EMBEDDED LAB MANAGER AT INNOVATIONS FOR POVERTY ACTION (IPA)

JOB ALERT

EMBEDDED LAB MANAGER AT INNOVATIONS FOR POVERTY ACTION (IPA)

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

Organization: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Job Category: Programmes

Requisition ID: 1828

Job Type: Not specified

Experience: Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience

Qualification: Master’s degree preferred, or equivalent additional experience

Travel Requirement: Up to 10% within Nigeria

Application Deadline: Not specified

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit organization that identifies effective solutions to poverty through rigorous research and evidence-based decision-making.

Since its establishment in 2002, IPA has worked with hundreds of academic researchers to conduct evaluations across multiple countries, helping governments and development partners use evidence to improve policies and programmes that affect millions of people.

ABOUT THE ROLE

IPA Nigeria is seeking an experienced Embedded Lab Manager to work closely with government institutions and other sector stakeholders to strengthen their capacity to generate, interpret and use evidence for better policymaking and programme delivery.

The successful candidate will lead a team supporting government partners to improve Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems, strengthen data infrastructure and institutionalise evidence-informed decision-making.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Workplan Management and Stakeholder Engagement
   Develop and manage project workplans, monitor progress, support financial oversight and reporting, and maintain strong relationships with government partners and senior decision-makers.
2. Research and Evidence Generation
   Lead the development of policy-driven research agendas, coordinate research projects, identify opportunities to use administrative and survey datasets, and ensure rigorous analytical methods and reliable data quality.
3. Data Management and Analytics
   Provide technical leadership in data collection, cleaning, integration and analysis. Develop dashboards, automated reporting systems and data visualisations using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, Stata, R or Python.
4. Capacity Building
   Design and deliver practical training for government partners in data engineering, statistical analysis, data management, research methods and dashboard development.
5. Policy Communication and Advocacy
   Translate research findings into accessible policy briefs, presentations, visualisations and reports. Support strategic workshops, conferences, policy discussions and engagement with relevant stakeholders.
6. Institutionalisation and Sustainability
   Work with government leadership to establish standard operating procedures, reproducible analytical workflows and sustainable systems that enable partners to independently maintain and expand their data capabilities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Applicants should demonstrate the following:

1. At least 5 years of relevant experience analysing and communicating complex research findings to different audiences.
2. At least 1 year of experience working closely with government institutions or large NGOs in a low- or middle-income country.
3. Knowledge of Nigeria’s policymaking processes and government structures, or the ability to develop this knowledge quickly.
4. Strong quantitative and analytical skills, including the ability to interpret academic research and assess evidence.
5. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex findings in clear, accessible language.
6. Proven ability to manage multiple projects, meet tight deadlines and work with limited supervision.
7. Experience supervising staff and coordinating multiple engagements.
8. Strong collaboration and stakeholder management skills.
9. Professional working proficiency in English.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. A Master’s degree in Economics, Development Studies, International Relations, Public Administration, Public Policy or a closely related field. Additional relevant experience may be accepted in place of a Master’s degree.
2. Experience working with IPA or its partner institutions.
3. Experience in government, research or Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL).
4. Experience in agriculture, education, financial inclusion or social protection.

REPORTING LINE

The Embedded Lab Manager will report to the Associate Director, Policy at IPA Nigeria, with additional oversight from IPA’s Global Policy team and Financial Inclusion Program.

WORK LOCATION

Abuja, Nigeria. Candidates must be willing to travel within Nigeria for up to 10% of their working time.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested and qualified candidates should review the full vacancy details and submit their applications through the official recruitment portal.

Application Link

Application Deadline: Not specified in the provided announcement.