Research Manager - Precision Development - Nigeria

Summary of the Organization:

Precision Development (PxD)  is a global non-profit that harnesses the power of technology, data science, and behavioral economics to provide targeted information to farmers in low and middle-income countries. Providing the right information to the right people in the right way and at the right time increases incomes, protects the environment, and improves well-being. We are evidence-based: we test our interventions with randomized controlled trials to prove our impact and cost-effectiveness, to simultaneously learn from and improve our service, and to demonstrate our value to funders and partners. There are few programs in international development that are as demonstrably cost-effective as ours. 

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 workstream, collaborate closely with PxD and affiliated researchers, and play a key role in testing and refining innovative ideas. We are looking for a proactive self-starter with strong research management skills and the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders. 

The ideal candidate will focus on scaling digital agricultural initiatives and designing impactful and inclusive solutions. A solid understanding of digital technology adoption and scaling through government channels is essential.

We encourage you to apply if you are passionate about leveraging evidence, technology, and government partnerships to drive positive change in the agricultural sector.

This is an initial 1-year position, with the possibility of extension. 

Responsibilities:

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 in using 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.

Qualifications:

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 managing at least two large projects that design and implement rigorous research or evidence-based programs, including gathering feedback from rural populations in LMIC countries.
• Ability to draw inferences from data to identify pathways for program improvement (e.g., call centre 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 English writing and oral communication skills, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in Hausa and knowledge of any other Nigerian language are a plus.
• Experience working with government agencies.
• Must have the right to work in Nigeria, with experience working in Nigeria and willingness to travel to field sites, subject to security considerations.