Jobs at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Uganda - Project Associate

Job title: Project Associate, The Impact of Solar Power and Financing (Uganda)

    Location: Uganda
    Desired Start Date and Duration: July 2013, 1 year, 3 months commitment

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.

Position Summary

Innovations for Poverty Action seeks a qualified Project Associate to lead a study that evaluates a pay-as-you go solar system in Uganda. The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. The work will stretch your analytical and management skills to the limit and will require your full commitment in a challenging environment. This position will be based in Kampala with extensive travel in rural areas of the country.

Project Description:

Access to clean, safe, affordable light and power is one of the obstacles to – or enabler of – economic and social development.  Approximately 1.3 billion people globally—590 million in Africa alone—live without electricity and rely predominantly on kerosene lanterns and other non-electric energy sources. Kerosene is not only more costly and lower quality per unit of service, it is also unhealthy and unsafe, inhibiting quality of life attainments and constraining productive potential.

d.light, in partnership with M-KOPA, will pilot the marketing and distribution of the "Pay-GO" home system in Uganda. This product combines two innovations into one offering: 1) an upgradeable solar power system, and 2) pay-as-you-go consumer financing. Upgradability enables consumers to buy only as much light as they need and can afford initially, then allows them to add light to their initial system when they need and can afford more, without obsoleting their initial outlay. Pay-as-you-go financing can make this product more affordable for consumers, with a low initial outlay and monthly payments amounting to what consumers would otherwise spend on fuel and mobile charging. This study will measure the effect of Pay-GO usage on lighting and mobile-charging expenditure and productive time, as well as a more qualitative measure on perception of living standards.

The Principal Investigators are Hunt Allcott (New York University) and Dean Karlan (Yale University).

Responsibilities

The Project Associate will be responsibility for a variety of tasks including, but not limited to:

    Developing and piloting the survey instruments, including programming questions onto a mobile phone and managing the translation of the survey into the local languages.
    Hiring, training, and managing the groups of field teams who will conduct the interviews.
    Managing all field logistics, procuring equipment, and ensuring the study has approvals from local authorities.
    Helping to inform the project design based on the results of a pilot; overseeing the baseline and endline data collection exercises.
    Ensuring all data quality protocols are followed including auditing enumerators and performing daily checks of the incoming data; correcting the errors of staff iteratively to ensure the data is of the highest quality.
    Managing the data from collection at the household to delivery of a final, cleaned dataset.
    Managing the budget including helping IPA management to inform the initial budget decisions and tracking all expenses to ensure costs are within project funds.
    Writing regular progress reports and leading project meetings to ensure deadlines are met.
    Monitoring the intervention to ensure it is carried out correctly and consistently—ensuring there is no spillover between treatment and control.
    Working closely with NGO partners running the program and liaising between all stakeholders to ensure all interests are aligned and accounted for.

Desired Qualifications and Experience

    A Bachelor's or Master’s degree in economics, public policy, international development, public health or related fields.
    Excellent project management and organizational skills; meticulous attention to detail
    Strong quantitative skills and knowledge of Stata required; programming and other technical knowledge a strong plus.
    Demonstrated ability to lead staff efficiently to achieve project goals.
    Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently and a team player.
    Experience working or living in developing countries.
    Familiarity with randomized controlled trials.

How to Apply

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.

1) Send an email to jobs-uganda@poverty-action.organd jobs@poverty-action.org, following the instructions below:

    In the subject line:  Copy exactly the following position line: 100922IPA, PA Solar Power and Financing
    Attachments:  Please attach ONLY your CV and cover letter.
    In the email body: Put your full name, first (given) name followed by last (family) name

Please do not include any text besides the position line(s) in the body of the e-mail. Adding extra text will interfere with the processing of your application.

2) Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application indicating that you are interested in applying for a "Type 1: Research Analyst or Project Associate" position.  Please note: you are not required to include transcripts or letters of recommendation upon initial submission. After submitting, you can edit your application at any time and may add these.

Deadline:30/06/2013