Position: Field Researcher (FR)
Category: Research and Development
Career Level: Junior level (1-2 years of experience)
Employment Type: Contract for-14 months
Salary: As per the organization’s scale
Intensity: We are recruiting for 12 full-time positions, which cannot be combined with other work, and four part-time positions that will take up to four months across 14 months
L-IFT (Low Income Financial Transformation) is a Netherlands based Research Company specialized in diaries research and human centric program design. Careerpath is a Ugandan non-profit organization that works to ensure that people have passionate and fulfilling work. Our goal is to advance education that prepares people for successful careers. L-IFT and Careerpath Uganda are partnering with researchers from the Financial Access Initiative at New York University, to conduct a Randomized Controlled Trial research project on micro, women–owned businesses/women entrepreneurs. The study will use baseline, midline, and endline surveys to measure differences across groups. The first group will receive as intervention two-weekly interviews using the standard financial diaries methodology. The second group will also participate in the same financial diaries interviews and in addition these participants also receive a printed report of their data and their financial situation will be discussed, and some areas of improvements may be pointed out. The third group will be the control group, with no direct intervention. The research is about understanding if frequently asking women about aspects of their businesses and taking them through a report on that business highlighting areas of improvement results in improvements in business outcomes. In Uganda, the study will be conducted in the divisions of Kampala city.
We are looking for highly motivated, qualified, and capable young professionals to fill the post of Field Researcher for this project.
Job Description
Full-time Field Researcher:
The main responsibility of the full-time Field Researcher (FR) is to conduct a census as well as continuously conduct interviews (every other week) with women micro entrepreneurs in urban Kampala for a full year. These women own a range of retail businesses. The field researchers will have a number of additional obligations in addition to the interviews, including attending training and meetings, testing new surveys, describing the context of the respondents and providing daily reports including planning of the field work. The field researcher will be expected to adhere to all established ethical and survey protocols during the interviews and maintain excellent data quality.
The full-time FR’s work will start by conducting a census of women micro enterprises according to specific criteria and in specific assigned areas of Kampala. Based on the census, the sample of around 700 respondents will be decided. Field Researchers will then conduct baseline interviews on the basis of which the randomized allocation to the two intervention arms and the control group will take place. Each full-time field researcher is responsible for repeatedly interviewing up to 40 women entrepreneurs that are assigned to either of the two intervention arms. The respondents that are assigned to the interventions will be interviewed bi-weekly for an entire year (and half of them will also receive their report, get explanation of their report and be advised on some business aspects). The field researchers will ensure data quality as well as strict compliances to all ethical and survey protocols during the interviews and subsequent data management.
Part-time Field Researcher:
The part-time field researcher will conduct baseline, midline and endline interviews over a total of four months across the 14 months of the project.
Reporting and Supervision: Both the part-time and full-time field researchers shall be directly supervised and work closely with the Field Supervisor and project Manager.
The specific responsibilities include:
- Attend training sessions organized by L-IFT and Careerpath
- Internalize methods and protocols of data collection, and fully understand all questionnaires prior to commencement of the actual interviews
- Move weekly to all respondents in different locations in the assigned research area to interview all participants for the research. Follow the remote COVID-19 protocol when indicated.
- Strictly follow survey procedures, ethical standards; COVID-19 protocols through the process of data collection
- Document issues that arise during the field work and communicate them to the project manager and Field supervisor
- Safe handling of resources provided by the company (mobile phones and accessories) to protect them from any damage
- Report to the field supervisor on daily basis
- Actively exchange experiences and communicate observations in an exchange group of peers and supervisor
- Participate in two-weekly review meetings to address issues from the field and to get trained and practice new interview questions
Job Requirements
The following are ideal features that are considered for recruitment.
Profile of an ideal candidate for field researchers
- A diploma (or equivalent) in field of economics, statistics, sociology, gender, IT, anthropology, development studies, psychology, entrepreneurship or a related field
- Proven experience in data collection
- Good understanding of how micro business functions in the country (ideally comes from micro business owner’s family)
- Young and energetic
- Able to relate easily to people and inspire trust (good verbal communication, good at encouraging people)
- Have good written communications
- Very good communication skills in English and Luganda. Command of other local languages is an added advantage.
- Have some computer and mobile-phone skills, command of Microsoft Office Suite and Android operating software
- Have some numerical and analytical skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Characteristics: Motivated/committed; Energetic/enthusiastic; Fast/pro-active (takes initiative to solve problems); Good with people (listener); Reliable/conscientious; Technology oriented; Interest in research; Good communicator; Modest; Non-judgmental; Organized/disciplined; Adoptable (Adjust easily with unpredictable situations), Inquisitive and curious.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, please complete the Job Application form on our website:(which strictly requires applicants to write their motivation for applying and upload their CV). Deadline for application is on Friday 22nd October 2021 at 5:00 pm. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
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