Job Summary

The Program Associate, Strategic Impact Evaluation and Learning (SIEL), sits within IPA's Sector Programs department and supports a six-year learning partnership between the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), IPA, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). The SIEL program aims to establish a robust evidence base for FCDO's global programs and policies, enhance the efficiency of FCDO's interventions, and equip FCDO staff with skills to deploy and leverage impact evaluations for value for money. The Program Associate will support the Program Lead in grant management, project development, and communications across SIEL's four strategic priority areas: growth, humanitarian assistance, climate and nature, and conflict and fragility.

Responsibilities

Research Fund Coordination (40%)

• Coordinate the regular competitive funding process, including drafting 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 detailed review of grant deliverables and regular communication
• Maintain up-to-date Salesforce records (database management) for all projects
• Ensure accurate and complete grant reporting in compliance with donor requirements
• Participate in the first review and filtering of research proposals for the competitive fund review board

Project Development (30%)

• Support the Program Lead in project development activities, including conducting outreach and providing support to FCDO teams to develop proposals
• Liaise internally with relevant IPA teams including research support, programs, grants, legal, finance, and global operations
• Coordinate matchmaking between FCDO teams, researchers, and IPA and J-PAL country offices on projects related to SIEL's priority areas
• Contribute to developing new proposals to the research fund through outreach and relationship management efforts

Communications and Policy (20%)

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

General Program Administration (10%)

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

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in economics, political science, public policy, or a related field
• 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 the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects efficiently
• Excellent communication skills; ability to communicate clearly and effectively 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
• Master's degree in economics, political science, public policy, or a related field (preferred)
• Knowledge of impact evaluation methodologies (preferred)
• Knowledge of topics related to humanitarian assistance, climate and nature, growth, or conflict and fragility (preferred)
• Experience writing evidence syntheses, research summaries, and policy briefs (preferred)
• Proficiency in Excel and CRM software such as Salesforce (preferred)

Location

Preferred office locations include IPA country offices in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda. Language requirement: English (fluent, including written).

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.

• Coordinate the regular competitive funding process, including drafting 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 detailed review of grant deliverables and regular communication
• Maintain up-to-date Salesforce records (database management) for all projects
• Ensure accurate and complete grant reporting in compliance with donor requirements
• Participate in the first review and filtering of research proposals for the competitive fund review board
• Support the Program Lead in project development activities, including conducting outreach and providing support to FCDO teams to develop proposals
• Liaise internally with relevant IPA teams including research support, programs, grants, legal, finance, and global operations
• Coordinate matchmaking between FCDO teams, researchers, and IPA and J-PAL country offices on projects related to SIEL's priority areas
• Contribute to developing new proposals to the research fund through outreach and relationship management efforts
• Support SIEL's Research Uptake Lead and Program Lead in organizing and preparing materials for dissemination activities
• Support other dissemination activities as needed, including keeping IPA's website up to date with project summaries and planning and presenting at events
• Support SIEL's Capacity Strengthening Lead in organizing and preparing materials for training sessions and other capacity-strengthening activities
• Support financial monitoring and administration
• Contribute to the implementation of IPA's diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy, including tracking SIEL's progress against organizational metrics

• Demonstrated project management skills, including attention to operational and research detail and the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects efficiently
• Excellent communication skills; ability to communicate clearly and effectively 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
• Knowledge of impact evaluation methodologies (preferred)
• Knowledge of topics related to humanitarian assistance, climate and nature, growth, or conflict and fragility (preferred)
• Experience writing evidence syntheses, research summaries, and policy briefs (preferred)
• Proficiency in Excel and CRM software such as Salesforce (preferred)

• Bachelor's degree in economics, political science, public policy, or a related field
• At least 2 years of work experience in project and/or research management, research fund management, and/or research dissemination
• Master's degree in economics, political science, public policy, or a related field (preferred)