Program Associate, Strategic Impact Evaluation and Learning 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 600leading academics to conduct over 830evaluations in 52countries. 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: Program Associate, Strategic Impact Evaluation and Learning

Requisition ID: 1712
Location: Nigeria
Employment Type: Full-time
Reports to: Program Lead, SIEL

Position Summary
The Strategic Impact Evaluation and Learning (SIEL) program of the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is a six-year learning partnership between FCDO’s Evaluation Unit, IPA, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). SIEL aims to:

• Establish a robust evidence base to understand 'what works', including long-term impacts
• Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of FCDO’s interventions and policies in strategic priority areas
• Equip FCDO staff with the necessary skills to deploy and leverage impact evaluations to optimize value for money.

Responsibilities
40%:
Support the coordination of SIEL’s research fund focusing on humanitarian assistance, conflict and fragility, growth, and climate and nature:

• Coordinate the regular competitive funding process, including drafting the calls for proposals, communicating with FCDO and research teams, managing the proposal review process, and supervising the development of grant agreements
• Track the status of grants and projects in SIEL’s portfolio, through the detailed review of grant deliverables and regular communication with research teams
• Liaise internally with relevant IPA teams such as research support, programs, grants, legal, finance, and global operations.

Support grant reporting to donor:

• Participate in the first review and filtering of research studies that will go onto the competitive fund review board.

30%:
Project development:

• Support the Program Lead in project development activities, including but not limited to, conducting outreach and providing support to FCDO teams to develop proposals and coordinating matchmaking with researchers
• Liaise with FCDO teams, IPA and J-PAL Country Offices, external and internal researchers, and implementing organizations in order to support them in project development efforts.

20%:
Communications and policy outreach:

• Support SIEL’s Research Uptake Lead and Program Lead in organizing and preparing materials for dissemination activities
• Support other dissemination activities as needed, such as keeping IPA’s website up to date with project summaries and planning and presenting at events
• Supporti SIEL’s Capacity Strengthening Lead in organizing and preparing materials for training sessions and other capacity strengthening activities.

10%:
General program administration:

• Support financial monitoring and administration
• Contribute to the implementation of IPA’s diversity, equality, and inclusion strategy, including tracking SIEL’s progress against organizational metrics.

Qualifications
Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Economics, Political Science, Public Policy, or related fields
• At least 2 years of work experience in project and/or research management, research fund management, and/or research dissemination
• Demonstrated project management skills, including attention to operational and research detail, and ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects efficiently
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively and clearly with internal and external stakeholders using cogent, precise, non-technical language
• Ability to present information in a structured and insightful way, both in writing and orally
• Flexibility, self-motivation, willingness to learn, and a team-oriented attitude.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in economics, political science, public policy, or related fields
• Knowledge of impact evaluation methodologies
• Knowledge of topics related to humanitarian assistance, climate and nature, growth, or conflict and fragility
• Experience writing evidence synthesis, research summaries, and policy briefs
• Proficiency in Excel and CRM software, like Salesforce.

Application Closing Date
6th March, 2025.