Research Associate/Senior Research Associate

Organization
PxD Precision Development
Location
Nairobi, Kenya
Job Type
Full-Time, Fixed-Term for an initial 12 months, with possibilty of extension.
Deadline for Applications
05/26/2025
Where to Apply
https://precisiondev.bamboohr.com/careers/131
Tags
Contract, Full-time

PxD Precision Development seeks a full-time Research Associate/Senior Research Associate in Nairobi (hybrid) for a fixed term of 12 months with a possibility of extension.

Title: Research Associate/Senior Research Associate

Location: Nairobi, Kenya, with current and ongoing work authorization

Salary: Competitive

Minimum Experience: Mid-level

Position: Full-time, fixed-term for an initial 12 months; extension of role is subject to project funding and staff performance

SUMMARY OF THE ROLE:  PxD seeks a dynamic, creative, and self-motivated Research Associate/Senior Research Associate to join a high-performing, flexible, and non-hierarchical team. In this role, you will have the opportunity to contribute to PxD’s new workstreams, collaborate closely with PxD and affiliated researchers, and play a key role in testing and refining innovative ideas. You will use rigorous methods to experiment, measure impact, and identify pathways to scale the programs.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about PxD’s mission: to provide actionable insights and cost-effective, scalable services that help people in poverty improve their incomes and well-being sustainably.

This is an initial 1-year position, with the possibility of extension.

RESPONSIBILITIES (including but not limited to):

The role will grow as you develop, but you will start by focusing on the following key responsibilities:

  • Work with the team leadership and other colleagues in scoping, designing, piloting, and scaling evidence-backed digital agriculture services, including spending time with farmers in the field to ensure that services are closely aligned with user needs.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of new research ideas and projects that support PxD’s programs and partners.
  • Conduct qualitative and quantitative data collection (including farmer focus groups, interviews, and quantitative surveys) and data cleaning.
  • Produce accurate and organized summaries of data, including basic analysis for descriptive statistics and simple regression analysis.
  • Carry out literature reviews and other desk research, providing input on research questions and structure.
  • Develop and update project documentation regularly.
  • Support partner relations and work with external stakeholders to implement program operations.
  • Support compliance with IRB protocols and relevant in-country research permission requirements.
  • Contribute to funding proposals and project reports.
  • Contribute and support internal and external communications to disseminate project results and research findings, including briefs, blogs, reports, and presentations.
  • Contribute to PxD’s institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.

REQUIREMENTS:

The ideal candidate will have:

  • Bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, international development, or closely related fields.
  • Ability to draw inferences from data to identify pathways for program improvement (e.g., call center productivity, feedback of users to an SMS campaign, looking at usage statistics).
  • Strong understanding of economics, econometrics, and familiarity with randomized evaluations.
  • Excellent knowledge of Stata or R, or similar software for data analysis
  • Experience in using SurveyCTO/ODK or a similar program for survey design.
  • Ability to draw inferences from data to identify pathways for program improvement (e.g., call center productivity, feedback of users to an SMS campaign, looking at usage statistics).
  • Experience in a multi-faceted role, with the ability to balance and prioritize across multiple projects and stakeholders.
  • Understanding and application of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences.
  • Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills.
  • Willingness to travel to field sites in Kenya.

HOW TO APPLY:

To apply, please visit the PxD website and use the online application form to submit a CV, cover letter, and brief responses to the screening questions. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the application deadline of 26 May 2025, 6 pm EAT.

PxD is committed to building an inclusive and diverse organisation. We don’t make decisions based on gender, gender identity, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristics that are unrelated to the role. We understand that everyone has different lifestyles and we accommodate flexible working to make sure you are as productive and happy as you can be.  We will use any personal data you provide for recruitment purposes only.

Posted on: 5 May 2025

Application Deadline: 26 May 2025, 6 pm EAT (applications will be reviewed as they are submitted)

ABOUT PxD:

PxD Precision Development is a global non-profit that harnesses the power of technology, data science, and behavioral economics to provide targeted information to farmers in low and middle-income countries. Providing the right information to the right people in the right way and at the right time increases incomes, protects the environment, and improves well-being. We are evidence-based: we test PxD’s interventions with randomized controlled trials to prove PxD’s impact and cost-effectiveness, to simultaneously learn from and improve PxD’s service, and to demonstrate PxD’s value to funders and partners. There are few programmes in international development that are as demonstrably cost-effective as ours.