Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is recruiting a Research Manager to help shape and scale evidence-based consumer protection in digital financial services (DFS) across Eastern Africa. Stationed in Tanzania, Uganda, or Kenya, the role anchors highly applied, policy-driven research in partnership with regulators, market actors, and academic collaborators. If you are passionate about rigorous methods, operational excellence, and translating research into practical regulatory tools that reduce fraud, over-indebtedness, hidden fees, and weak redress mechanisms, this position offers the right mix of leadership, field engagement, and impact.
IPA Research Manager (Consumer Protection, Eastern Africa) Quick Summary
Item |
Details |
|---|---|
Hiring Organization |
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) |
Program |
Consumer Protection Research Initiative (CPRI) |
Role Title |
Research Manager, Consumer Protection, Eastern Africa |
Duty Stations |
Tanzania, Uganda, or Kenya |
Contract Type |
Full-time |
Regional Focus |
Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia (regulatory and market engagement) |
Application Deadline |
13 November 2025 |
Core Functions |
Policy-driven research leadership, regulator partnerships, SupTech pilots, market monitoring, research quality assurance, team management |
Methods & Tools |
Experimental and quasi-experimental designs, monitoring systems, Stata/R/Python |
Ideal Background |
Economics, public policy, or related field; 3–5 years in financial inclusion, consumer protection, or regulatory collaboration |
Official Site Link |
About Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
IPA is a global research and policy nonprofit that designs and tests solutions to poverty and scales those with proven impact. Working with governments, regulators, firms, and civil society, IPA brings rigorous methods to real-world challenges. Through hundreds of randomized and quasi-experimental studies, the organization has generated practical evidence in financial inclusion, social protection, education, health, governance, and more. IPA’s Consumer Protection Research Initiative (CPRI) zeroes in on DFS market risks, helping regulators build and deploy supervision tools, data dashboards, complaint analysis systems, and market conduct solutions.
Role Overview: What the Research Manager Will Do
The Research Manager will lead IPA’s regulatory and policy partnerships in Eastern Africa, guiding a portfolio of research and supervisory tool development that responds to live market risks. Reporting to the Associate Director of Consumer Protection in IPA’s Financial Inclusion Program, you will translate technical evidence into actionable guidance for supervisory authorities and market stakeholders.
Core Areas of Responsibility
1) Strategic Leadership and Project Oversight
- Shape country strategies with regulators by identifying priority consumer risks and feasible policy questions.
- Co-design studies with clear learning objectives, realistic timelines, and robust sampling and measurement plans.
- Oversee multi-country workplans, budgets, compliance, and risk registers to keep projects on time and on scope.
2) Stakeholder Engagement and External Representation
- Serve as the primary liaison to regulators and industry partners in assigned countries.
- Coordinate SupTech pilots (e.g., complaints analytics, transaction risk flags, merchant monitoring) and share evidence in practical formats.
- Represent IPA in policy forums, steering committees, and donor briefings, ensuring evidence is accessible and timely.
3) Research Quality and Technical Oversight
- Lead the full research lifecycle, from protocol design and instrument development to training, data quality checks, and analysis.
- Uphold ethical standards, data governance, and respondent protection.
- Deliver policy briefs, technical reports, slide decks, and practitioner workshops tailored to supervisory audiences.
4) Team Management and Mentorship
- Supervise Research Associates and field coordinators, providing daily management and professional development.
- Standardize onboarding, training, and performance management; cultivate a high-trust, learning-oriented team culture.
- Coordinate with IPA country offices to align HR, procurement, security, and operations.
5) Operations and Financial Oversight
- Build and track budgets and forecasts; meet donor and IPA reporting requirements.
- Maintain documentation, deliverables calendars, and high-quality internal communications for seamless execution.
6) Cross-Cutting Contributions
- Document lessons learned and contribute to cross-country playbooks and toolkits.
- Support proposal development, scoping missions, and the adaptation of monitoring systems across contexts.
Candidate Profile: Skills and Experience
Required Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Data/Policy Analysis, or a closely related field.
- 3–5 years of relevant experience in financial inclusion, consumer protection, market conduct, or regulatory engagement in Africa or comparable regions.
- Demonstrated credibility working with senior regulatory counterparts and multi-stakeholder coalitions.
- Hands-on experience designing or managing applied research or analytics projects using Stata, R, or Python.
- Strong communication skills with a track record of turning data into policy-relevant insights.
Preferred Experience
- Familiarity with DFS product risks, market conduct frameworks, and SupTech approaches.
- Experience in randomized or quasi-experimental studies, operational research, or real-time monitoring.
- Comfort managing multi-country teams, budgets, deliverables, and donor expectations.
- Excellent facilitation skills for regulator workshops, technical working groups, and executive briefings.
What Success Looks Like in the First Year
- High-quality, regulator-owned pilots are launched and yield usable insights for supervision and policy.
- A coherent measurement strategy is in place across countries, with shared indicators and consistent data quality routines.
- Clear, practical outputs are delivered for regulators and market actors, including short briefs, dashboards, and training modules.
- A strong internal team culture is established with clear roles, performance goals, and professional growth pathways.
Work Location and Travel
The position is based in Tanzania, Uganda, or Kenya, with periodic regional travel to support regulator engagements, field visits, and partner meetings. IPA’s country teams will support logistics, security protocols, and operations.
How to Apply
Submit your application by 13 November 2025 via the official IPA website. Prepare the following:
- Updated resume and a concise cover letter describing your fit for policy-driven research and regulator partnerships.
- Brief examples of technical outputs (e.g., dashboards, policy briefs, research summaries) are a plus.
- Indicate your preferred duty station (Tanzania, Uganda, or Kenya) and earliest availability.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Is regulatory experience strictly required?
Not strictly, but candidates who have worked directly with central banks, market conduct authorities, or consumer protection agencies will have a strong advantage.
Q2. How technical is the role day to day?
You will lead research quality and oversee analytics; proficiency in Stata/R/Python is expected, along with the ability to guide teams and vendors responsible for data collection and engineering.
Q3. Does the role involve fundraising or proposal development?
You may contribute to scoping notes, study designs, and donor conversations, especially where lessons from pilots can be scaled.
Q4. What languages are useful?
Strong English is essential. Swahili or other regional languages can be an asset for stakeholder engagement and field coordination.
Q5. What kind of projects will I manage first?
Likely a mix of complaint analytics builds, transaction risk monitoring pilots, disclosure testing, and consumer testing aligned to regulator priorities in one or more of the focus countries.
Conclusion
This Research Manager role offers a rare opportunity to bridge rigorous evidence and real-time policy in digital finance. You will partner with regulators to address the most pressing consumer risks in DFS, while mentoring a capable team and ensuring research quality from design to dissemination. If you are driven by practical impact, regional collaboration, and methodological rigor, apply by 13 November 2025 to join IPA’s Consumer Protection Research Initiative.
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