Job description

About IDinsight

IDinsight helps leaders combat poverty worldwide by designing, deploying, and promoting evidence-generating tools. They tailor the best methodologies to partner needs and constraints to fuse evidence with action. They serve governments, NGOs, foundations, and social businesses across Africa and Asia in all major program areas including health, education, agriculture, livelihoods, finance, energy, and governance.

Their approach rests on four pillars:

• Rigorous: They develop and use a wide range of cutting-edge data and evidence tools, including experimental evaluations, monitoring systems, data analytics and visualization, process evaluations, machine learning, and more.
• Cost-effective: Every dollar spent is justified by expected impact. If funds could be better used in another way, we say so.
• Timely: Actionable information is delivered in time for client decision-making deadlines.
• Demand-driven: They deploy solutions tailored to partner contexts and needs with no competing agendas.

Their diverse, growing team of over 150 outstanding colleagues operates in nearly two dozen countries around the world. Learn more at www.IDinsight.org 

About the Manager and Senior Manager Position

Managers and Senior Managers are dynamic, diverse leaders who are passionate about making a difference, possess exceptional analytical skills and thrive in an entrepreneurial, developing country setting. IDinsight invests heavily in their employees’ professional development and expects them to think critically and creatively about how to maximize their clients’ social impact.

Managers and Senior Managers oversee all aspects of client engagements (with support from an IDinsight Director/Partner) in order to produce high-quality outputs, but more importantly, to drive each client to achieve its social impact goals. Towards this end, Managers are expected to develop a diverse skill set, including establishing trusted advisor relationships with clients, mentoring high-performing early professionals (Associates), developing expertise in a broad range of econometric, data, and field experiment tools, and overseeing all project and/or office-related safety & security risk management for their team members. Other responsibilities include:

• Client liaising - Managers and Senior Managers establish themselves as experts and trusted advisors to IDinsight clients. Managers use this position to provide high-quality counsel and support based on rigorous evidence for senior leaders in governments, foundations, NGOs, and socially impactful businesses.
• Technical skills - Managers and Senior Managers harness and direct the intellectual horsepower fueling IDinsight project teams. Managers lead all elements of IDinsight evaluation and advisory projects, including evaluation design, project management, oversight of analytical processes, engagement of internal and external experts, and construction of high-quality communication materials including policy briefs, technical reports, and presentation materials. Managers need not be Stata wizards but must be able to develop a deep and nuanced understanding of how econometric, data, and field experiment tools can be tailored to client needs.
• Mentorship of junior staff- Managers and Senior Managers have the opportunity to professionally develop IDinsight Associates in order to help them achieve their long-term career goals. Associates have exceptional raw talent and are very energetic to learn from Managers in order to hone various skills.
• IDinsight growth- When ready, Managers and Senior Managers are encouraged to contribute to IDinsight's organizational development by helping to improve and refine the IDinsight approach, develop new client engagements, oversee country offices, and the potential to help open new IDinsight offices or start new services.

Although this position will be based in a specific IDinsight office, you will be expected to spend time in rural areas and potentially other countries in the region in addition to the IDinsight office. As project needs arise, flexibility in relocating to other countries for shorter assignments is expected. Longer-term transfers may also be required, due to the international nature of IDinsight’s client services.

 Location: Nairobi, Kenya.

Career Development

Skill and career development for Managers is essential for IDinsight’s long-term impact. With support from IDinsight leadership, Managers maintain self-directed professional development plans and are given "stretch" opportunities designed to strengthen their professional skills. 

Real-time feedback and structured reviews are regularly provided to maximize each Manager's expertise. IDinsight’s entrepreneurial culture allows roles and career progression to be tailored to individual strengths, interests, and goals. They tailor gold-standard methodologies to practitioner needs and enable continuous improvement by using the right tools at the right time. They serve governments, foundations, NGOs, and socially impactful businesses across many sectors including health, education, agriculture, governance, financial inclusion, energy, and sanitation.

IDinsight is a pioneer in using rigorous data to drive development decisions, with recognition from Forbes, Foreign Policy Magazine, PopTech, and Echoing Green, among others. Manager positions are considered "Partner-track" and career growth is expected for high performers.

Does this sound like you?

• Advanced degree, preferably in public policy, economics, public administration, business.
• 4-10 years relevant work experience, including managerial experience in a developing country.
• Deep passion to improve lives around the world.
• Demonstrated interest in the use of evidence, rigorous impact measurement, and data to improve international development policies and programs, particularly around financial and social protection. 
• Outstanding interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills with senior officials.
• Proven ability to lead and motivate other staff in a dynamic, multicultural environment.
• Outstanding quantitative and critical thinking skills, with a nuanced understanding of econometric, data, and field experiment tools, including but not limited to statistical software (Stata wizards welcome, but not mandatory).
• Self-starter who will thrive in a start-up setting by taking ownership and initiative.
• Intellectual curiosity and sense of humor.

 Nuts and Bolts

IDinsight is currently building an application pool with candidate profiles for potential future hires. Once they confirm that they are ready to hire, they will proceed with formal hiring processes. Candidates may be interviewed before official openings are available in order for IDinsight to meet qualified candidates in preparation for future openings.

Compensation will be commensurate with relevant experience and background, and competitive within the social sector. Start dates will be flexible depending on location. 

They require a minimum two-year commitment, with regular professional development conversations and potential for a long-term career at IDinsight. 

 NB: Manager/Senior Manager title will depend on qualifications and past work experience.

If you have any questions concerning the role kindly send your CV to Reynold Owuor at reynold@shortlist.net with cc to Sarah Ndegwa at sarah@shortlist.net. If interested, click on the link to apply