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Post Title: Project Associate, Small and Medium Enterprise Initiative
Organization: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Reports to: Country Director and Senior Project Coordinator
Background Information
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international non-profit research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in Washington, D.C. and worldwide, IPA works with development partners and
academic researchers to create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate “what works” in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of fields, including health, education, microfinance, governance and agriculture. Position Summary:
The SME Initiative at Innovations for Poverty Action seeks a qualified Project Associate to join a study of the impact of a business skills training program for women entrepreneurs. The SME Initiative at IPA coordinates and supports research on the SME sector in developing economies, and this evaluation assesses the direct and indirect impacts of business skills training implemented in Kampala, Entebbe, Mukono and Jinja. The Principal Investigators are Dean Karlan, Greg Fischer, and Meredith Startz.
The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. The work will stretch your analytical and management skills to the limit and will require your full commitment in a challenging environment. This position will be based in Kampala with some travel to surrounding areas.
Responsibilities:
The Project Associate works closely with academic researchers, the Project Coordinator and other field staff to perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to:
·
Overseeing multiple rounds of data collection, including follow-up
surveys and a final endline survey.
·
Developing and piloting the survey instruments; programming surveys onto
mobile devices; and managing the translation of the survey into the local
language.
·
Hiring, training, and managing data collection teams.
·
Managing data from collection at the businesses to the delivery of a
final, cleaned dataset.
·
Ensuring adherence to IPA and study protocols including auditing
enumerators, performing daily checks of incoming data, and ensuring data is of
the highest quality.
·
Coordinating and maintaining close relationships with the local
implementing partner.
·
Assisting in the writing of project reports and policy memos.
Qualifications:
·
A Bachelor's or Master’s degree in economics, public policy,
international development, social sciences, or related fields.
·
Excellent project management and organizational skills
·
Demonstrated ability to lead staff efficiently to achieve project goals
and to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
·
Strong quantitative skills, with a background in statistics preferred
·
Knowledge of Stata (preferred), SAS, or other data analysis software
required; programming and other technical knowledge a strong plus.
·
Familiarity with randomized controlled trials preferred.
·
Experience living or working in a developing country.
In addition to the qualifications described above, applicants should have
excellent writing and communication skills; exceptional attention to detail;
flexibility, self-motivation, and an ability to manage multiple tasks
efficiently; and should be a team player.How to apply:
Please follow the application instructions below. Any applications or CVs submitted outside this process will not be considered. Note, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Please send an email to jobs@poverty-action.org and cc scraig@poverty-action.org, following the instructions below:
In the subject line: Copy exactly the following position line: 1001000IPAUganda, PA-Small and Medium Enterprise Initiative. Attachments: Please attach ONLY your CV and cover letter. In the email body: Put your full name, first (given) name followed by last (family) name
Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application indicating that you are interested in applying for a "Type 1: Research Analyst or Project Associate" position. Please include two letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and transcripts. Please do not include any text besides your name in the body of the e-mail. Adding extra text will interfere with the processing of your application.
All persons shall have the opportunity to be considered for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.
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 ipajobs@gmail.com. Applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Start Date and Duration: ASAP preferred or November 2013, two years commitment
Closing date: October 31, 2013.
