The Senior Project Associate role and tasks will be dedicated to Busara’s Social Cohesion portfolio. The role focuses on leading a series of multi-method research activities and capacity building engagements with civil society organizations (CSOs) and government agencies in East Africa. The aim is to develop a deep understanding of the drivers of civic engagement behaviors and how such knowledge can be effectively leveraged by CSOs and government agencies to promote greater social cohesion, civic engagement, and participation across the region. The Senior Project Associate will also lead the development, testing and continuous management of several tools aimed at supporting the work of the portfolio and will also be in charge of strategically managing capacity strengthening activities across the region.
As primary project manager for dedicated external Busara project(s), the Senior Project Associate quickly gains expert understanding of complex challenges and uses all tools at their disposal to execute engagements to the highest possible standard, with careful consideration of timing and budget. The Senior Project Associate develops creative and rigorous solutions to client and partner needs and manages both internal and external relationships with strategic foresight and professionalism.
Senior Project Associates liaise with the Projects Division and other Busara teams and are expected to coordinate and manage staff effectively, bringing additional seniority and strategic oversight to project design and stakeholder management.
Core Project Responsibilities
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.
Core Organizational Responsibilities
In addition to project responsibilities, Senior Project Associates carry the following organizational responsibilities to ensure a healthy and high-functioning organization:
- Work with the Associate team to conduct goal-setting exercises, objectives and key results (OKRs), and team-building events.
- Contribute to and lead skills-building workshops for Associate and Analyst teams.
- Communicate across organizational teams to foster a cohesive and functional organizational culture.
- Complete required focus contracts, performance reviews, and progress snapshots.
- Assist with and champion internal initiatives where necessary.
- Serve as mentors to Analysts and Officers, modelling professional and intellectual excellence.
- Serve on internal committees when required.
Requirements & Experience
- 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.
