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Position Title:Country Director (Uganda)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
Organization:Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Employment Type:Full Time Permanent
Reports to: Director of Country Programs
Commitment: Three years
Desired start date: January 2015
Length of commitment: 2 years
Deadline to apply: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
Background Information:
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international non-profit
research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in New York, NY,
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:
IPA seeks a Country Director in Uganda to oversee one of IPA’s largest
country programs. This position provides a unique opportunity to be closely
involved in cutting-edge research and to work with top academics. Country
Directors oversee multiple impact evaluations at a time in a range of sectors,
including agriculture, rural finance and savings, small and medium size
enterprises, health, education and others.
The Uganda Country Director will also manage a team of more than 40
full-time local and international staff, oversee all country office operations,
lead strategic planning and project development for the country office, oversee
capacity building of local staff and partners, and lead the dissemination of
results to local practitioners and policy makers. The position provides the
opportunity to guide the research program in the country, spend significant
time in the field, direct in-country operations and manage relationships with
key players in development organizations, donors, academia, and government. The
Uganda Country Director will also contribute to IPA’s continued expansion by
initiating new partnerships and projects in the country.
The position requires close interaction with academic researchers, donors,
local government agencies, and other NGOs. The Uganda Country Director will
also provide ongoing oversight of all project and office operations, including
finance and human resource systems, data collection, in-house data entry, and a
short-term staff payroll of up to 250 individuals at any given time.
Responsibilities:
·
Develop and implement IPA Uganda’s strategic plan, in line with IPA’s
global plan and mission.
·
Identify priority research
questions and key concerns for policy makers and initiate and manage the
development of corresponding new research proposals
·
Develop new relationships in
order for the country office to maximize its impact
·
Lead and initiate project
development with researchers, funders and partner organizations
·
Ensure that country office
structures can be supported by incoming revenue
Manage external relations
·
Represent IPA Uganda in national
and local government agencies and partner organizations. Manage relationships
with current and potential IPA partner organizations
·
Oversee capacity building of
local development partners in evidence-based policy making and rigorous impact
evaluations
·
Oversee targeted dissemination of
research findings, encourage scale up of successful projects
·
Manage relationships with and
provide services to Principal Investigators
Oversee and initiate high-quality research
·
Oversee project design and
budgeting during the proposal stage to ensure evaluations meet IPA standards
·
Ensure that IPA research is
implemented according to IPA’s quality standards and Principal Investigators
direction
·
Oversee data collection and data
entry operations for all studies and ensure projects meet IPA’s research
protocols
·
Expand the capacity of the
country office to program and conduct electronic surveys
·
Build systems and structures to
build staff capacity and ensure overall data quality
·
Work to incorporate best
practices and lessons learned in research and operations by other IPA offices
and research affiliates
Ensure sound operations of IPA Uganda
·
Oversee and manage a team of
Project Managers, Associates and Coordinators, whose responsibilities include
project design and implementation, data collection, data management and
analysis, and reports
·
Oversee and manage human
resources, IT, finance and other support staff with Senior Management within
IPA country program
·
Coordinate office and
country-wide meetings and trainings
·
Oversee office administration,
including human resources, information technology, project budgets and
accounting
·
Oversee hiring of long-term IPA
staff in the country program
Oversee finances for the IPA Uganda
Ensure proper compliance with
financial procedures, approve expenditures, make accurate projections and
ensure overall compliance
Mitigate and manage risks
Take steps to mitigate risk and
to safeguard the organization’s reputation; and
Oversee procurement, safety,
billing and security and ensure organizational legal compliance.
Qualifications:
·
Masters degree in international
affairs, international public policy, development economics, or field related to
international economic development
·
A minimum of 5 years of
management experience
·
Experience developing new
projects and knowledge of human resource and financial management
·
Experience with budgeting and
project planning
·
Passion for connecting rigorous
research to policy makers and practitioners and communicating what works and
what does not work in development
·
Ability to lead a large and
complex country program and oversee rigorous impact evaluations
·
Commitment to leading a diverse
team and building staff capacity
·
Ability to communicate
effectively across cultures with multiple stakeholders including international
and local academic researchers, government officials, NGO partners, enumeration
teams, and study participants
·
Experience living and working in
Africa is required
·
Experience managing funds from
multiple donors required; specific experience with USAID Cooperative Agreements
preferred
·
Excellent management and
organizational skills and ability to work independently
·
Flexible, self-motivating, able
to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
·
Strong quantitative skills and
familiarity with randomized controlled trials
·
Utmost integrity; commitment to
the mission of IPA
·
High proficiency in English;
strong oral and written communication skills
Application Instructions:
Complete the J-PAL/IPA common
application. Please select the position(s) you are interested in applying for
on the 'Submit Application' page. Include two letters of recommendation,
statement of purpose (cover letter), CV, and transcripts. We will consider your
application even if you are unable to obtain reference letters before the
deadline, but please be advised that we will be requiring them should you be
invited for an interview.
Innovations for Poverty Action is an EOE
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 Country Director. 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.
Apply Online:
To apply to this position please click the link below and follow the
application instructions below.
