Current Recruitment at Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD)

Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD) is a small, but fast-growing global non-profit that uses tech, data science and behavioral economics to provide targeted information to farmers in developing countries. Providing the right information to the right people, in the right way and at the right time, increases incomes, protects the environment and improves well-being. We are evidence-based: we test our interventions with randomized control trials to prove our impact and cost effectiveness, to simultaneously learn from and improve our service, and also to demonstrate our value to funders and partners. There are few programs in international development that are as demonstrably cost-effective as ours. We currently work in eight countries in Africa and Asia, and we are expanding as more governments and organizations look for innovative ways to use new technologies to get information to people across the developing world.

We are recruiting to fill the positions below:

Job Title: Research and Operations Manager Location: Abuja, Nigeria (temporarily work-from-home due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, until it is safe to work from PAD’s office) Job Type: Full time Start date: As soon as possible

Job Description

• We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Research and Operations Manager to support PAD’s new operations in Nigeria.
• You will work in a non-hierarchical team and have opportunities to work closely with PAD and affiliated researchers and substantially contribute to PAD’s programs that test new ideas, measure their impacts, and scale them up.

Responsibilities

• The Research and Operations Manager will be responsible to provide ongoing support to manage PAD’s research and operations in Nigeria. In order to facilitate a steady stream of research and programmatic opportunities, the successful applicant will also actively contribute to fundraising, funder reporting, and research dissemination.
• The Research and Operations Manager will report to the Africa Regional Director and will work closely with the relevant Program Leads, Director of New Programs, Director of Research, and Research Affiliates.
• The position will be located in Abuja, Nigeria and will temporarily be a work-from-home position due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. When it is safe to do so, this position will be based from PAD’s office in Abuja, Nigeria and will require frequent travel to field locations in Nigeria.
• PAD is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.

The Research and Operations Manager will be responsible for the following main tasks:

• Supervise the implementation of PAD mobile services in Nigeria, including developing protocols for monitoring digital platforms, ensuring rigorous testing and piloting of our platforms, collecting feedback from the platform users, and planning the development of new features;
• Work closely with PAD researchers and our partner organizations to identify, develop, and launch new research projects;
• Develop and maintain close relationships with key Government institutions;
• Supervise from start to finish the implementation of various research projects in collaboration with our partners. This includes developing research designs and proposals, managing data collection activities, and conducting data cleaning and analysis;
• Ensure project adherence in the field to general research design, sample selection, data quality and security, and research protocols;
• Directly supervise project staff (Research Associates, Project Associates, Agronomists, Field Staff, Call Center Staff, Interns), and lead training and onboarding of new/incoming project staff;
• Maintain excellent relationship and communication with our partners to ensure the success of our projects;
• Develop and maintain work plans and timelines across projects to ensure optimal allocation of resources and meeting key deadlines on time;
• Keep the Africa Regional Director appraised of all developments on the projects in their portfolio, and serve as key link between partners, project staff, and PAD researchers;
• Support the dissemination of results via presentations and reports to our partners;
• Contribute to project financial management, including creation and monitoring of program budgets;
• Support the administrative registration and set-up of PAD in Nigeria.

Qualifications Required Qualifications and Experience:

• A Master's degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Public Policy, or a closely related field.
• Strong technical understanding of economics and randomized evaluations.
• At least 2 years' experience running or managing quantitative research projects focusing on impact evaluation.
• The candidate must be comfortable engaging with high level policy contacts (e.g. senior officials, senior staff from international organizations).
• Proficient in using Stata or R for data analysis.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and stakeholders. Strong self-motivation with skill in working under tight timelines.
• Strong leadership and relationship-building skills with experience managing staff.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% within Nigeria and potentially within the West Africa region.

Desired Qualifications and Experience: Our preferred candidates are likely to have some, but not all, of the following qualifications:

• Proficient in using SurveyCTO or a similar program for survey design.
• Experience working on randomized evaluations.
• Experience working on agricultural programs.
• Previous work experience in Nigeria or other West African countries.

Work authorization:

• This position is contingent upon the candidate being able to get work authorization in Nigeria.

Compensation

• Commensurate with experience

Job Title: Project Associate (Nigeria) Location: Abuja, Nigeria (temporarily work-from-home due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, until it is safe to work from PAD’s office) Job Type: Full time Start date: As soon as possible

Job Description

• We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Project Associate to support PAD’s new operations in Nigeria by supporting multiple projects with government and other key partner organizations.
• You will work in a non-hierarchical team and have opportunities to work closely with PAD staff and substantially contribute to PAD’s programs that test new ideas, measure their impacts, and scale them up.

Responsibilities

• The Project Associate will be responsible to provide ongoing support to PAD’s operations in Nigeria. The Project Associate will report to the Nigeria Research and Operations Manager and will work with the relevant Program Leads and Director of New Programs.
• The position will be located in Abuja, Nigeria and will temporarily be a work-from-home position due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. When it is safe to do so, this position will be based from PAD’s office in Abuja, Nigeria and will require frequent travel to field locations in Nigeria.
• PAD is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.

The Project Associate will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Work closely with PAD team members and partner organizations to implement projects;
• Provide project implementation support to project technical staff and provide overall backstopping;
• Work closely with Research and Operations Manager to track deliverables across projects, and contribute to the effective implementation of activities
• Plan and execute program activities, including identifying priorities, creating timelines, meeting with stakeholders, monitoring project implementation and maintaining project files on shared drives;
• Supervise and coordinate qualitative and quantitative data collection (including farmer focus groups, interviews, surveys), data cleaning and analysis, and writing reports;
• Maintain excellent relationships and communication with partners to ensure the success of our projects;
• Support the dissemination of project results via presentations and reports;
• Develop and document project protocols and processes.

Qualifications Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Development or Agricultural Economics, Public Policy, International Development, Business Administration or closely related fields;
• At least 2-3 years’ work experience;
• Strong writing and oral communication skills in English;
• Strong organizational and planning skills;
• Willingness and ability to work under tight timelines, and flexibility to engage in multiple projects
• Willingness to travel up to 30% to project areas nationally;
• Ability to work independently and with minimum supervision.

Desired Qualifications and Experience: Our preferred candidates are likely to have some, but not all, of the following qualifications:

• Master’s degree in any of the following fields: development or agricultural economics, public policy, international development, business administration or closely related fields
• Ability to work in multicultural settings
• Experience working on implementation of smallholder agricultural projects
• Private sector consulting experience a plus

Work authorization:

• This position is contingent upon the candidate being able to get work authorization in Nigeria.

Compensation

• Commensurate with experience

Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply

Job Title: Research Associate Location: Abuja, Nigeria (temporarily work-from-home due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, until it is safe to work from PAD’s office) Position details: Full time Start date: As soon as possible

Job Description

• We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as a Research Associate to support PAD’s new operations in Nigeria.
• You will work in a non-hierarchical team and have opportunities to work closely with PAD and affiliated researchers and substantially contribute to PAD’s programs that test new ideas, measure their impacts, and scale them up.

Responsibilities

• The Research Associate will be responsible to provide ongoing support to PAD’s research activities in Nigeria. The Research Associate will report to the Nigeria Research and Operations Manager and will work with the Director of Research and relevant Research Affiliates.
• The position will be located in Abuja, Nigeria and will temporarily be a work-from-home position due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. When it is safe to do so, this position will be based from PAD’s office in Abuja, Nigeria and will require frequent travel to field locations in Nigeria.
• PAD is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.
• The Nigeria Research Associate will be responsible for the following main tasks:
• Supervise the implementation of field operations and research activities;
• Support and manage the development of SMS platforms to disseminate information to smallholder farmers via their mobile phones;
• Monitor and analyze usage of the SMS services;
• Hire, train, and supervise local staff;
• Supervise data management activities, clean and analyze data;
• Work with PAD team to ensure that all projects and operations adhere to policies, protocols, and timelines;
• Develop and update project documentation regularly;
• Assist in managing partner relations, and working with external stakeholders for implementation of field operations.

Qualifications Required Qualifications and Experience:

• A bachelor's degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, statistics, or a closely related field.
• Fluency in English. Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent management and organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work independently and be supervised remotely.
• 1-2 years' work experience running or managing research projects.
• Excellent knowledge of Stata or R or similar software for data analysis.
• Ability to work under time pressure and solve problems in the field.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% to project areas nationally.
• Good understanding of economics and familiarity with randomized evaluations.

Desired Qualifications and Experience: Our preferred candidates are likely to have some, but not all, of the following qualifications:

• Master's degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Public Policy, Statistics, or a closely related field.
• Proficient in using SurveyCTO or a similar program for survey design.
• Experience working on randomized evaluations.
• Experience working on agricultural programs.
• Experience managing teams and working in groups.
• Previous work experience in Nigeria or other West African countries.

Compensation

• Commensurate with experience

Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply

Job Title: Agronomist Location: Abuja, Nigeria (temporarily work-from-home due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, until it is safe to work from PAD’s office) Position details: Full time Start date: As soon as possible

Job Description

• We are looking for a driven, creative and independent person to join a high-performing, flexible team as an Agronomist to support PAD’s new operations in Nigeria.
• You will work in a non-hierarchical team and have opportunities to work closely with PAD staff and substantially contribute to PAD’s programs that test new ideas, measure their impacts, and scale them up.

Responsibilities

• The Agronomist will be responsible to provide ongoing agronomic expertise and support to PAD’s operations in Nigeria.
• The Agronomist will report to the Nigeria Research and Operations Manager and will work with the relevant Program Leads and project team members.
• The position will be located in Abuja, Nigeria and will temporarily be a work-from-home position due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
• When it is safe to do so, this position will be based from PAD’s office in Abuja, Nigeria and will require frequent travel to field locations in Nigeria. PAD is a start-up organization and will require flexibility from all staff with regards to roles and responsibilities.

The Agronomist will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Work closely with PAD team members and our partner organizations to execute project implementation;
• Provide overall agronomy expertise and information to the team in Nigeria;
• Gather and compile scientific evidence on key agriculture topics to better inform the design of mobile phone-based agricultural advisory services in Nigeria;
• Collect and maintain an extensive database of all major crops in Nigeria, and map out season-wise and territory-wise crop prospects;
• Support current projects that PAD undertakes in content development, simplification, and customization with regard to  major agronomic practices, pest and disease management, post-harvest management, etc;
• Develop, refine and revise agronomic content of mobile phone-based agricultural advisory services implemented by PAD and/or other partners;
• In collaboration with partner organizations and PAD staff, the Agronomist will be responsible for exploring new engagement areas and new project opportunities;
• Support and supervise other (junior) agronomist staff within the team;
• Provide support in managing relationships with key partners across multiple projects and provide technical backstopping to partner organizations;
• Contribute to project M&E activities, including designing of monitoring tools, regular fieldwork to collect monitoring data, and preparation of monitoring reports.

Qualifications Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Master's degree in agronomy, agricultural sciences, crop production or agroecology;
• At least 5 years’ experience implementing agriculture, livelihood or value chain development projects  in the developing world;
• At least 2 years’ experience working directly with smallholder production systems in sub-Saharan Africa;
• Practical experience drafting agricultural curricula and implementing trainings;
• Experience carrying out focus group discussions and gathering qualitative data from farmers;
• Strong written and oral communication skills in English;
• Strong organizational and planning skills;
• Experience in writing reports and communicating scientific topics to laypeople;
• Willingness and ability to work under tight timelines, and flexibility to engage in multiple projects;
• Willingness to travel to field sites in Nigeria and internationally;
• Ability to work independently and with minimum supervision;
• Experience and ability to work in multicultural settings;
• Ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications and Experience: Our preferred candidates are likely to have some, but not all, of the following qualifications:

• Knowledge of the Nigeria agricultural sector.

Compensation

• Commensurate with experience

Interested and qualified candidates should: Click here to apply