Analysis Associate at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Deadline To Apply: 1st April 2014
Start Date: Immediately
Location: Kisumu.
About Innovations for Poverty Action:
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a non-profit research organization that creates and evaluates approaches to solving development problems and disseminates information about what works and what does not to policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors around the world.
About Evidence Action:
Evidence Action is assuming management and growth responsibility for two programs tested and incubated at Innovations for Poverty Action that are currently making a difference in the lives of millions of people in Africa and Asia: the Deworm the World Initiative (DTW) and Dispensers for Safe Water Initiative (DSW). Evidence Action scales proven development interventions and crafts resilient business models for long run success.
About Dispensers for Safe Water: Each year, over 1.8 million children under the age of five die from diarrhea, a leading cause of which is unsafe drinking water. DSW is an entrepreneurial team tasked with scaling the Chlorine Dispenser System (CDS) – a proven innovation for dramatically expanding access to water treatment at extremely low cost.
DSW’s work is growing rapidly – we currently serve over 1 million people in Kenya, our primary country of operations, and plan to reach 25 million in the next 5 years. Our program has ambitious plans to expand in 2-3 countries in the coming 2 years.
Our work is based on strong proof of Chlorine Dispenser impact – a randomized controlled trial in Western Kenya demonstrated a six-fold increase in the number of households treating their water with chlorine. Such a dramatic expansion in safe water usage will prevent over 1.4 million cases of diarrhea and 1,300 child deaths each year once we reach our Kenya target of 5 million people served.
Position Overview
The role will require analysis of management information system (MIS) and survey data, independently led secondary research, and systematic documentation of the analytical efforts used to reach the evidence-based recommendations. S/he will contribute to developing appropriate measurement, sampling, and survey strategy and the design of survey instruments to gather quantitative and qualitative data.
The ideal Associate, Analysis will be extremely intellectually curious, service-oriented, and able to conduct, document, and explain complex analysis and research geared towards real-world improvements in the programs service delivery to millions of people throughout East Africa.
This position will be a critical piece of the Monitoring, Analysis and Research team that operates within Evidence Action’s broader Monitoring, Learning, and Information Systems (MLIS) team. The MLIS team embodies the evidence-based nature of Evidence Action’s work and enables us to be a data-driven organization.
The MLIS team provides services across Evidence Action Africa region to ensure quality in M&E design, data collection, analysis and research. It builds the necessary standards, systems and processes to enable Evidence Action program to optimally leverage data for decision making.
Goals and Responsibilities
Monitoring
- The Associate, Analysis will provide support and guidance to Evidence Action’s monitoring systems:
- Create and update program monitoring systems to ensure appropriate measurements, sampling, and survey strategies
- Provide inputs and guidance to the design of survey instruments and other research tools that will enable clear and meaningful analysis
- Ensure robust documentation of the monitoring strategy, sampling frame, theory of change, and associated target indicators
Analysis
- The Associate, Analysis will coordinate analysis activities across all Evidence Action – Africa Region programs (currently a total of 10 regional offices distributed between Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Tanzania). This area of responsibility includes:
- Analyze data on key topics to inform programmatic decision-making in the areas of operations, finance, coverage and adoption.
- Identify and produce well-designed regressions, correlations, conditional means, and other statistical measurements to express the results of program data.
- Compose reports ranging from Pre-Analysis Plans to Dashboard and Analytical Results / Write-ups
- Maintain proper documentation of all analysis for ease of replication and explain methodology used in analysis.
- Extract meaning, through analysis, from M&E and R&D activities that provides insightful interpretations of data.
- Provide key analytical and knowledge inputs for academic and non-academic conference presentations, articles, policy briefs, memos and major proposals;
- Contribute to geographic expansion decisions, and program improvements through the collection and analysis of key demographic and geospatial data;
- Support the development of impact models for key program decisions and metrics.
- Build and update info-graphics that successfully demonstrate program impacts and research results
Research
- Maintain a service oriented, client-based approach in considering the core research questions held by Evidence Action program teams that will facilitate operational and cost-efficiency improvements
- Provide inputs to drafts of Concept Notes detailing the research process for individual inquiries
- Support operations research (e.g. supply chain and design oriented), market research (e.g. community sensitization) and cost-efficiency related projects using quantitative and qualitative methodology for improvements in program and to aid programmatic evidence-based decision making
Qualifications, Experience and Skills
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, statistics or another quantitative field
- A minimum of 1-2 years work experience in a highly analytical and quantitative role
- Strong familiarity with statistical software packages such as Stata and Excel or similar languages such as R, MatLab, SAS etc. with the ability to learn and adapt to new programs (experience with Stata preferred)
- Strong interest in research on public health, epidemiology, water, and/or sanitation; prior knowledge of the associated literature a plus
- Experience building infographics and/or using design and infographic software (e.g. Gapminder, StatSilk, Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, Omni Graffle etc.)
- Familiarity with behavior change literature, operational analytics, supply-chain analytics, and/or market research principles
- A working knowledge of geospatial analysis in ArcGIS/QGIS and mobile phone survey programming experience in Open Data Kit preferred (at minimum, willingness to learn and independently acquire new technical skills)
- Work experience in entrepreneurial or start-up environments in Africa
- Strong interpersonal and communications skills to work effectively with a team that is geographically dispersed
- Self-directed/self-motivating personality, with proven ability to manage demands from multiple supervisors while adhering to program deadlines and priorities
- Strong critical and analytical thinking skills
- Intellectual flexibility and willingness to form and adjust opinions based on evidence
- Quick to learn, motivated to self-teach and capable of independently translating new knowledge into practice
- Willingness to travel
Note:
- Please specifically illustrate the above desired qualifications in your cover letter by giving examples from your experience.
- In addition, this position requires a candidate to:
- Have a strong commitment to evidence-based practice and policy in the development field
- Be enthusiastic to develop personally and professionally as part of a growing global team
- Possess a strong attention to detail and a genuine love of working with data
To apply:
Please send a cover letter and detailed CV, 3 references, daytime phone number(s), and email address. Your CV should include details about your academic qualifications and any relevant work experience.
Applications can be submitted by email to “jobs@evidenceaction.org” as well as “jobs-kenya@poverty-action.org”, please ensure that the subject line reads: “Associate, Analysis” REF NO: Evidence Action -2014-03-01.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted by phone and email for an interview. Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be reviewed on a ROLLING BASIS.
Disclaimer:
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Associate Analysis.
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-kenya@poverty-action.org.
