Background

L-IFT (Low Income Financial Transformation) is a Netherlands based Research Company specialized in diaries research and human centric program design. L-IFT is partnering with MDF to conduct an evaluation for IDH of their Coffee Farmer Income Resilience Programme (CFIRP). The research is about assessing the change/impact of the project, after 4 years. L-IFT uses its own developed FINBIT technology system to collect data. For this project, we are looking for highly motivated, qualified, and capable professionals to fill the post of Field Researcher.

Responsibilities

The Field Researchers’ main responsibility is to conduct interviews with coffee farmers. The field researcher will provide daily reports including planning of the field work. The field researcher will be expected to adhere to all established ethical and survey protocols during the interviews and maintain excellent data quality.

Training

The Field Researchers’ work will start by being trained by the L-IFT and MDF team.

In the field:

• The field researcher will follow the sampling protocol to choose the participating coffee farmer
• The coffee farmer will be interviewed (men and women)
• The soil in the coffee farm will be sampled (following a soil sampling protocol)
• The field researcher will report planned and achieved activities – daily – to the supervisor.
• The field researcher will check and handle ‘mistakes in data input’ daily
• The field researcher is responsible for completing the sample in time.
• The field researchers will ensure data quality as well as strict compliances to all ethical and survey protocols during the interviews and subsequent data management.
• The Field Researcher shall be directly supervised and work closely with the Field Supervisor.

Specific Responsibilities

• Attend training sessions organized by L-IFT
• Internalize methods and protocols of data collection, and fully understand all questionnaires prior to commencement of the actual interviews
• Travel to all respondents in the assigned research area to interview all participants for the research
• Strictly follow survey procedures and ethical standards through the process of data collection
• Document issues that arise during the field work and communicate them to the field supervisor
• Safe handling of resources provided by the company (mobile phones and accessories) to protect them from any damage
• Report to the field supervisor on daily basis
• Actively exchange experiences and communicate observations in an exchange group of peers and supervisor
• Participate in daily (or every 2 days) review meetings to address issues from the field and to get trained

Qualifications

The following are ideal features that are considered for recruitment.

Profile of an ideal candidate for field researchers

• A diploma (or equivalent) in field of agriculture, economics, sociology, anthropology, development studies, entrepreneurship or a related field
• Resident in one of the research locations
• Proven experience in data collection
• Good understanding of agricultural (coffee) value chain and small holder farmers
• Energetic
• Able to relate easily to people and inspire trust (good verbal communication, good at encouraging people)
• Have good written communications
• Good command of English and the relevant local language of the area being applied for. In all locations, the candidate must be able to speak the informal everyday variant fluently and also write and translate it into the commonly understood form.
• Have some computer and mobile-phone skills, command of Microsoft Office Suite and Android operating software
• Have numerical and analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Characteristics: Motivated/committed; Energetic/enthusiastic; Fast/pro-active (takes initiative to solve problems); Good with people (listener); Reliable/conscientious; Technology oriented; Interest in research; Good communicator; Modest; Non-judgmental; Organized/disciplined; Adoptable (Adjust easily with unpredictable situations), Inquisitive and curious.

• The field researcher will follow the sampling protocol to choose the participating coffee farmer
• The coffee farmer will be interviewed (men and women)
• The soil in the coffee farm will be sampled (following a soil sampling protocol)
• The field researcher will report planned and achieved activities – daily – to the supervisor.
• The field researcher will check and handle ‘mistakes in data input’ daily
• The field researcher is responsible for completing the sample in time.
• The field researchers will ensure data quality as well as strict compliances to all ethical and survey protocols during the interviews and subsequent data management.
• Attend training sessions organized by L-IFT
• Internalize methods and protocols of data collection, and fully understand all questionnaires prior to commencement of the actual interviews
• Travel to all respondents in the assigned research area to interview all participants for the research
• Strictly follow survey procedures and ethical standards through the process of data collection
• Document issues that arise during the field work and communicate them to the field supervisor
• Safe handling of resources provided by the company (mobile phones and accessories) to protect them from any damage
• Report to the field supervisor on daily basis
• Actively exchange experiences and communicate observations in an exchange group of peers and supervisor
• Participate in daily (or every 2 days) review meetings to address issues from the field and to get trained

• Good verbal communication
• Good at encouraging people
• Good written communications
• Good command of English and the relevant local language of the area being applied for. In all locations, the candidate must be able to speak the informal everyday variant fluently and also write and translate it into the commonly understood form.
• Some computer and mobile-phone skills, command of Microsoft Office Suite and Android operating software
• Numerical and analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Motivated/committed
• Energetic/enthusiastic
• Fast/pro-active (takes initiative to solve problems)
• Good with people (listener)
• Reliable/conscientious
• Technology oriented
• Interest in research
• Good communicator
• Modest
• Non-judgmental
• Organized/disciplined
• Adoptable (Adjust easily with unpredictable situations)
• Inquisitive and curious

• A diploma (or equivalent) in field of agriculture, economics, sociology, anthropology, development studies, entrepreneurship or a related field
• Resident in one of the research locations
• Proven experience in data collection
• Good understanding of agricultural (coffee) value chain and small holder farmers