Senior Project Associate

The Senior Project Associate will work closely with Busara offices and directly with academic researchers and advisory clients to perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to:

Research Design & Implementation

• Lead end-to-end research activities, including research design, literature reviews, qualitative interviews, data collection, analysis, reporting, and dissemination.

• Design and implement rigorous mixed-method research frameworks tailored to Busara’s work in social cohesion.

• Lead the facilitation of workshops with high-level stakeholders to co-design interventions using evidence and research from relevant project data and existing literature.

• Contribute to the design, execution, and dissemination of Busara Social Cohesion research projects.

• Developing and implementing strategies to ensure research produced is used by key stakeholder groups and is impactful.

Capacity Strengthening & Training

• Lead the design and implementation of training curricula and evaluation frameworks for CSOs and partner organizations.

• Support other Associates and Analysts with training delivery and facilitation.

• Build the capacity of civil society and public sector actors to apply behavioral insights and research findings in their programmatic work.

• Lead the development, testing and dissemination of capacity strengthening tools/ products.

Project & Stakeholder Management

• Plan, manage, and execute external and internal engagements independently from start to finish with limited supervision.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients and partners; effectively manage stakeholder needs through proactive communication and troubleshooting.

• Build and maintain relationships within the broader stakeholder and funder ecosystem, and stay abreast of developments that affect Busara’s approach to social cohesion.

• Manage and coordinate team members on activities across the region.

• Provide regular, timely updates to other team members and project leadership.

• Work closely with finance teams to ensure timely compliance with funder requirements, project budgets and other financial matters.

• Assume responsibility for project timelines, deliverables, reports, and staffing.

• Contribute to project onboarding and offboarding for knowledge management purposes.

• Lead or support other Associates to fulfill research and engagement requirements.

• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the project supervisor.

• Existing work authorization in Kenya or currently living or willing to relocate to Kenya.

• At least 7 years experience in social cohesion, peacebuilding, civic engagement, governance or a closely related field.

• Demonstrated experience with organizational training and/or capacity building for civil society and/ or public sector actors.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Kiswahili.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with a diverse range of stakeholders across cultures and sectors.

• Strong individual and group-based facilitation skills, and confident oral presentation abilities.

• Ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations and institutional donors.

• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including experience managing complex multi-stakeholder projects.

• Flexible and self-motivated, with the ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to execute projects while maintaining a global focus and contributing to institutional strategy and planning.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Prior experience writing policy briefs or research communications for non-technical audiences.

• Experience managing or mentoring staff in a research or consulting setting.

• Familiarity with behavioral science research methodologies, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

• Familiarity with quantitative analysis tools such as STATA or R, and data collection platforms such as SurveyCTO.

• Prior experience working with or within civil society organizations or government agencies in East Africa.

• Advanced degree in social sciences, public policy, development studies, or a related field.

• Experience managing the development of products/ tools for capacity strengthening.