Sr. Research Manager

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Research Manager to support a team embedded within an Ethiopian government office. The successful candidate must have a strong interest in and commitment to PxD's mission to provide actionable information and other cost-effective, scalable services to individuals in poverty, enabling them to sustainably improve their incomes and well-being.

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 impact improvement opportunities and provide strategic design input on new research ideas and projects that support PxD’s programs and partners.
• Identify learning objectives and resources available for multiple 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.
• Interpret and contextualize external and internal evidence and insights for PxD programs.
• Guide teams on the use of evidence-based approaches and ensure that PxD maintains the standards for technical appropriateness and rigor.
• Oversee data management and analysis for research projects and survey creation, A/B testing, 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.
• Develop and ensure 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 and Manager-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

• Master's degree or PhD in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a related field.
• Professional experience working on at least three large projects involving the design and management of rigorous research and evidence-based programs in LMIC countries.
• Ability to draw inferences from data and apply findings to program design.
• 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, R, or similar software for data analysis.
• Experience in survey design using SurveyCTO/ODK or similar tools.
• Strong grasp of research & program life cycle and staff management, and ability to supervise all activities on the ground.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with advanced writing and presentation skills; fluency in Amharic would be a plus
• Willingness to travel to field sites in Ethiopia.

Skills Required:

• Agricultural / Studies
• Economics / Statistics
• Political / Science / Ir