Innovation For Poverty Action Jobs 2018

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a United States-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering, and promoting effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA designs, rigorously evaluates, and refines these solutions and their applications together with decision-makers to ensure that the evidence created is used to improve opportunities for the world’s poor.

Job Description

Job Title: Policy Associate

Job Code: FOG-POA-2512018

Position summary
The IPA Ghana office seeks a Policy Associate who will support our team to ensure that IPA’s studies are aligned with the development priorities of Ghana and findings are effectively communicated to relevant stakeholders. This role will focus on supporting IPA research projects in the Health, Agriculture, Financial Inclusion and SME sectors, predominantly. The Policy Associate will support stakeholder outreach in the identified sectors and will significantly involve policy engagements with current and
potential partners, results dissemination, supporting scale-up efforts and the promotion of IPA’s brand and visibility. The Policy Associate will also be expected to contribute significantly to the development of new research projects, ensuring that these can effectively inform policy debates and discourse in Ghana.
This position will be based in Accra and will involve some travel to various regions of Ghana.

Responsibilities

The Policy Associate will report to the Senior Policy and Implementation Manager in the Accra Office. He/she will have a diverse set of responsibilities in the following areas:
Support IPA’s stakeholder engagement strategy in the Agriculture, Health, Financial Inclusion and SME sectors;
Build relevant information and intelligence on identified sectors to inform IPA’s sector engagement strategies as well as contribute effectively to new
project development;
Network and engage with stakeholders in the local and national government, fellow research institutions and NGOs to establish new partnerships and share research findings;
Provide significant support to project teams organizing workshops, meetings and conferences
Follow public debates and discourse on national issues and maintain a calendar of relevant events for the purposes of increasing visibility of IPA’s
research findings;
Collaborate with IPA’s communication team and our researchers to produce a wide range of communication materials aimed at effectively sharing
research findings and data with relevant stakeholders (including, but not limited to, newsletters, media reports, project information briefs, blogs, etc.);

Support partner organizations with technical assistance support to inform the potential scale up of interventions proven to work, or new program designs;
Keep policy information updated in IPA’s knowledge management systems;
Create and manage activity budgets;
Supervise 1 or 2 junior staff on the policy team;
Perform other related duties as assigned by the supervisor
Employment period: 1 year, with the possibility of extension/renewal based on performance and need
Proposed start date: immediately

Required Skills or Experience

Master’s degree in Social Science, Economics, Political Science or another relevant discipline (Bachelor holders may be considered based on
experience);
Ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of at least one of the focus sectors (i.e. Agriculture, Health, Financial Inclusion and SME);
Experience organizing conferences, workshops or other large events;
Team Player with excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with senior officials in government and other partner organizations;
Ability to create and nurture a network of high level relationships; a member of an existing network in one of the focus sectors is highly recommended
Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments to completion;
Strong interest in learning and ability to grasps new concepts quickly;
Takes initiative with critical thinking skills
Excellent management and organizational skills;
Ability to develop promotional materials, along with strong training and facilitations skills;
Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint; Proficiency with Publisher and Photoshop or other graphic design software is desirable;
Understanding of research and RCTs is a plus.

How to Apply

Please fill out the online application form by clicking the link below
Timeline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until suitable candidates are found.
Due to the high volume of applications received by IPA, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted by email or phone for an interview.
DISCLAIMER: Please note that IPA will never require monetary compensation as part of its application process. Any requests for
monetary compensation by persons claiming to be IPA employees or persons claiming to represent IPA should be disregarded and reported. Please direct questions to [email protected].