Research Manager – STREE – LEAD at Krea University

LEAD at Krea University: LEAD is an action-oriented research centre of IFMR Society (a not-for-profit society registered under the Societies Act), that leverages the power of research, innovation, and co-creation to solve complex and pressing challenges in development. LEAD has strategic oversight and brand support from Krea University (sponsored by IFMR Society) to enable synergies between academia and the research centre. LEAD is a collaborative hub that brings experts from diverse disciplines and sectors together to develop innovative solutions by harnessing innovation, technology and analytics.

Employer: LEAD at Krea University

Salary: Competitive and Commensurate with qualifications and experience

About STREE: 

In 2019, The World Bank and the Government of India signed an agreement for the National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP). The project aspires to support women-led enterprise development by enabling access to finance, building markets and networks, and generating employment opportunities in rural areas. NRETP is currently being implemented across 13 states, 161 districts and 584 blocks and aims to support 80,000 rural enterprises by June 2023.

To further support NRLM’s vision of creating a robust enabling entrepreneurial ecosystem for women in rural India under NRETP, STREE – Solutions for Transformative Rural Enterprises and Empowerment, was constituted in December 2019. It is a technical assistance initiative spearheaded by LEAD at Krea University which aims to drive women-led enterprise development, with research at the core of its work. The program comprises a Technical Assistance (TA) unit embedded at the National Mission Management Unit, NRLM and the Madhya Pradesh SRLM. They are supported by the Strategic Coordination Unit (SCU) which synergizes LEAD’s research expertise and partnerships with domain experts to deliver quality, implementation-oriented research outputs and low-cost, high-impact scalable pilots for enterprise promotion. The TA and SCU are complementary units under STREE intended to intensify NRETP efforts through system strengthening and adroit programming.

The STREE initiative is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

About the Position: 

We are hiring a Research Manager to anchor rigorous study of the implementation pilots under STREE. The ideal candidate will have at least 4 years of work experience in conducting mixed methods research. They should have expertise in creating survey instruments and discussion guides, handling recruitment and training of surveyors, embedding quality assurance processes through monitoring and have strong analysis and writing skills. They will also assist in developing intervention designs for enterprise promotion among entrepreneurs from the SHG fold. S/he should have some experience of interfacing with the Government counterparts. The candidate should be willing to travel, whenever necessary.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop survey design, questionnaires, polls etc. specific to research requirements and test research methodologies to confirm intended purpose of evaluation for the pilots.
• Oversee and monitor fieldwork, interviews, experiments, to gather evidence.
• Collate, organise and maintain research databases.
• Contribute actively in managing project deadlines, maintaining timelines, reviewing outputs and coordinating with funders/research/academic partners.
• Develop policy briefs, factsheets and short research outputs as designed in consultation with the NRLM.
• Assist in monitoring the intervention delivery as per committed design.

Qualifications:

• Masters in (preferably) development studies, rural development, social entrepreneurship, and related disciplines with a minimum of 4 years in research design and implementation.
• Understanding of the entrepreneurial space in India, specifically for rural entrepreneurs. Prior experience of engaging with FPOs, Producer Companies/ women collectives for program evaluation preferred.
• In-depth knowledge of social science research methods, both qualitative and quantitative. Expertise in
• STATA/R and/or open coding/ Atlas.ti/NVivo strongly preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to work in a team.

Deadline: Applications are being accepted until the position is filled. Please collate your resume, cover letter and a writing sample and apply in the form here. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Note: We are an equal opportunity employer and all candidates will be considered for employment. However, due to the large volume of applications we receive, we are unable to contact each candidate individually regarding the status of their application. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for interview purposes.