Program Manager, Research

Job Description

Requirements

• Desired Qualifications:
• 5-7 years of progressive experience in research program management, ideally within an international development, NGO, academic, or high-growth organisation context.
• Degree in a relevant field (e.g. Economics, Social Sciences, Public Policy, Research Methods, or equivalent); advanced degree preferred.
• Strong alignment with GiveDirectly's values and a genuine commitment to evidence-based approaches to poverty alleviation.
• Proven experience managing research programs including study design, partner coordination, data quality oversight, IRB/ethics compliance, and dissemination of findings.
• Familiarity with data collection tools (SurveyCTO, Commcare) data analysis tools (e.g. Stata, R, Python) and data visualization tools (e.g. Adobe, Canva, Flourish)
• Experienced people manager with a track record of building high-performing research teams, delivering results through others, and establishing robust research systems and processes.
• Collaborative management style with excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust across diverse teams including field staff, academic partners, and global leadership.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex research findings for a range of audiences including field teams, policymakers, donors, and external research partners.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where success requires adaptability, intellectual curiosity, and a significant degree of learning by doing.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain field protocols grounded in the Senior Manager's research agenda
• Oversee day-to-day execution of data collection and field research activities across M&E, internal surveys, and other data streams
• Ensure fieldwork aligns with study timelines, quality standards, and ethical requirements
• Liaise with the tech team to ensure all programmatic and data collection needs are scoped, built, and tested ahead of fieldwork
• Ensure survey instruments are fit for purpose and aligned with research objectives before deployment
• Implement data quality checks across all data collection streams including M&E and other internal surveys - to ensure data is accurate and can reliably inform internal decisions
• Develop and maintain data quality protocols covering sample validation and field monitoring
• Conduct desk reviews and literature reviews to ensure data collection approaches, survey design, and analytical frameworks are grounded in current evidence and best practice
• Analyse key data streams to surface high-level findings that inform internal decision-making, working with the Senior Manager to refine outputs before broader sharing
• Support synthesis of findings from pulse surveys, M&E, and qualitative studies into clear internal and donor-facing communications
• Support the Senior Manager in preparing research findings for donor presentations and partner updates
• Liaise with internal admin functions - including finance and compliance - to ensure smooth operations
• Coordinate with the programs team to align operational and research plans, surfacing conflicts or misalignments early
• Manage budgets, tracking expenditure and flagging risks to the Senior Manager
• Develop and maintain project timelines, coordinating across teams to resolve delays
• Serve as an operational point of contact for external partners, escalating strategic decisions to the Senior Manager
• Support the Field Manager in coordinating field staff performance and scheduling
• Lead recruitment efforts to build a strong internal research team, ensuring capacity meets all data collection and research needs
• Support onboarding and development of new team members to maintain high standards across the team