Senior Research Manager

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with current and ongoing work authorization in Ethiopia

Position: Full-time

Application deadline:  12 December 2025, 6 pm EAT (applications will be reviewed as they are submitted)

Job Description

Summary of the role

We are seeking a Senior Research Manager to support a team embedded within an Ethiopian government office. The successful candidate must have a strong interest in and commitment to PxD’s mission to provide actionable information and other cost-effective, scalable services to individuals in poverty, enabling them to sustainably improve their incomes and well-being.

Responsibilities (including but not limited to):

The role will grow as you develop, but you will start by focusing on the following key responsibilities:

• Identify impact improvement opportunities and provide strategic design input on new research ideas and projects that support PxD’s programs and partners.
• Identify learning objectives and resources available for multiple projects and manage the implementation of research activities, ensuring that projects adhere to appropriate rigor, policies, timelines, and budgets.
• Work with the team leadership and colleagues to scope, design, pilot, and scale evidence-backed digital agriculture services.
• Interpret and contextualize external and internal evidence and insights for PxD programs.
• Guide teams on the use of evidence-based approaches and ensure that PxD maintains the standards for technical appropriateness and rigor.
• Oversee data management and analysis for research projects and survey creation, A/B testing, and implementation.
• Oversee documentation of research activities, research results, and rationale for decisions made.
• Develop and fill in frameworks with specific information to identify program insights.
• Manage partner relations and work with external stakeholders to implement program operations.
• Develop and ensure compliance with IRB protocols and relevant in-country research permission requirements.
• Contribute to funding proposals and project reports.
• Contribute to the strategic planning and global functioning of the organization.
• Provide close mentorship and guidance to Associate and Manager-level staff.
• Contribute and support internal and external communications to disseminate project results and research findings, including briefs, blogs, reports, and presentations.
• Contribute to PxD’s institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will have:

• Master’s degree or PhD in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a related field.
• Professional experience working on at least three large projects involving the design and management of rigorous research and evidence-based programs in LMIC countries.
• Ability to draw inferences from data and apply findings to program design.

• Adept at consuming large amounts of academic and scientific literature as well as other technical information, synthesizing key findings, and applying takeaways to program and research design.

• Deep understanding of economics and randomized evaluations.
• Excellent knowledge of Stata, R, or similar software for data analysis.
• Experience in survey design using SurveyCTO/ODK or similar tools.
• Strong grasp of research & program life cycle and staff management, and ability to supervise all activities on the ground.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with advanced writing and presentation skills; fluency in Amharic would be a plus
• Willingness to travel to field sites in Ethiopia.

 

How to Apply:

To apply, please visit the: PxD website and use the online application form to submit a CV, cover letter, and brief responses to the screening questions. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the application deadline of 12 December 2025, 6 pm EAT.

PxD is committed to building an inclusive and diverse organisation. We don’t make decisions based on gender, gender identity, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other personal characteristics that are unrelated to the role. We understand that everyone has different lifestyles and we accommodate flexible working to make sure you are as productive and happy as you can be.

We will use any personal data you provide for recruitment purposes only.

About PxD:

PxD is a global non-profit that harnesses the power of technology, data science, and behavioral economics to provide targeted information to farmers in low and middle-income 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 controlled trials to prove our impact and cost-effectiveness, to simultaneously learn from and improve our service, and to demonstrate our value to funders and partners. There are few programmes in international development that are as demonstrably cost-effective as ours.