Country Director at IPA, Lusaka, Zambia

Deadline: Ongoing

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is currently seeking applications from the eligible applicants for the post of Country Director in Lusaka, Zambia.

The Country Director will work with IPA Global and key stakeholders to set the strategic direction of the office and oversee multiple simultaneous impact evaluations in a range of sectors, including education, agriculture, finance, health, entrepreneurship, governance and others.

IPA is a research and policy non-profit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems.

Key Jobs Responsibilities

The Country Director will perform the following functions-

Oversee project design and budgeting during the proposal stage to ensure evaluations meet IPA standards and costing structure.
Manage relationships with and provide services to Principal Investigators (academic researchers).
Ensure that IPA research is implemented according to IPA’s quality standards and Principal Investigators direction.
Provide research management for multiple Research Associates and project teams.
Oversee data collection and data entry operations for all studies and ensure projects meet IPA’s research protocols and data quality standards.
Manage project budgets and donor reporting, in coordinating with IPA’s global Grants team on all ongoing research grants and studies.
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; including spearheading skills training for staff.
Work to incorporate best practices and lessons learned in research and operations by other IPA offices and research affiliates.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must have-

Master’s degree in international affairs, international public policy, development economics, or field related to international economic development.
Minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience.
Previous J-PAL/IPA work experience or experience developing new RCTs or working with researchers on RCTs highly desired.
Experience living and working in Africa /Zambia is desired.
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 communicate effectively across cultures with multiple stakeholders including international and local academic researchers, government officials, NGO partners, enumeration teams, and study participants.
Excellent management and organizational skills and ability to work independently.
Flexibility, self-motivated, ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently and a team player.
Strong quantitative skills and familiarity with randomized controlled trials.
Strong oral and written communication skills in English are required.