Research Associate – Agriculture Sector at Laterite Tanzania

Research Associate – Agriculture Sector at Laterite Tanzania April 2024
Summary
We
are looking for a new Associate to join our team and focus on our
portfolio of projects in the Agriculture sector. The role is based in
Amsterdam or in any of our offices in East Africa (Kigali, Nairobi,
Kampala, Addis Ababa, and Dar es Salaam).
In the Netherlands,
candidates must have EU-EAA nationality or have an existing working
permit for the Netherlands. To apply for this vacancy in Kenya or
Rwanda, candidates must be Kenyan or Rwandan nationals.

About Laterite
Laterite
is a data, research and analytics firm specialized in complex
development challenges. We work with universities, global think tanks,
international NGOs, multilateral donor organizations, and government
ministries and agencies. Our clients include, for example, the World
Bank, USAID, TechnoServe, Promundo, the Mastercard Foundation, and
several UN agencies.

We currently have offices in the
Netherlands, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone,
and Peru. The team brings together more than 80 full time local and
international staff, as well as 1,000+ enumerators across all countries.
We are proud to be a culturally diverse organization, and we welcome
applications from groups currently under-represented in our team.Learn more: www.laterite.com

We
work in socio-economic development research projects. We believe that
impact is a long-term endeavour that requires being embedded in the
local context. Delivering high-quality research requires building local
teams and data collection systems, knowing the country, and establishing
close working relationships.

One of Laterite’s key strategic
goals is to create a collaborative and rewarding working environment for
our staff, where every team member feels engaged, represented, and
heard. Laterite is committed to create opportunities for learning and
career development within the team and across our offices.

Laterite
is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an
equal opportunities employer. All qualified applicants will receive
consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender,
gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin,
genetics, disability, age or veteran status.

What you will do:
As a Research Associate, based in one of our offices, you will:

• Coordinate
  a portfolio of small research projects with a large client:
  coordinating the project team; ensuring implementation according to
  protocols; managing the budget and timeline; and working with client
  teams.
• Play a hands-on role in all steps of the research
  process: designing the technical approach; developing protocols,
  research instruments, and sampling strategies; monitoring data quality;
  conducting quantitative and qualitative analysis; writing reports; and
  presenting to clients.
• Contribute to the development of new business: proposing research ideas; writing technical proposals; and pricing.
• Improve
  the way we work: researching and piloting new methodologies and
  technologies; standardizing and automating processes for data collection
  and analysis; and supporting internal operations like recruitment and
  IT.

You will develop skills and experience in:

• Technical design of research projects
• Data analysis
• Business development
• Managing client relationships
• Managing a portfolio of research projects

What you will bring:
Our
ideal candidates are passionate about social and economic research in
East Africa. They can quickly grasp research concepts and structure
their technical approach to a problem. They have strong analytical and
interpersonal skills, self-motivation, and a drive to flourish in a
fast-paced environment, where timelines can often be unpredictable. Our
candidates have project coordination experience and can manage
activities involving varying levels of stakeholders and multiple team
members. They are willing to develop their professional skills,
contribute to the growth of an organization dedicated to social impact,
and thrive in an innovative and collaborative organization.

An ideal candidate will have:

• A master’s degree in Education, Economics, Statistics, Public Health, Public Policy or a related field.
• At least three years of professional experience in research (whether in a project/program or academic setting).
• Strong analytical skills, experience working with quantitative data, and proficiency in Stata.
• Experience communicating with external stakeholders or in a client-facing role.
• Solid project management skills and experience coordinating projects with multiple components or teams.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

In addition, we value:

• Experience working with primary data (data collection or cleaning and analysis)
• Experience with Open Data Kit (ODK) or an ODK-based platform such as SurveyCTO or CommCare.
• Previous work experience in East Africa
• Research experience in one of Laterite’s core sectors – education, youth and labor, public health, agriculture or urbanization.
• Knowledge of Python and/or R

What’s in it for you?
Laterite
offers a competitive remuneration package, including medical insurance
and 21 days of annual leave. We are also committed to supporting our
staff’s learning, providing an annual learning budget of up to $500 per
person and 5 days of time off for professional learning each year. We
also provide remote work options in accordance with Laterite’s remote
work policy.

The starting salary for this role is $2,620. The
exact salary grade will be determined based on the selected candidate’s
experience and performance in interviews. Salaries are pegged against
the pay matrix. There is ample opportunity for growth both in terms of
salary scales and roles. Promotions at Laterite are reviewed during our
performance evaluations.

How to apply
What next?
1). Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Assessment

The
first step is to complete a 30-minute verbal reasoning and quantitative
assessment for which no special preparation is needed.
Link to the assessment: https://form.jotform.com/241093227089559

2). Submit application
Successful candidates will then be invited to upload their CV and cover letter via our online application system.

4). Analytical assessment
Candidates
who meet the minimum requirements will be invited to complete an
analytical assessment to gauge their capacity to perform statistical
analysis on a dataset and present the findings in a short document
(using STATA, R, or Python).

5). Interviews
Successful
candidates will then be invited to a first interview. The interview
stage will consist of three rounds of interviews.

Deadline
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Details on rolling applications can be found on the website: https://www.laterite.com/vacancies/