Project Associate Career Opportunity at Innovations for Poverty Action in Kampala, Uganda

Job Title:        Project Associate - UNICEF Accountability Project
Job ID:        14-140
Job Location:   Kampala, Uganda
Employer:    Innovations for Poverty Action (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL))
Reports to:     Country Director, IPA Uganda
Contract Length:18 months

About Us:
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international non-profit research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in 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.

Job Overview:
Innovations for Poverty Action seeks qualified applicants for the position of Project Associate in Uganda for a project evaluating the potential of m-Trac and U-Report to increase transparence and accountability of health providers in Uganda, in collaboration with UNICEF-Uganda. The goal of the project is improve health service delivery in Uganda by incentivizing health workers and health managers to improve the quantity and quality of services available at health facilities, by increasing transparency of health system performance and heightened monitoring by local officials. The Principal Investigator for this project is Karen Grépin (NYU) and co-Investigators are William Jack (Georgetown) and James Habyarimana (Georgetown).

Job Requirements:

•     Bachelor's degree in economics, political science, social sciences, public policy, or related fields. Applicants with Masters degrees will also be considered.
•     Training in economics, including program evaluation methods
•     Knowledge and experience working with information communication technologies, in particular m-health applications, a very strong plus
•     Knowledge of Stata (strongly preferred), SAS, or other data analysis software
•     Prior work or volunteer experience in development in developing countries a plus
•     Experience working with local government, especially in developing countries is also a plus
•     Experience living and conducting field research in a developing country is a strong plus
•     Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills
•     Fluency and excellent communication skills in English
•     Flexibility, self-motivation, the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently as a team player
•     Familiarity with randomized controlled trials

Job Duties:
Project Associates work closely with academic researchers, UNICEF, and other field staff to perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to:

•     Designing survey questionnaires
•     Conducting qualitative research
•     Running pilot exercises
•     Refining study design and surveying instruments
•     Managing survey teams
•     Checking and analyzing data
•     Cleaning data and assisting in preliminary analysis
•     Assisting in the writing of project reports and policy memos
•     Coordinating with local partners running the programs being evaluated
•     Supporting outreach to policymakers in country

Deadline Date: Applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis
Desired Start Date: As soon as possible, latest in May 2014

Application Instructions:
Please follow the application instructions below. Any applications or CVs submitted outside this process will not be considered. Note, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

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.

IPA is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer.

All persons shall have the opportunity to be considered for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

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.

Disclaimer:
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the Project Associate. 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.