Policy & RFE Coordinator at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence on which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 830 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide. 

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Policy & RFE Coordinator

Location: Abuja (FCT)
Job Type: International
Reports to: Manager, Consumer Protection Embedded Lab Manager
Desired Start Date: September 1, 2021

Overview

• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a global research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. As its core business, IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. IPA has conducted hundreds of randomized evaluations across sectors, learning both whether programs work, and how they can work better.
• Complementing this core business, has developed the Right-Fit Evidence Unit aimed at helping organizations build strong and tailored Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) practices, which balance the need for information on impact with operational data to support management decisions. In close collaboration with IPA’s sector programs and country office teams worldwide, the unit provides consulting and direct services to implementers, donors, and governments, with the goal of helping them figure out what reliable data and evidence to gather, how to do it in a cost-effective way, and how to make the promise of data-informed programmatic decisions a reality.
• IPA is seeking a Policy & RFE Coordinator to work closely with a financial services regulator in Nigeria. Responding to demand, IPA is developing an embedded evidence lab with the regulator, putting a strong focus on equipping them to regularly use evidence to improve their decision-making, policies, and programs. This position will support these activities, reporting to a Consumer Protection Embedded Lab Manager and dotted line reporting to the Right-Fit Evidence Unit and Policy & External Relations Team.

Responsibilities 

• Support mapping of the data needs of specific departments within the regulator against the existing data available, complemented with an assessment of its quality
• Support assessment of existing datasets and indicators according to criteria of relevance, objectivity, and reliability
• Support monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) training and workshops for staff of the regulator
• Support identification of goals, crafting of theories of change and MEL plans for programs
• Support implementation of data use “pilots” to generate actionable information and analysis
• Support opportunities to leverage administrative data for analysis to inform key programs and decisions
• Support the execution of “learning-by-doing” capacity building projects with staff of the regulator
• Produce draft “policy reports and briefs” based on key insights generated from lab activities
• Contribute to events to disseminate lessons learned from implementation of lab activities
• Support the design and delivery or other potential policy and RFE engagements.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Science or a related field
• 2 - 5 years of relevant work experience, including experience in M&E (public sector) or organizational performance/R&D/operational research (private sector) 
• Superior analytical and conceptual thinking skills
• Familiarity with statistics and data analysis (including advanced Excel)
• Demonstrated ability to coach and train others in MEL methodologies or data analysis
• Ability to present information in a structured and insightful way, both in writing and orally
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial mindset, versatility and willingness to learn.
• Passion for making data-driven decision making a reality in the development sector.

Preferred Additional Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Economics, Public Policy, Social Science or a related field
• Experience in management consulting or other professional services
• Experience with programs relating to financial inclusion and/or consumer protection
• Experience working in developing countries
• Familiarity with the concepts surrounding the Theory of Change and the core tools of MEL (both quantitative and qualitative research methods)
• Familiarity with SurveyCTO, Open Data Kit, Kobo or similar survey software
• Ability to use Stata, R or similar statistical software.

Application Closing Date
On a Rolling Basis.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Application Instructions

• Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application. After completing a brief registration, choose the Research job category, then select “Policy & RFE Coordinator, Nigeria”. Applications require you to include two letters of recommendation, statement of purpose (cover letter), CV, and transcripts. Note that you are able to submit your application without the recommendation letters. However, please be advised that we will be requiring them should you be invited for an interview.
• Given the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.