Senior Research and Policy Associate Innovations for Poverty Action

Job description

IPA Tanzania is looking to hire a Senior Policy Associate to work on the interoperable payments systems research project in Tanzania. The position holder will be responsible for the overall coordination of the project on-the-ground, being the primary liaison and ensuring continuous collaboration between financial service providers, IPA Tanzania, IPA Global and respective principal investigators (PIs) working on this project. The position holder will also be responsible for supporting the design of survey instruments, training and supervising data collection teams, ensuring compliance with IPA’s research protocols and data quality standards, and conducting preliminary data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Liaise and communicate between Financial service providers (FSPs) in Tanzania, Partner Organizations, IPA Tanzania, IPA Global, PIs on a regular basis to ensure smooth project delivery 
• Provide in-depth input on research design through understanding and knowledge of the local payments ecosystem 
• Undertake desk research, market level consultations to collate information on major bottlenecks in the payments ecosystem in Tanzania, with respect to interoperability 
• Align partners, current and future, on the research agenda, clearly displaying the importance of this research agenda 
• Work with FSP partner(s) to design research exercise(s), assist FSP partners in implementation
• Design survey instruments and data collection strategies, lead enumerator training, manage data collection teams, monitor data quality and undertake data analysis, under direction of PIs and in close collaboration with IPA Tanzania and IPA Global 
• Lead on developing dissemination plans for Tanzania by, including but not limited to, organizing events, identifying the right audience, and ensuring that research outputs are translated into actionable insights for the payments ecosystem 
• Assist in the management of other financial inclusion projects in the Tanzania via IPA Global, if needed
• Provide support on budgets through close coordination between IPA Tanzania and IPA Global 

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, advanced degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience in economics, international development, financial inclusion, public policy, or other relevant field.
• Four to six years of prior professional experience in economics, research, financial inclusion, international development; or financial sector policy; preferably with experience managing research activities on the ground and overall impact evaluations
• Experience working in the payments ecosystem in Tanzania; strong understanding of local ecosystem dynamics is preferred.
• Experience using statistical softwares such as Stata or R is preferred.
• Strong project management ability. Experience managing multi-stakeholder and multi country projects is a plus.
• Strong professional writing skills. 
• Strong client facing and presentation skills.
• Fluency in English and Kiswahili.
• Experience with randomized controlled trials strongly preferred.
• Experience interacting with researchers and practitioners, especially high-level government officials and c-suite executives is a strong plus.
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial mindset, versatility and strong multi-tasking skills.
• Passion for making data-driven decision making a reality in the development sector.
• Team player, with the ability to lead and coordinate across teams and external partners

Application Instructions

Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application . After completing a brief registration, choose the APPROPRIATE CATEGORY job category, then select “Senior Research and Policy Associate ”. Applications require you to include a statement of purpose (cover letter) and CV.

Given the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

About IPA

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 600 leading academics to conduct over 900 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.

IPA's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI)

As an organization, IPA is dedicated to improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable populations through evidence and policy. We also recognize how important it is for our staff to reflect the diversity of the places where we work and the communities we work with. As such, IPA is committed to hiring from a diverse pool of candidates, from a range of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. We know that this makes our work stronger and more responsive to the challenges faced by those we work with and for and we encourage people from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Click here to learn more about IPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Innovations for Poverty Action is an affirmative action equal opportunity employer. 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 1-202-386-6200. 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 to jobs@poverty-action.org .

• Please note that only qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring manager.
  
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