Coordinator - Research, Learning & Evaluation (RLE) at Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL)

Background
Research, Learning & Evaluation at TaRL Africa:

• Collecting, sharing and acting on meaningful evidence is at the heart of the TaRL approach.  A series of randomized evaluations by J-PAL-affiliated and education researchers over the past fifteen years have shown that TaRL consistently improves learning outcomes when implemented well and has led to some of the largest learning gains among rigorously evaluated education programs. 
• Continually learning and adapting to amplify the impact of our work is a core value of TaRL Africa. As the approach has moved to scale in Africa, iterative adaptation to the local contexts and testing marginal innovations for efficiency and cost-effectiveness is critical to TaRL’s long-term success.
• We are also investing in the design and testing of new offerings like TaRL in early grades, in line with our 2030 strategic plan. 

The Research, Learning & Evaluation team: 

• leads high-quality research and evaluations both internally and with external partners
• supports TaRL Africa’s Program Design and Pedagogy team to effectively test new innovations through learning labs and other R&D efforts;
• drives learning and impact through provision of cutting-edge measurement, analytics, and support for TaRL Africa data systems and knowledge management; 
• generates and facilitates quality evidence uptake and learning within TaRL Africa as well as externally in the global education ecosystem to positively impact foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Role Overview

• In Nigeria, TaRL Africa supports programs in several states (including Kano, Kebbi, Kaduna, Borno and Yobe), working closely with government partners to adapt and implement the TaRL approach to improve foundational learning outcomes.
• The Research, Learning & Evaluation (RLE) Coordinator will support TaRL Africa’s Central team as part of the Research, Learning & Evaluation department to support program research, evidence generation in sub-Saharan Africa with a heavy focus on directly implementing learning activities in Nigeria for the first 1-2 years. 
• The RLE Coordinator will play a critical role in TaRL Africa’s research and learning activities in Nigeria. This individual will contribute to the design, implementation, and management of research studies, monitor program data, and generate evidence to inform program improvements and policy discussions.
• The ideal candidate will have a strong background in quantitative research methods, a passion for education, and experience working in the Nigerian context. Because of the nature of these specific research activities, we are seeking an individual with prior research associate experience for at least one randomized controlled evaluation.
• Specifically, the  RLE Coordinator will spend approximately 50% of their time in support of an upcoming implementation research study testing TaRL in early grades in Kebbi state, in partnership with a research team from the What Works Hub for Global Education at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government.
• The RLE Coordinator will additionally spend 25% of their time to support ongoing implementation research, including  “design-based implementation research” taking place across multiple states as part of a GPE-KIX project on optimizing teacher professional development, and implementation research on teacher support funded through SALEX.
• The remaining 25%, the RLE Coordinator will be asked to support other learning activities and tasks, including data analysis, generating knowledge management tools, conducting literature reviews, supporting innovations, or building staff capacity. 

Key Responsibilities
Coordinate, communicate and promote TaRL Africa Nigeria’s research & learning plans and priorities internally and externally (10%):

• Maintain the TaRL Africa Nigeria learning agenda and support identification of future learning questions and plans.
• Document progress of all Nigeria research, learning & innovation activities for global tracking and related OKRs at least quarterly.
• Support Research Manager to oversee progress of Nigerian research activities.  
• Represent TaRL Africa Nigeria’s research to external entities, including participation in government and local research-focused communities of practice and events. 

Rigorous Research Design and Implementation (45%):

• Contribute to the design and implementation of research studies, including:
  • Leading research operations for at least one large-scale randomized controlled trial from start to end, to evaluate the implementation of TaRL interventions in Nigeria.
  • Leading Nigeria-based activities for at least two multi-country TaRL implementation research / innovation projects.
• Lead the process of applying for local and international institutional review boards.
• Set up a field plan and data flow plan.
• Develop and pilot research instruments, including assessments and surveys.
• Program the digital version of questionnaires using software such as SurveyCTO or KoboCollect.
• Oversee data collection activities, ensuring adherence to research protocols and data quality standards, including:
  • Writing clear, concise Stata. do files or R scripts for high-frequency checks, data cleaning and analysis.
  • Performing high-frequency checks and data cleaning processes to ensure data quality.
  • Monitoring research study implementation and providing periodic reports to the Principal Investigator and researchers.
  • Identifying possible threats to the validity of the study and communicating that to the larger research team.
  • Systematically recording project decisions and study deviations through the study lifecycle.
• Support analysis report writing and presentation of results.
• Document research results and prepare handover documents that can be used by TaRL Africa staff and/or new researchers in the future.
• Manage relationships with partner organizations and survey firms involved in research projects.

Data Management, Analysis, and Knowledge Management (20%):

• Clean, manage, and analyze quantitative data using Stata or R, and qualitative data using NVivo or other.
• Ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness best practices are undertaken by maintaining quality MOUs, protocols and checklists for assigned research projects.
• Ensure ethical and security best practices are adhered to for data access, storage, and management for all research and learning projects assigned.
• Contribute to and improve strong knowledge management practices for research data including storage, codebook maintenance, and consistent use of knowledge and project management tools like Dropbox and Asana.
• Contribute to the interpretation of research findings and the preparation of academic and policy-oriented publications.

Evidence-Based Learning and Dissemination (10%):

• Work closely with the program team to ensure that research findings are used to inform program design and implementation.
• Prepare high-quality reports, presentations, and other materials to disseminate research findings to a variety of audiences, including government partners, donors, and the academic community.
• Contribute to building a culture of evidence-based decision-making within TaRL Africa and among our partners.

Team Collaboration and Technical Support (10%):

• Collaborate with other members of the TaRL Africa research team and program staff in Nigeria and across the continent.
• Join and contribute to learning team meetings and brainstorming on other TaRL Africa research projects.
• Provide technical support and mentorship to TaRL Africa research staff and enumerators.
• Contribute to the development of research proposals and grant applications.
• Other special projects and activities as needed (5%)

Requirements
Educational Qualifications:

• A Master’s Degree in Economics, Public Policy, Education, or a related field with a strong quantitative focus. A PhD is an added advantage.

Experience:

• Experience working in Nigeria, with a strong preference for professional experience located in Hausa-speaking areas.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience in a research-focused role, preferably in the education research sector.
• Experience coordinating an independent research project from start to end.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing quantitative research, including RCTs.
• Experience with survey design, data collection, and data management.
• Experience with data cleaning and data analysis. 

Skills:

• Proficiency in Stata or R for data analysis is required; familiarity with a qualitative tool such as Nvivo is advantageous.
• Experience in digital survey programming with SurveyCTO, KoboCollect, or similar tool preferred.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Strong writing and data visualization skills, with the ability to communicate complex research findings to non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Proven ability to handle multiple diverse assignments at one time, successfully completing assigned tasks and meeting deadlines while conducting high-quality work.
• Experience working in Nigeria and a deep understanding of the local context is required.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Hausa or other local languages is a strong advantage.

Attributes:

• A passion for improving education and a commitment to evidence-based practice.
• A proactive and results-oriented approach to work.
• Willingness to travel frequently to program sites in Nigeria (estimated up to 30%).

TaRL Africa Values:

• We place children's learning first.
• We are always learning, improving, and innovating.
• We are locally rooted for high-quality delivery and sustainable impact.
• We are kind, respectful and collaborative.
• We are proactive, committed to integrity and doing our best each day.