Innovations for Poverty Action Jobs 2018

IPA seeks a Deputy Country Director (DCD) based in Accra, Ghana, to support the Ghana country program. Established in 2009, the IPA Ghana office employs 50 staff members and manages up to 25 research projects each year. IPA Ghana is headquartered in Accra with an additional office in Tamale. IPA Ghana has an established strong presence in the local research environment with government institutions, international organizations, private companies and NGO partners. This position provides a unique opportunity to gain high-level management experience in a large country program, and to be closely involved in policy-relevant research, working with top academics, donors, government and other practitioners to foster evidence based-policy making.

As a member of the IPA Ghana management team, the Deputy Country Director will work closely with the Country Director to provide strategic direction, operational support, research oversight and capacity building to a team of 50 full-time local and international staff. The DCD will oversee several impact evaluations which are expected to span across multiple sectors over time: health, education, financial inclusion and enterprise development. The DCD will also oversee the operations and finance functions of IPA Ghana as a whole. He/she will contribute to IPA’s continued expansion by initiating new partnerships and projects in the country and will support the dissemination of results to local practitioners and policy makers.

Job Description

Job Title: Deputy Country Director

Responsibilities

Oversee a portfolio of 2-4 high-quality research projects:

Provide day-to-day support and guidance to up to 8 research project staff on several ongoing studies to ensure work plans and timelines are met and data quality is high
Ensure that IPA research is implemented according to IPA’s quality standards and Principal Investigators’ direction
Represent IPA Ghana with external stakeholders and participate in the development of new projects:

Develop new and manage existing relationships with IPA partner organizations and Principal investigators to enhance the relevance and influence of IPA Ghana’s research, oversee targeted dissemination of research findings, encourage scale-up of successful projects
Identify priority research questions and key concerns for policy makers, and initiate and manage the development of corresponding new research proposals
Lead and initiate a portfolio of project development efforts with researchers, funders and partner organizations
Provide oversight to the Operations and Finance functions of IPA Ghana:

Supervise the Operations Manager, in charge of human resources, legal compliance, IT, office management and other operational support in both IPA Ghana offices (Accra and Tamale)
Supervise the Sr. Finance Manager, in charge of procurement, accounting, financial projections, advances and payments, and ensuring overall compliance with financial procedures
Ensure proper compliance with financial procedures, approve expenditures, make accurate projections and ensure overall compliance
Strengthen finance systems to ensure the systems are robust for country program growth and compliant with strict donor requirements (e.g., USAID, DFID)
Take steps to mitigate risk and to safeguard the organization’s reputation
Oversee safety and security
Ensure IPA Ghana complies with all statutory requirements
Qualifications
Master’s degree in international affairs, international public policy, development economics, project management or field related to social science and economics research or international development
A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience
Strong technical research skills, including quantitative analysis skills preferred
Familiarity with randomized controlled trials preferred
Experience with financial and operations management
Experience managing large teams
Ability to communicate effectively across cultures with multiple stakeholders including international and local academic researchers, government officials, NGO partners, enumeration teams, and study participants
Experience managing funds from multiple donors preferred
Excellent organization and multitasking skills, self-motivating, ability to work under pressure and to prioritize effectively
High emotional intelligence, self-knowledge, flexible, and a team player
Excellent English communication skills
Experience living and working in a developing country
Commitment to leading a diverse team and building staff capacity
Passion for connecting rigorous research to policy makers and practitioners
Innate curiosity, analytic reasoning, and a sense of humor are required
Experience with health sector research and/or program implementation preferred