Summary of the role
PxD seeks a dynamic, creative, and self-motivated Research Manager to join a high-performing, flexible, and non-hierarchical team. In this role, you will have the opportunity to contribute to PxD's new workstreams, collaborate closely with PxD and affiliated researchers, and play a key role in testing and refining innovative ideas. You will use rigorous methods to experiment, measure impact, and identify pathways to scale our programs.
The ideal candidate will be passionate about PxD's mission: to provide actionable insights and cost-effective, scalable services that help people in poverty improve their incomes and well-being sustainably.
Responsibilities (including but not limited to):
The role will grow as you develop, but you will start by focusing on the following key responsibilities:
Identify learning objectives and resources available for one or more individual projects and manage the implementation of research activities, ensuring that projects adhere to appropriate rigor, policies, timelines, and budgets.
Work with the team leadership and colleagues to scope, design, pilot, and scale evidence-backed digital agriculture services.
Develop and implement new research ideas and projects that support PxD's programs and partners.
Guide teams on the use of evidence-based approaches and ensure that PxD maintains the standards for technical appropriateness and rigor.
Interpret and contextualize external and internal evidence and insights for PxD programs
Oversee data management and analysis for research projects and survey creation and implementation.
Oversee documentation of research activities, research results, and rationale for decisions made.
Develop and fill in frameworks with specific information to identify program insights.
Manage partner relations and work with external stakeholders to implement program operations.
Responsible for developing and ensuring compliance with IRB protocols and relevant in-country research permission requirements.
Contribute to funding proposals and project reports.
Contribute to the strategic planning and global functioning of the organization.
Provide close mentorship and guidance to Associate level staff.
Contribute and support internal and external communications to disseminate project results and research findings, including briefs, blogs, reports, and presentations.
Contribute to PxD's institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.
Requirements:
The ideal candidate will have:
A Bachelor's or a Master's degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field.
Professional experience working on at least two large projects involving the design and management of rigorous research and/or evidence-based programs in LMIC countries.
Ability to draw inferences from data to identify pathways for program improvement (e.g., call center productivity, feedback of users to an SMS campaign, looking at usage statistics).
Adept at consuming large amounts of academic and scientific literature as well as other technical information, synthesizing key findings, and applying takeaways to program and research design.
Deep understanding of economics and randomized evaluations.
Excellent knowledge of Stata or R or similar software for data analysis
Experience in using SurveyCTO/ODK or a similar program for survey design.
Strong grasp of the research & program life cycle and ability to supervise all activities on the ground.
Experience in a multi-faceted role, with the ability to balance and prioritize across multiple projects and stakeholders.
Experience managing program and/or research staff.
Experience managing partnerships with an implementing organization.
Understanding and application of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences.
Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills.
Willingness to travel to field sites in Ethiopia, subject to security considerations.