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Thematic Expert brings specialist expertise in entrepreneurship, financial sector development, MSME finance, and inclusive finance mechanisms (including credit guarantees, digital financial services, and value chain finance) relevant to Kenya and the East Africa region. On this assignment, the expert leads the analysis of financial inclusion outcomes, assesses contribution to system- and ecosystem-level change in the financial sector, and contributes substantively to final review reports. The expert will support Busara and Mastercard Foundation Kenya to establish: 

• How trends in Kenya’s entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSME sector are impacting youth employment opportunities where the strategy is active in Kenya.
• The extent to which the strategy partnerships and investments are positioned to respond to and capitalize on these trends.
• The barriers, gaps, and opportunities for meaningful participation of young women, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and refugee communities in entrepreneurship and enterprise development.
• Opportunities, risks, and gaps in the strategy’s entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSME sector positioning, and practical, prioritized recommendations to strengthen it.

Key Responsibilities

• Review literature, strategy documents, partner reports, and results data on entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSMEs in Kenya.
• Analyze sector trends, key actors, and ecosystem dynamics, and benchmark Kenya’s context against relevant East African strategies.
• Conduct key informant interviews and stakeholder consultations with ecosystem actors, partners, and other informed respondents.
• Assess program relevance, coverage, and alignment with national priorities, with attention to youth employment, skilling, and participation by young women, PWDs, and refugee communities.
• Identify barriers, gaps, opportunities, and priority partnerships, delivery models, and sub-sectors to strengthen youth participation and outcomes.
• Evaluate how sector knowledge dissemination contributes to dignified and fulfilling work and improved financial outcomes for youth.
• Provide technical guidance on evaluation design, sampling, data collection tools, analytical frameworks, and enterprise-related theory of change and assumptions.
• Support the design and interpretation of POA indicators, with particular attention to enterprise-based pathways and progress.
• Assess participant experiences and outcomes related to enterprise establishment, growth, market access, productivity, resilience, financial inclusion, and business continuity.
• Provide technical input on enterprise finance and financial inclusion pathways, including access to finance, investment decisions, loan use, repayment, and progression dynamics.
• Support development of enterprise performance frameworks that reflect informal, emerging, and growth-oriented businesses.
• Interpret enterprise outcomes across participant segments, including youth-owned enterprises, women-owned enterprises, refugee-owned enterprises, persons with disabilities, MSMEs, and SMEs.
• Review quantitative and qualitative findings and synthesize evidence into actionable recommendations for program improvement, systems strengthening, and ecosystem development.
• Review and quality-assure inception reports, analytical frameworks, interim deliverables, strategic review outputs, and final evaluation reports.
• Produce a final report with findings, learnings, and recommendations, and a prioritization framework for Busara and Young Africa Works stakeholders.

Indicative Deliverables

• An inception report covering the methodology, work plan, and budget.
• Key Informant Interview (KII) discussion guides tailored to various stakeholders.
• Audio recordings and notes from Key Informant Interview (KII) discussions. 
• A draft narrative report including an executive summary, findings, learnings and recommendations, and a prioritized action matrix.
• A PowerPoint slide deck for presentation to the Foundation. 
• Hold a validation and dissemination session with the Foundation. 
• A final PowerPoint slide deck incorporating input from the validation and dissemination session.
• Participate in sensemaking sessions with the Foundation, Implementing Partners, and other relevant ecosystem actors, as required.
• A final narrative report incorporating input from the validation, dissemination, and sensemaking sessions.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Advanced degree in economics, finance, development studies, entrepreneurship, business administration, enterprise development, agricultural economics, private sector development, or a related field.
• At least 8–10 years of experience in financial sector development, MSME finance, inclusive finance, enterprise development, entrepreneurship promotion, market systems development, private sector development, or livelihoods programming in Kenya or East Africa.
• Demonstrated experience with one or more of the following: digital financial services, value chain finance, enterprise finance, or inclusive finance mechanisms.
• Proven experience analyzing financial inclusion or enterprise development outcomes for underserved groups, including youth, women, refugees, and persons with disabilities.
• Proven track record and consulting experience conducting strategic reviews, evaluations, or advisory assignments for donor-funded or foundation-funded entrepreneurship and enterprise development programs.
• Strong understanding of Kenya’s financial inclusion or MSME ecosystem, including informal enterprise dynamics, growth pathways, and relevant policy and regulatory landscapes.
• Experience working with youth entrepreneurs and inclusive enterprise development programs is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical, report-writing, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to communicate technical findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• Familiarity with the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works strategy, Shared Measures framework, Program Outcomes Assessments (POAs), and Dignified and Fulfilling Work concepts is an advantage.