Avis de recrutement : J-PAL Africa recherche un(e) Directeur(trice) de recherche, Afrique du Sud.

Avis de recrutement : J-PAL Africa recherche un(e) Directeur(trice) de recherche, Afrique du Sud.

The position holder should be a capable manager of field research projects, with excellent quantitative research and people management skills. The role involves managing the research staff who work on these studies, closely liaising with the academic researchers who design and lead the projects and ensuring that the projects are implemented with fidelity to the study design. A key component of the role involves ensuring rigorous data quality measures are in place, including high-frequency checks, back-checking, effective training and debriefs with field staff, and other measures as required. The role also involves building and maintaining strong relationships with project partners – often governments and large NGOs – and working with them to ensure study results inform their programmes and policies. The position will be based in the Johannesburg or Cape Town office of J-PAL Africa, the Africa regional office of J-PAL Global, which forms part of the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) in the University of Cape Town’s School of Economics. Travel to other locations in South Africa will be required for fieldwork supervision, partner management, and work with J-PAL staff or other colleagues.  The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) aims to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. J-PAL consists of a global network of academics who specialise in conducting randomised evaluations of social policies/programmes to generate this evidence.

Requirements for the position :

• NQF9 qualification (i.e., Master’s equivalent) in Public Policy or Economics or another similar social science including graduate level (Honours and up) courses in econometrics/ statistics, microeconomics, or development economics.
• 3 years relevant work experience.
• Experience managing and conducting field research in developing countries.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct rigorous quantitative research.
• Experience in data cleaning and data analysis using Stata or R.
• Demonstrated project management experience, including people management, stakeholder management, and budget writing and management.
• Advanced writing and oral presentation skills in English, particularly the ability to communicate technical research considerations to policymakers in a non-technical manner.
• Familiarity with Microsoft and Google Suite, and data collection software like SurveyCTO and/or Qualtrics.
• Ability and willingness to learn new software/ programming technologies.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Ability to travel regularly within South Africa, and occasionally overseas.

Responsibilities include :

• Help set the vision and strategic direction for the research team.
• Project Management : Managing J-PAL Africa’s evaluations, including supervising several impact evaluations/research projects concurrently; planning with and responding to feedback from Principal Investigators in a timely manner; preparing budgets and financial reports for donors and project financial management; managing all the steps of the implementation of each impact evaluation, i.e. project management, sampling, intervention monitoring, data collection, data cleaning and analysis; and hiring, training and supervising the team working on each research project, including (Senior) Research Associates, and less directly, Interns, Project Associates and field enumerators, as appropriate.
• Project Development: Working with prospective partners and academics to craft and fundraise for project ideas.
• Relationship Management : Oversee communication and engagement with (potential) partner organizations and other stakeholders and funders.
• Support as a trainer of capacity-building activities of J-PAL Africa : Workshops, seminars, Evaluating Social Programmes Executive Education courses, and staff training.

How to Apply