DEPARTMENT:    Research

SUPERVISOR:      Research Manager

LOCATION:          Based in Kampala, Uganda

COMMITMENT:  4 months, with the possibility of extension

DESIRED START DATE:    End of February 2019

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:   13th February, 2019

Background on the study:

IPA is collaborating with the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to conduct research into the perceptions that Kampala’s citizens hold of the activity of KCCA: performance in service delivery, responsiveness, accountability. In addition to attitudes the research also explores citizens’ past experience with accessing KCCA services. The information collected during the study will constitute the foundation of KCCA’s efforts to devise a Citizen Charter for the inhabitants of Kampala. The Charter will detail the rights and responsibilities of citizens and KCCA workers as they interact on a daily basis, as well as set parameters of service delivery that KCCA pledges to abide by. The data collection is expected to take place over the February 2019 – May 2019 period. Principle Investigators on the study are Macartan Humphreys, Constantin Manuel Bosancianu and Ana Garcia-Hernandez.

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 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. 

Job summary:

IPA is seeking a highly motivated and qualified individual with outstanding research project management, data quality assurance, people management and communication skills as Research Associate, to lead this new research study. The Research Associate (RA) will contribute to the refinement of the survey instruments through piloting exercises to inform study and/or questionnaire design, supervise the sampling process, manage survey teams, ensure data collection protocols are adhered to, ensure data collected is of highest quality, contribute to the cleaning of the databases, act as a liaison between the research team and KCCA officials and manage communication and relationships with Principle Investigators and other members of the research team. The position requires excellent interpersonal and organization skills. It also requires proficiency with Stata software package. The RA will be based out of IPA and KCCA offices in Kampala and the data collection will take place in Kampala. 

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor or Master’s degree in statistics, public policy, public health, social sciences, or related field;
• Minimum two years of research project experience at a field research management or analyst position;
• Proficiency with Stata, SurveyCTO programming language and Microsoft Office tools;
• Demonstrated ability to manage relationships with stakeholders (especially local Ugandan government entities, principal investigators, partner organizations);
• Strong written communication skills;
• Excellent command of English, both spoken and written;
• Demonstrated commitment to IPA’s high standards of data quality;
• Excellent management and organizational skills;
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate work effectively over email and phone
• Flexible, self-motivating and team player;

Desired Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Knowledge of another data analysis or software is a plus;
• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials is a strong plus;