Tupande Research and Evaluations Lead

About

The Tupande Research and Evaluations Lead will oversee research, evaluation and learning functions within Tupande, including current and future projects in Kenya. The role leads data quality and measurement strategy, manages staff and departmental budgets, and supports stakeholders with study design, analysis, data collection and reporting. Applicants need relevant evaluation and analytical expertise, leadership experience, and willingness to live in East Africa for at least two years. Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya.

How to apply

Apply online through the official advert page on One Acre Fund Careers.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead in-country impact evaluations and studies, including:
• Outlining the theory of change and study design.
• Developing data collection tools and implementation plans.
• Representing research and evaluations work within the organization, ensuring stakeholders clearly understand the actionable results presented.
• Take full ownership of the most complex workstream(s) while overseeing all other workstreams within the country, ensuring every project adheres to the minimum must-do's.
• Establish and continuously improve frameworks, processes, and procedures for quality assurance, monitoring, analysis, and reporting of impact data, in consultation with key stakeholders, ensuring team priorities run in alignment with organizational processes.
• Own the analysis and reporting of all Tupande research and evaluations data, developing and updating analytical frameworks and exploring efficiencies in data cleaning, automation, and reporting.
• Work closely with Program teams and other stakeholders to ensure research and evaluation results and recommendations are understood and acted upon, and strengthen the availability and use of high-quality data for decision-making at all levels of the organization.
• Contribute to thought leadership on Tupande's Impact Strategy, including developing studies on new or evolving channels, exploring new impact opportunities, and shaping research and evaluations goals in line with the strategy.
• Manage all team leadership matters within the department, including hiring, development, and performance management of research and evaluations staff.
• Oversee the department's budgeting and financial management, exploring growth and efficiencies without compromising team sustainability or data quality.
• Provide direct support to stakeholders on ad-hoc requests related to study design, analysis, data collection, and reporting, and partner with senior leadership in strategic decision-making related to impact work.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study (e.g., economics, statistics, etc.).
• A Master's degree in a related field is an added advantage.
• Strong professional experience designing and implementing evaluations and analyzing data (e.g., with large-scale data collection and field team management).
• Knowledge of evaluation concepts and mastery of experimental and quasi-experimental evaluation designs.
• Strong analytical skills, especially the use of statistical techniques leveraged in impact evaluation measurement strategies (e.g., propensity score matching, difference-in-differences, regression discontinuity, etc.).
• Knowledge of statistical software, such as Stata or R.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple projects of various levels of complexity at the same time.
• A clear and compelling written communication style with an eye for design and visual presentation.
• Ability to engage with multiple partners in a diplomatic manner and strong relationship-building skills.
• Leadership experience, including managing a team.
• A willingness to commit to living in East Africa for at least two years — this is a long-term, career-track role.
• The ideal candidate will have at least five years of demonstrated experience working in the developing world, or be a country national from our program or operations.
• Proficiency in English is required; Swahili is an added advantage.