The Coordinator or Manager, assisted by his/her management team and more broadly a team of permanent staff and short term field staff at any given time, will provide overarching oversight to all project and office operations, lead strategic planni
ng for the country program, oversee finance and operations teams, build and strengthen systems for high quality data collection, provide capacity building of local staff and partners, and lead the dissemination of results to local practitioners and policy makers. The Coordinator or Manager will also contribute to IPA’s continued expansion by initiating new partnerships and projects in the countries.
The Coordinator or Manager will be assisted by a Management Team comprising Global Human Resources, Finance, Policy and Operations staff. The larger team is comprised of local and international permanent staff, and up to hundreds of short-term field staff enumerators at any given time.
Oversee high-quality research
- Oversee and manage a team composed of (Senior) Research Associates, and Field Managers, whose responsibilities include project design, management of data collection, data management and analysis, and writing of research reports, all in close collaboration with principal investigators;
- Build systems and structures to ensure that the implementation of research activities follows IPA’s quality standards and principal investigator’s directions;
- Spearhead technical skills training for staff leverage IPAs Global Research and Data Support team; and
- Work to incorporate best practices and lessons learned in research and operations by other IPA offices and research affiliates.
New Project development
- In dialogue with the Country Director, potential partners, principal investigators, identify and develop potential projects with meaningful research and policy implications;
- Participate in project design and lead budgeting during the proposal stage to ensure evaluations meet IPA standards; and
- Coordinate fundraising for research proposals.
Ensure sound operations, finances and grants management
- Provide supervision and support to administrative staff, overseeing human resources, IT, operations, and finances.
- With support from the Finance Officer and other managers, ensure compliance with financial procedures, approve expenditures, make accurate projections and ensure overall compliance.
- Oversee the management of project budgets and donor reporting ensuring that grant kick-off and review meetings are regularly held for active projects, with support from the Research Associates and administrative staff, and in coordination with IPA’s global grants team.
- Ensure that country office structures are supported by incoming revenue.
Policy impact and external relations
- Represent IPA in national and local government agencies and partner organizations.
- Manage relationships with current and potential IPA partner organizations;
- Develop and maintain high-level relationships with stakeholders in Liberia
- Engage government partners and other stakeholders to identify research questions of interest and cultivate potential research projects in those areas; and
- Oversee targeted dissemination, encourage scale up of successful interventions.
Mitigate and manage risks
- Set security standards and parameters for work to ensure staff safety and security;
- Monitor security concerns for IPA operations and act as primary contact in crisis management;
- Take steps to mitigate risk and to safeguard the organization’s reputation; and
- Oversee procurement, safety, billing and security and ensure organizational legal compliance.
- Master’s degree in international affairs, international public policy, development economics, or field related to international economic development;
- Two to three years (for manager level) or 1-2 years (for coordinator level) of research or project management experience;
- Strong quantitative skills and familiarity with randomized controlled trials and other quasi-experimental methods with working knowledge of Stata;
- Experience in developing research projects, experience with budgeting and project planning;
- Experience with writing donor reports and grant proposals
- Experience supervising data collection, teams of field workers, survey design and implementation and data management. Background in randomized control trials is strongly preferred
- Experience managing staff from varying backgrounds
- Experience in high level stakeholder management
- Strong written and oral communication skills and complete fluency in English is required
- Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated ability to work successfully with diverse constituencies required; developing country experience required
- Experience with presenting research findings at public forums, including to non-research focused audiences, is preferred
- Demonstrated interest in post-conflict studies and/or Liberia preferred
- A desire to commit to this position for two years with possibility for continuation in higher capacity.
- A desire to lead a country office and mentor staff
- Exhibit a strong entrepreneurial spirit
- Flexible and proactive to maintain high work and research ethic with a demonstrated interest in the vision and mission of IPA
- An excellent sense of humor and an ability to prioritize multiple tasks, manage stress, delegate effectively, and clearly communicate problems.
Additional Desired Qualifications:
- Advanced experience with data management and applied statistics
- Experience with electronic data collection platforms
- Demonstrated ability to work with donors and/or partner organizations; experience with grants management
Complete theJ-PAL/IPA common application. After completing a brief registration, choose the Research job category, then select “Research Coordinator/Manager, Liberia”. Applications require you to include two letters of recommendation, statement of purpose (cover letter), CV, and transcripts. Note that you are able to submit your application without the recommendation letters. However, please be advised that we will be requiring them should you be invited for an interview.
Given the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence on which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 575 leading academics to conduct over 650 evaluations in 51 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.
Innovations for Poverty Action is an EO Employer-MF/Veteran/Disability. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected class. IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org or via phone at 1-203-772-2216. Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the specified position. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions tojobs@poverty-action.org.
How to apply
Apply through the system below.
** Please note that only qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring manager.