Research Scientist

Job Summary
The Research Scientist is a member of Innovations for Poverty Action's Applied Research & Methods (ARM) team, which designs and leads technical research for IPA's global program portfolio with a focus on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental impact evaluations, and survey methodology. ARM research scientists work closely with IPA's country offices and advisory units on monitoring, evaluation, and learning. The current opening is for a health-focused Research Scientist. The person in this role designs and leads coverage surveys and program audits for a large-scale infectious disease prevention program in Sub-Saharan Africa, combining technical survey design, health systems expertise, and field research management to generate credible, timely evidence for program partners and funders. The role carries intellectual leadership of coverage surveys, data audits, and impact evaluations focused primarily on malaria prevention interventions, along with other health policies and programs across Sub-Saharan Africa. The Research Scientist will also develop, raise grants for, and execute a research agenda around high-impact health interventions and related strategies to improve the lives of people living in poverty in low- and middle-income countries.
Responsibilities
Survey Design and Technical Leadership

• Design coverage survey protocols and audit methodologies, including sampling strategy, questionnaire design, and quality control procedures.
• Serve as principal investigator for evaluations, surveys, data audits, and efforts to extract, validate, and interpret health facility-level data.
• Provide technical guidance on health systems context in Nigeria and other West African countries, including health facility operations and data quality constraints.
  

Partner Engagement and Reporting

• Collaborate with the Survey Delivery Unit on data collection platforms, field protocols, and quality assurance procedures.
• Manage relationships with government health partners and program stakeholders to secure access and support for data collection activities.
• Contribute to analysis and reporting of survey and audit results for program partners and funders.
  

Team Supervision and Research Development

• Supervise and mentor field research staff, including enumerators, field coordinators, and research associates.
• Write proposals for new research, including study design, budgets, and funder-facing narrative.
• Conduct technical quality review of proposals for new research studies.
  

Qualifications
Required:

• PhD or equivalent in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, health economics, or related social science.
• Substantive expertise in health systems, including how health facilities operate, the quality and limitations of facility-level data, and methods for working with facility staff to extract and validate data.
• Demonstrated experience conducting research or fieldwork in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Experience writing research proposals, including study design and budgeting.
  

Desired:

• Expertise in malaria or other infectious disease programs, particularly in the context of research and data.
• Expertise in measurement and data issues related to nutrition, water and sanitation, and other public health topics such as vaccination coverage and attitudes, reproductive health, and family planning.
• Knowledge of health systems in Nigeria or other West African countries.
• Experience working in Nigeria or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• Training and hands-on experience in field survey methods, including sampling design.
• Experience managing culturally diverse research teams.
• Ability to design and implement randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Publications in public health, malaria, measurement, or survey research methods.
• Experience teaching or leading workshops on measurement, sampling, or monitoring and evaluation.
• Ability to contribute to growing the health portfolio at IPA by building and strengthening connections to partners and funders.
• French language proficiency.
  

Location
IPA will prioritize candidates based in Nigeria, followed by candidates based in Ghana, Sierra Leone, or Cote d'Ivoire, then Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, or Tanzania, and finally candidates based in any other country where IPA is registered. The research scientist will oversee data quality at the source, which may require traveling to program and data collection sites across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Reports To
Chief Research and Methods Officer (CRMO).
About IPA
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and advances what works to improve the lives of people living in poverty. 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 people living in poverty. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence of 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 a tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 1,000 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.
Safeguarding at IPA
At Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), we are committed to creating a safe and respectful environment for all individuals, particularly children and vulnerable adults. As IPA adheres to strict safeguarding principles, selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards. By joining IPA, you become part of a team dedicated to ethical conduct, social responsibility, and meaningful impact in the fight against global poverty. Together, we work to create a better world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive with dignity and respect.
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