Deadline: Ongoing
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is currently seeking applications from the eligible applicants for the post of Country Director in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Country Directors work with IPA Global and key stakeholders to set the strategic direction of the office and oversee multiple simultaneous impact evaluations across a range of sectors, including education, agriculture, finance, health, entrepreneurship 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.
- 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.
- Responsible for leading IPA’s policy impact in Rwanda.
- Develop and maintain high-level relationships with partners in the Government of Rwanda, including Ministries of Health, Education, Finance, Agriculture, and the Office of the President.
- Cultivate relationships, studies, and new partnerships especially in the Education sector, a priority area for IPA Rwanda’s policy engagement.
- Engage government partners to identify research questions of interest and priority to key leadership and cultivate potential research projects in those areas.
- Oversee IPA’s involvement in the Rwanda Research Roundtable (R3), a quarterly policy forum, in coordination with the Research Manager.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must have-
- Strong oral and written communication skills in English are required. French proficiency preferred.
- Master’s degree in international affairs, international public policy, development economics, or field related to international economic development.
- A 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/East Africa/Rwanda 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 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.
- 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.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit their applications with statement of purpose (cover letter), CV and reference through online process.
For more information, please visit IPA.
