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.

Job Summary

The Research Manager (RM) is responsible for the high-quality delivery of a portfolio of approximately five or more research projects, depending on their size, complexity, and level of management required. The RM provides technical, operational, financial, and people-management oversight across the research lifecycle, from study planning and start-up through data collection, analysis, dissemination, and close-out. Working closely with Principal Investigators (PIs), project teams, implementing partners, and IPA support functions, the RM ensures that projects are scientifically rigorous, delivered on time and within budget, and compliant with IPA standards, donor requirements, ethical approvals, and Ugandan regulatory requirements. The RM also develops research staff, manages project and stakeholder risks, contributes to new research and funding opportunities, and supports learning and continuous improvement across the Uganda country program.

Responsibilities

Project and Research Delivery Management

• Manage a portfolio of approximately five or more research projects, depending on project size, complexity, and level of management support required, and maintain a clear view of the status, priorities, and risks across the full portfolio.
• Lead day-to-day project management from start-up through implementation, analysis, dissemination, and close-out, ensuring agreed milestones, deliverables, and contractual obligations are met.
• Develop and maintain realistic project workplans, implementation schedules, staffing plans, procurement requirements, deliverable trackers, and risk registers.
• Monitor progress against agreed timelines and promptly identify delays, implementation bottlenecks, dependencies, and decisions that could affect delivery; develop practical mitigation plans and escalate material risks or delays early.
• Keep the Country Director and relevant leadership informed of significant project developments, emerging risks, delays, financial concerns, and decisions requiring leadership input.
• Coordinate effectively with Finance, Grants, HR, Operations, Procurement, and other IPA functions so that project requirements are anticipated and support is requested in sufficient time.
• Ensure project information, documentation, and status updates in IPA management systems are accurate, complete, and current, and that technical, narrative, and other deliverables are submitted to donors, PIs, and partners on time.
• Work closely with PIs and project teams to develop project designs into rigorous, feasible, and context-appropriate implementation plans.
• Provide technical oversight of sampling, randomization, survey instruments, field protocols, piloting, survey programming, data collection, monitoring, and data-quality systems.
• Review project tools and procedures before field deployment and ensure that changes to approved research designs or protocols are discussed with the PI, documented, and, as applicable, approved by ethics boards.
• Oversee data-management processes, including data-flow planning, quality checks, cleaning, documentation, secure storage, and preparation of datasets for analysis; may occasionally support statistical analysis and interpretation of findings.

Financial, Grant, and Regulatory Risk Management

• Develop or contribute to the development of project budgets, ensuring projects are operationally realistic and appropriately costed, and consistent with approved grant periods, donor restrictions, and available resources.
• Conduct regular budget-versus-actual reviews and monitor expenditure, burn rates, forecasts, commitments, and projected balances throughout the life of each project, identifying potential over- or underspends early and agreeing corrective action with PIs, the Country Director, and relevant leadership.
• Support accurate and timely donor financial reporting, budget revisions, grant amendments, no-cost extensions, accrual planning, and project financial close-out, and maintain documentation to support project expenditure and audit requirements.
• Plan for and coordinate timely initial submissions, renewals, amendments, and reporting to relevant IRBs/RECs, UNCST, and other regulatory authorities.
• Ensure assigned projects comply with IPA policies, approved research protocols, donor conditions, and applicable Ugandan legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain project-level risk registers covering research, operational, financial, regulatory, data, safeguarding, and stakeholder risks, reviewing them regularly with project teams.
• Ensure protocol deviations, adverse events, safeguarding concerns, data incidents, and other significant compliance issues are promptly identified, documented, escalated, and addressed in accordance with IPA, ethics, and other regulatory requirements.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready project files, including approvals, agreements, key decisions, reports, and supporting documentation.

Team Leadership and Staff Development

• Recruit, supervise, coach, and manage Research Associates, Field Managers, project staff, consultants, and other research personnel assigned to the portfolio.
• Build staff capacity in research implementation, survey design, data quality, data management, project planning, budgeting, stakeholder communication, and professional judgment.
• Review workload and staffing needs across projects and work with the Country Director and HR to address capacity gaps, performance concerns, or periods of peak demand.
• Promote cross-project learning and sharing of good practices through mentoring, peer support, training, and documentation of lessons learned.

Research Dissemination and Organizational Contribution

• Support preparation of research briefs, presentations, reports, and other outputs for academic and non-academic audiences, and support dissemination of findings with PIs, project teams, and stakeholders in line with agreed disclosure or publication arrangements.
• Contribute to country-office portfolio reviews, annual planning, and research-management discussions.
• Identify recurring implementation challenges and contribute to improvements in research SOPs, tools, templates, systems, and management practices.
• Share lessons and good practices across projects and contribute to a culture of research excellence, financial responsibility, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Undertake other responsibilities assigned in support of IPA Uganda's research and organizational objectives.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant discipline, for instance economics, statistics, public health, epidemiology, development studies, public policy, or social sciences.
• At least 4-5 years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects or workstreams simultaneously and deliver against competing deadlines.
• Working knowledge of quantitative research methods and experience implementing rigorous research designs; experience with randomized controlled trials is a strong plus.
• Experience supervising field research, including survey design and implementation, field teams, data collection, monitoring, and data-quality assurance.
• Working knowledge of at least one statistical software package such as Stata, R, or Python.
• Experience with electronic data-collection platforms such as SurveyCTO, KoboToolbox, ODK, or similar systems.
• Strong project-management skills, including work planning, risk management, problem-solving, documentation, and follow-through.
• Strong budgeting and financial-management skills, including the ability to read project financial reports, monitor expenditure and forecasts, and identify financial risks.
• Experience preparing donor or partner reports and contributing to grant proposals or funding applications.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills and demonstrated ability to work effectively with researchers, partners, and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and exercise sound judgment within delegated authority.
• Flexible and proactive work ethic and demonstrated alignment with IPA's mission and standards.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 30%.
• Experience working in Uganda or a comparable low- or middle-income country research environment (preferred).
• Familiarity with research ethics and regulatory processes, including IRB/REC and UNCST requirements (preferred).
• Experience managing donor-funded research projects or grants (preferred).
• Experience working directly with PIs, donors, or implementing partners (preferred).

Location

Based in Uganda. Ability and willingness to travel up to 30% for field oversight, project meetings, and stakeholder engagement, including travel to various project sites.

Reports To

Country Director

• Manage a portfolio of approximately five or more research projects, depending on project size, complexity, and level of management support required, and maintain a clear view of the status, priorities, and risks across the full portfolio.
• Lead day-to-day project management from start-up through implementation, analysis, dissemination, and close-out, ensuring agreed milestones, deliverables, and contractual obligations are met.
• Develop and maintain realistic project workplans, implementation schedules, staffing plans, procurement requirements, deliverable trackers, and risk registers.
• Monitor progress against agreed timelines and promptly identify delays, implementation bottlenecks, dependencies, and decisions that could affect delivery; develop practical mitigation plans and escalate material risks or delays early.
• Keep the Country Director and relevant leadership informed of significant project developments, emerging risks, delays, financial concerns, and decisions requiring leadership input.
• Coordinate effectively with Finance, Grants, HR, Operations, Procurement, and other IPA functions so that project requirements are anticipated and support is requested in sufficient time.
• Ensure project information, documentation, and status updates in IPA management systems are accurate, complete, and current, and that technical, narrative, and other deliverables are submitted to donors, PIs, and partners on time.
• Work closely with PIs and project teams to develop project designs into rigorous, feasible, and context-appropriate implementation plans.
• Provide technical oversight of sampling, randomization, survey instruments, field protocols, piloting, survey programming, data collection, monitoring, and data-quality systems.
• Review project tools and procedures before field deployment and ensure that changes to approved research designs or protocols are discussed with the PI, documented, and, as applicable, approved by ethics boards.
• Oversee data-management processes, including data-flow planning, quality checks, cleaning, documentation, secure storage, and preparation of datasets for analysis; may occasionally support statistical analysis and interpretation of findings.
• Develop or contribute to the development of project budgets, ensuring projects are operationally realistic and appropriately costed, and consistent with approved grant periods, donor restrictions, and available resources.
• Conduct regular budget-versus-actual reviews and monitor expenditure, burn rates, forecasts, commitments, and projected balances throughout the life of each project, identifying potential over- or underspends early and agreeing corrective action with PIs, the Country Director, and relevant leadership.
• Support accurate and timely donor financial reporting, budget revisions, grant amendments, no-cost extensions, accrual planning, and project financial close-out, and maintain documentation to support project expenditure and audit requirements.
• Plan for and coordinate timely initial submissions, renewals, amendments, and reporting to relevant IRBs/RECs, UNCST, and other regulatory authorities.
• Ensure assigned projects comply with IPA policies, approved research protocols, donor conditions, and applicable Ugandan legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain project-level risk registers covering research, operational, financial, regulatory, data, safeguarding, and stakeholder risks, reviewing them regularly with project teams.
• Ensure protocol deviations, adverse events, safeguarding concerns, data incidents, and other significant compliance issues are promptly identified, documented, escalated, and addressed in accordance with IPA, ethics, and other regulatory requirements.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and audit-ready project files, including approvals, agreements, key decisions, reports, and supporting documentation.
• Recruit, supervise, coach, and manage Research Associates, Field Managers, project staff, consultants, and other research personnel assigned to the portfolio.
• Build staff capacity in research implementation, survey design, data quality, data management, project planning, budgeting, stakeholder communication, and professional judgment.
• Review workload and staffing needs across projects and work with the Country Director and HR to address capacity gaps, performance concerns, or periods of peak demand.
• Promote cross-project learning and sharing of good practices through mentoring, peer support, training, and documentation of lessons learned.
• Support preparation of research briefs, presentations, reports, and other outputs for academic and non-academic audiences, and support dissemination of findings with PIs, project teams, and stakeholders in line with agreed disclosure or publication arrangements.
• Contribute to country-office portfolio reviews, annual planning, and research-management discussions.
• Identify recurring implementation challenges and contribute to improvements in research SOPs, tools, templates, systems, and management practices.
• Share lessons and good practices across projects and contribute to a culture of research excellence, financial responsibility, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Undertake other responsibilities assigned in support of IPA Uganda's research and organizational objectives.

• Working knowledge of quantitative research methods
• Experience implementing rigorous research designs
• Experience with randomized controlled trials
• Experience supervising field research
• Survey design and implementation
• Field team management
• Data collection
• Monitoring
• Data-quality assurance
• Working knowledge of at least one statistical software package (Stata, R, or Python)
• Experience with electronic data-collection platforms (SurveyCTO, KoboToolbox, ODK, or similar)
• Strong project-management skills
• Work planning
• Risk management
• Problem-solving
• Documentation
• Follow-through
• Strong budgeting and financial-management skills
• Ability to read project financial reports
• Monitor expenditure and forecasts
• Identify financial risks
• Experience preparing donor or partner reports
• Contributing to grant proposals or funding applications
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills
• Ability to work independently
• Manage ambiguity
• Exercise sound judgment
• Flexible and proactive work ethic
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English

• Master's degree in a relevant discipline, for instance economics, statistics, public health, epidemiology, development studies, public policy, or social sciences.
• At least 4-5 years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects or workstreams simultaneously and deliver against competing deadlines.
• Working knowledge of quantitative research methods and experience implementing rigorous research designs; experience with randomized controlled trials is a strong plus.
• Experience supervising field research, including survey design and implementation, field teams, data collection, monitoring, and data-quality assurance.
• Working knowledge of at least one statistical software package such as Stata, R, or Python.
• Experience with electronic data-collection platforms such as SurveyCTO, KoboToolbox, ODK, or similar systems.
• Strong project-management skills, including work planning, risk management, problem-solving, documentation, and follow-through.
• Strong budgeting and financial-management skills, including the ability to read project financial reports, monitor expenditure and forecasts, and identify financial risks.
• Experience preparing donor or partner reports and contributing to grant proposals or funding applications.
• Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills and demonstrated ability to work effectively with researchers, partners, and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to work independently, manage ambiguity, and exercise sound judgment within delegated authority.
• Flexible and proactive work ethic and demonstrated alignment with IPA's mission and standards.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 30%.
• Experience working in Uganda or a comparable low- or middle-income country research environment (preferred).
• Familiarity with research ethics and regulatory processes, including IRB/REC and UNCST requirements (preferred).
• Experience managing donor-funded research projects or grants (preferred).
• Experience working directly with PIs, donors, or implementing partners (preferred).