Reports to: Egypt Country Program Manager

Location: IFPRI Egypt, Cairo

Main purpose of position

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) situated at ICARDA, Egypt seeks a Research Associate who will work with senior research staff in evaluating programs and policies, with a focus on the impact of digital innovations and other research support activities related to IFPRI’s work in the Middle East and North Africa region. Applicants for this position may also be considered for other comparable positions at IFPRI Egypt. The incumbent will be employed directly by IFPRI’s organizational host in Egypt, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Area (ICARDA).

The employer of record will be ICARDA and employment policies, compensation and benefits of ICARDA will apply to this position.

About ICARDA

ICARDA works in partnership with governments, universities, civil society, national agricultural research organization, other CGIAR Research Centers, and the private sector. With its temporary Headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, ICARDA operates in regional and country offices across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For more information: www.icarda.org.

About IFPRI

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries. Established in 1975, IFPRI currently has more than 500 employees working in over 70 countries and works with a wide range of partners. It is a research center of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural innovation network. For more information: www.ifpri.org.

All CGIAR Centers are currently engaged into a reform process (“One CGIAR’”) that will help ICARDA and CGIAR achieve better impact through more strategically integrated research, unified governance, an integrated structure, and new research modalities across participating Research Centers. This transformation is supported by CGIAR donors who have committed to increased funding as a result of these reforms.

Main responsibilities

·       Interact with collaborators and project partners.

·       Co-author reports and edit publications.

·       Help develop & coordinate technical workshops.

·       Assist in preparation of discussion papers, donor reports.

·       Assist in handling household survey data (including survey design, sampling & questionnaire).

·       Assist with field implementation of survey activities (training survey enumerators, etc.).

·       Assist with development of research instruments and analytical tools.

·       Conduct data analysis, statistical analysis, econometric analysis.

·       Conduct literature reviews & other background analysis independently.

·       Reply to internal/external data requests.

·       Respond to external and internal inquiries for technical information; may be asked to liaise with external agencies and internal staff.

·       Organize events such as training courses.

·       Contribute to proposal development.

·       Design household surveys.

·       Organizing capacity building and outreach activities.

·       Communicate research findings to external audiences as appropriate.

·       Read and critique completed impact studies and impact study designs.

Requirements

Education, qualifications, and experience

·       Masters’ Degree (or equivalent qualifications) in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Health Economics, Statistics or closely related fields.

·       At least 7 years’ relevant experience.

·       Specific knowledge depending on program/discipline.

·       Knowledge of microeconomic theory and quantitative econometric methods.

·       Proficiency in using statistical packages like STATA, R, and SAS.  In our working environment, STATA is most commonly used; knowledge of R would be a plus.

·       Excellent quantitative analytical skills.

·       Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic.

·       Excellent interpersonal skills and to work in a team-oriented multi-cultural environment.

·       Demonstrated ability to multi-task as needed, consistently meet deadlines and manage time well.

·       Demonstrated professional level of attention to detail and accuracy of work.

·       Ability to work independently and with initiative.

·       Willingness to travel.

 Additional Preferred Qualifications:

·       Familiarity with the literature on digital agricultural innovations, agriculture, social protection, nutrition and poverty reduction.

·       Previous experience related to impact evaluations of agriculture, social protection or nutrition programs and policies.

·       Experience with GAMS and/or ARC-GIS.

·       Prior knowledge of GIS and remote sensing would be advantageous.

Benefits

Terms of appointment, salary, and benefits

This is a nationally recruited position open to Egyptian nationals for which ICARDA offers an attractive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical insurance, 30 days of annual leave, five months’ maternity leave, 15 days’ paternity leave. The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of 1 year, renewable subject to continued need for the position and satisfactory performance. The first six months will be probationary period.

ICARDA is committed to increasing women representation in its workforce and strongly encourages applications from women.

Applications will be acknowledged, but we apologize in advance as due to the large number of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.