Research Scientist – Health Survey & Evaluation

About the role

The Research Scientist will join Innovations for Poverty Action’s Applied Research & Methods team, leading technical research for large‑scale infectious disease prevention programs across Sub‑Saharan Africa. The role focuses on designing and executing coverage surveys, data audits, and impact evaluations for malaria and other health interventions, delivering credible, timely evidence for program partners and funders.

Key responsibilities

• Design coverage survey protocols, sampling strategies, questionnaire instruments, and quality‑control procedures.
• Serve as principal investigator for surveys, data audits, and impact evaluations, overseeing data extraction, validation, and interpretation at health‑facility level.
• Provide technical guidance on health‑system contexts, especially in Nigeria and West African countries.
• Collaborate with the Survey Delivery Unit on data‑collection platforms, field protocols, and quality‑assurance processes.
• Manage relationships with government health partners and program stakeholders to secure access for data collection.
• Contribute to analysis and reporting of survey and audit results for partners and funders.
• Supervise and mentor field research staff, including enumerators and field coordinators.
• Write and review research proposals, including study design, budgeting, and narrative development.

Required profile

• PhD or equivalent doctoral‑level training in epidemiology, biostatistics, public health, health economics, or a related social science.
• Substantive expertise in health‑systems operations and facility‑level data quality.
• Demonstrated experience conducting research or fieldwork in Sub‑Saharan Africa.
• Experience writing research proposals with clear study design and budgets.
• Expertise in malaria or other infectious‑disease programs, particularly in research and data contexts.

Required skills

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics
• Public health research methods
• Health economics
• Survey design and sampling methodology
• Data analysis and validation
• Health‑systems assessment
• Malaria program evaluation