Category: Research and Development
Career Level: Junior level (no experience)
Employment Type: Contract for 12 months
Salary: 100USD plus travel and mobile phone connectivity
L-IFT (Low Income Financial Transformation) is a Netherlands based Research Company specialized in diaries research and human centric program design. L-IFT is partnering with New York University to conduct a research project on small enterprises using a diaries methodology. The research is about understanding small firms, investigating their cash-flows, and finding out factors and impediments to their growth. In Ethiopia, the study will be conducted in Addis Ababa, Adama and Diredawa/Harar.
For this project, we are looking for highly motivated, recently graduated people or people who are about to graduate to fill the post of Junior Field Researcher. There are currently 4 total open positions in Addis Ababa.
Job Description
The Junior Field Researcher will assist existing field-researchers in meeting with small firms’ managers, employees, customers and suppliers in the assigned study area and conducting different levels of interviews. S/he will also spend considerable time on logistics, planning meetings, following up on meetings and assuring that all data is complete and well. S/he will provide daily reports including planning of the field work. S/he will be expected to adhere to all established ethical and survey protocols during the interviews and maintain excellent data quality.
The Field Researchers’ work will start by preparing a census of small firms according to specific criteria and in specific assigned locations. Based on the census, Field Researchers will conduct intake interviews on the basis of which the sample selection will be decided. Each field researcher is responsible for interviewing up to 17 firms weekly. The complete sample of research participants will be interviewed weekly for an entire year. 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.
The Junior Field Researcher shall be directly supervised by the Field Supervisor and Field Manager, but will on a day-to-day basis works with a Field Researcher.
The specific responsibilities include:
- Attend training sessions organized by L-IFT
- Internalize methods and protocols of data collection, and fully understand all questionnaires prior to commencement of the actual interviews
- Travel 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 field manager and 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 bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in field of economics, statistics, sociology, anthropology, development studies, psychology, entrepreneurship or a related field
- Interest in data collection
- Good understanding of how small business functions in the country (ideally comes from small business owner’s family)
- Flexible 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 Amharic, reasonable level of English.
- 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: www.l-ift.com (which strictly requires applicants to write their motivation for applying and upload their CV). Deadline for application is on 12 February 2021. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Click here to apply for this position