PxD seeks a dynamic, creative, and self-motivated Research Manager to join a high-performing, flexible, and non-hierarchical team to manage the implementation of a new research project for generating insights on crowdsourcing information among smallholder farmers in India.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to contribute to PxDs 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 our 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.
Summary of the project
- Smallholder farmers in low- and middle-income countries have historically been unable to access quality information to inform their decisions during the cultivation cycle. This research project will devise experiments and combine insights from behavioral, agricultural and development economics to understand the key factors that influence farmers decisions to contribute information to crowdsourcing efforts, and act on information obtained from their peers.
- We will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to explore the prospects of crowdsourcing in the context of pest incidence on crops among smallholder farmers in India. The RCT will provide insights on the following research questions:
- What key factors motivate farmers to share accurate information from which others could learn (including financial and non-financial incentives)
- What factors would influence farmers willingness to listen to, trust, and act on information derived from crowdsourcing
- Does acting on crowdsourced information help improve yields
Responsibilities (including but not limited to):
- Manage the implementation of research activities for the project, ensuring adherence to appropriate rigor, policies, timelines, and budgets.
- Manage financial and human resources for the project.
- Guide teams on the use of evidence-based approaches and ensure that PxD maintains the standards for technical appropriateness and rigor.
- Oversee data management and analysis for the project and survey creation and implementation.
- Oversee documentation of research activities, research results, and rationale for decisions made.
- Interpret and contextualize external and internal evidence and insights for PxD programs.
- Manage partner relations and work with external stakeholders for successful project implementation.
- Develop and ensure compliance with IRB protocols for human subject research and relevant in-country research permission requirements.
- Provide mentorship and guidance to Associate level staff.
- Contribute and support internal and external communications to disseminate project results and research findings, including briefs, blogs, reports, and presentations.
- Contribute to PxDs institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.
Requirements:
The ideal candidate will have:
- A Bachelors or a Masters degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field.
- Professional experience working on at least two large projects involving the design and management of rigorous research and/or evidence-based programs in LMIC countries.
- Ability to draw inferences from data to identify pathways for program improvement.
- Adept at consuming large amounts of academic and scientific literature as well as other technical information, synthesizing key findings, and applying takeaways to program and research design.
- Deep understanding of economics and 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.
- Strong grasp of the research program life cycle and ability to supervise all activities on the ground.
- Experience managing program and/or research staff.
- Experience managing partnerships with an implementing organization.
- 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 India.
