Senior Research Associate, Escaping Poverty

IPA Ghana is looking to hire a Senior Research Associate for at least one year to work on the Escaping Poverty study. The Senior Research Associate will be directly responsible for managing (data collection, implementation monitoring, analysis and reporting) the Escaping Poverty project and will report to a Research Coordinator/Manager. In particular, the Research Associate will perform the following responsibilities:

Responsibilities 

• Plan, conduct and lead field research activities including training field staff, team planning and logistics, and data collection;
• Conduct pilot survey exercises, provide feedback on field operations and survey instruments, and refine and finalize survey instruments in collaboration with the Principal Investigators;
• Provide quality control during the data collection and cleaning processes, and assist in conducting preliminary analysis;
• Ensure that research data and outputs are stored in a confidential and systematic fashion;
• Assist in the preparation of research reports, briefs and other documents for management, the Principal Investigators, donors and other external parties;
• Ensure close collaboration with implementing partners and other high-level stakeholders involved with the project;
• Monitor the implementation activities of the partner organization;
• Manage recruitment, training, management and performance evaluation of field staff;
• Develop and monitor activity-specific budgets for the project;
• Work with IPA Ghana’s Finance Team to keep detailed records of all project activities and establish systems to ensure the efficient disbursement and reconciliation of project funds;
• Directly supervise at least 1 permanent research or field staff;
• Regularly communicating updates and troubleshooting challenges with the Research Coordinator and PIs
• Maintain compliance with all company policies and procedures
• Perform related duties as assigned by supervisor

Qualifications 

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in economics, business management, social sciences, public policy, political science or related fields is required
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external customers
• Excellent computer proficiency (MS Office – Word, Excel and Outlook)
• Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary customer service
• Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
• Demonstrated proficiency in Stata and experience with data management and data cleaning
• Experience with quantitative research, particularly with randomized controlled trials.
• Experience running a large-scale survey and managing the survey implementation is preferred, but not required
• Experience with Computer-Assisted Interviewing is preferred, but not required
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
• Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills;