Research & Business Development Manager at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Position Summary

• IPA Nigeria is seeking for a Research and Business Development Manager who interested in working for a leading international research and policy organization. Ideal candidates will be ambitious, excited to learn and eager to take-on new tasks in IPA’s fast-paced Business Development (BD) Team. They will work to develop and continuously review (and adapt as needed) the Nigeria Country Office’s business development and stakeholder engagement strategy in collaboration with the Country Director, Research Managers and the Global Business Development team.
• The Research and Business Development Manager has two broad sets of responsibilities. The first is research project management oversight: will oversee the initial portfolio of projects and will be responsible for the overall management of a portfolio of three to four RCTs, including assisting with hiring project management staff, interaction with PIs, and face-to-face coordination with partner organizations and local, state, and national government stakeholders. Second, is business development: they will provide targeted, strategic support to business development opportunities, including writing, editing, packaging and submitting proposals; coordinating with multiple internal and external stakeholders; leading other targeted support activities, as needed.

Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Research Project Oversight (25%)

• Lead the design, implementation, and strategic direction of a portfolio of research projects in the Nigeria Country Office
• Set research priorities and ensure alignment with IPA’s global and country-level strategies
• Serve as a key member of the Nigeria Country Office's Senior Management Team, contributing to the country office strategy, organizational planning, and problem-solving across functional areas.

Research Quality and Technical Oversight (25%)

• Oversee the full lifecycle of complex research projects, from design & IRB approval to implementation, analysis, and dissemination
• Ensure adherence to rigorous research protocols and data quality standards, including sample selection, data management, and ethical compliance
• Review and contribute to data analysis and interpretation, ensuring findings are actionable and policy-relevant
• Lead the production of high-quality research outputs and policy materials, including technical reports, working papers, briefs, and presentations.

Business Development (25%)

• Lead and initiate a portfolio of business & project development efforts with researchers, funders, and partner organizations
• Identify priority research questions and key concerns for policymakers in the various sectors, and initiate and manage the development of corresponding new research proposals
• Propose cost structures and budgets for potential funding opportunities and proposals
• Ensure that institutional arrangements are established to submit proposal applications – in line with the donor's deadlines and requirements – and collaborate with the Grants team and the Business Development team to submit research proposals and set up new grant awards.

Stakeholder Engagement and External Representation (25%)

• Cultivate and manage high-level relationships with key stakeholders including government agencies, financial regulators, funders, civil society, and private sector actors
• Represent IPA in external meetings, policy discussions, and events, communicating research insights and positioning IPA as a thought leader in evidence-based consumer protection
• Lead efforts to institutionalize and formalize partnerships, navigating political dynamics and ensuring long-term engagement with key actors.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years of relevant work experience, including experience in economics research, impact evaluations, international development
• Experience supervising large data collection research projects, including leading survey design, implementation, and data management background in randomized control trials
• Master’s degree in development economics, international public policy, or a related field is required. MBAs also encouraged
• Advanced knowledge of statistical packages such as STATA, R, Python is required
• Experience working on both quantitative and qualitative data collection
• Experience in leading or supporting business development activities within an organization
• Superior analytical, quantitative and conceptual thinking skills
• Ability to present information in a structured and insightful way, both in writing and orally
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial mindset, versatility and strong multi-tasking skills
• Passion for making data-driven decision making a reality in the development sector
• Ability to manage and coordinate diverse teams across stakeholders, including academic researchers, field staff, government and private sector partners
• Experience working with diverse teams across multiple locations, including extensive remote locations of team members
• Detail-oriented, flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently and under pressure
• Experience with research project management in Nigeria is preferred
• Experience with randomized control trials is preferred
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 40% of the time.