Non-profit Careers - Project Associate, eWarehousing at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Organization: Innovations for Poverty
Action (IPA)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
About IPA:
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international non-profit
research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in Washington, D.C.
and worldwide, IPA works with development partners and academic researchers to
create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate
“what works” in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of
fields, including health, education, microfinance, governance and agriculture.
About Project:
The widespread adoption of mobile phones offers an opportunity for
novel interventions that have the power to integrate rural agricultural markets
and increase competition. ICT specifically designed to link farmers and
input providers, as well as farmers and buyers, could generate major
improvements in farmer livelihoods and agricultural market efficiency.
This study evaluates the impact of a randomized electronic Warehouse
(eWarehouse) system. This technology serves two roles. First,
it bulks famers’ input orders. By exploiting economies of scale for
transportation and transaction costs, this enables input providers to reach
last-mile rural markets and offer agricultural inputs at a lower price, with
the ultimate goal of increasing farmer yields. Second, it electronically
aggregates information about harvest levels at the village level and provides
this information publicly to nationwide agricultural traders, alleviating the
transactions cost that limit farmers’ ability to link with large-scale buyers
and enhancing competitiveness among those vying for farmers’ produce and
increase. This study will explore the impact that this project has on
market prices, buyer behavior, and the efficiency of rural agricultural markets.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Oversee multiple project data collection activities, including surveys of agricultural traders and markets;
- Develop and pilot survey instruments;
- Train, build and manage teams to conduct surveys with retailers and agricultural traders;
- Ensure all aspects of data quality and assist with data cleaning and preliminary analysis;
- Oversee project budget, including tracking project expenses and adherence to the project budget;
- Manage relations with the research team’s Ugandan NGO partner as a “liaison”;
- Work closely with principal investigators and the local partners to ensure study protocols are followed;
- Perform any other duties as assigned
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant should possess a Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred) in economics, social sciences, or related field
- Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills
- Experience managing multiple teams simultaneously and prioritizing projects preferred
- Exceptional interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
- Fluency in English required
- Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
- Detail oriented and able to work independently
- Good understanding and familiarity with randomized controlled trials is a strong plus
- Experience living in a developing country preferred
- Past exposure and experience living in Africa or background in economics/agricultural studies is a plus, but not required
- Familiarity with database management and/or software development is a plus, but not required
Please follow the application instructions below. Any
applications or CVs submitted outside this process will not be
considered. Note, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an
interview. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Complete the J-PAL/IPA
common application. Please select the position(s) you are interested in
applying for on the 'Submit Application' page. Include two letters of
recommendation, statement of purpose (cover letter), CV, and transcripts. We
will consider your application even if you are unable to obtain reference
letters before the deadline, but please be advised that we will be requiring
them should you be invited for an interview.
IPA is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer.
All persons shall have the opportunity to be considered for employment
without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry,
alienage or citizenship status, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation,
veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal,
state or local laws.
IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified
applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue
hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such
assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please
contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org.
