Senior Policy Manager

Position Summary

The (Senior) Policy Manager will support the execution of IPA Nigeria’s evidence-based policy and practice impact and influence strategy, on women’s economic empowerment (WEE) and gender-related topics of priority. He/she will work closely with the global policy team, country office management, and research and policy staff in Nigeria to identify, cultivate, and support strategic policy and practice opportunities that show promise in improving outcomes for women and girls in Nigeria. 

The strategic goals of the (Senior) Policy Manager will be to work with colleagues to equip partners to use evidence on WEE and gender in policy making and program design; pursue scale-up opportunities of promising programs in the sector; develop embedded evidence labs with government partners in the sector; build strategic partner relationships; and host/manage policy events. The (Senior) Policy Manager will write policy communications materials to inform policy making and program design in the WEE and gender space and will also work closely with the policy team to support the development of funding opportunities to resource strategic policy projects and initiatives across IPA.

Responsibilities

30%

• Build expertise on global and local evidence in the WEE and gender space, and cultivate relationships with key local stakeholders in those spheres
• Work together with the global policy and communications team to lead and/or participate in strategic events in the WEE/gender space for policy purposes, including but not limited to summits, conferences, workshops, technical working groups, and round tables. Support gender-focused researchers and country management to participate in these events.
• Lead policy and stakeholder engagements with WEE and gender sector partners, including building relationships required to engage decision-makers around larger-scale evaluations of promising programs
• In collaboration with researchers and Nigeria's management team, represent IPA locally in policy conversations and at events.
• Support research management staff in executing the “Policy Impact Minimum Must Dos” and in identifying and stewarding high potential partner relationships in the sector, particularly with senior levels within government or large organizations.

40%

• Lead IPA Nigeria in continuously identifying and prioritizing high impact policy opportunities on WEE and other gender topics for evidence to be used
• Manage IPA Nigeria’s relationship with key gender-sector policy partners
• Cultivate relationships with local decision-makers in the WEE and broader gender sector, particularly those with decision-making authority over evidence-to-impact opportunities.
• Launch high impact policy opportunities, including scale-up technical assistance, and either manage small-scale engagements personally with global support, or collaborate with global teams to raise funds to realize these opportunities.

30% 

• Support the Country Director in IPA Nigeria’s business development process.
• Proactively identify business development opportunities and cultivate relationships that lead to developing projects with key WEE and gender sector decision-makers
• Map influential NGO, PIs, and government stakeholders in all the gender sector for the Nigeria office
• Facilitate and participate in proposal development meetings with partners, Principal Investigators, Country Office staff, and the Regional Director.
• Write, edit, and format sections of grant proposals and adapt past proposals to apply to new donors.
• Expand and improve IPA Nigeria’s proposal development resources, information management, and stock language. 
• Together with the Country Director, act as lead steward to key partner relationships and support key research partner conversations in the sector

Qualifications

Required

• Master’s degree in economics, development, international relations, public administration, gender, public policy or a closely related field is strongly preferred. Will accept additional experience in place of master’s. 
• 5+ years of relevant experience analyzing and communicating complex research results to various audiences, including at least 1 year of experience working closely with large NGOs or governments, preferably in the gender space and in a developing country context. 
• Knowledge of and demonstrated experience in the use of rigorous evidence for international development policy required. 
• Exceptional ability to understand academic research studies and analyze bodies of research
• Expertise in leading teams to draw policy lessons from these and communicating them to various audiences 
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including clear, precise, non-technical written and presentation skills; requires a strong written “voice” and ability to write in various voices as needed as well as effective spoken communication and presentation style
• Experience with business development or fundraising
• Proven ability to multitask and successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision
• Willingness to work hard, be self-motivated, learn, be a team-player, and adapt quickly will be essential for doing well in this position.
• Experience supervising staff teams and managing multi-country projects 
• Strong ability to manage up and across. 

Reports to

Country Director, Nigeria

Deadline to Apply

February 19th, 2025

Location

Abuja, Nigeria

About IPA 

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence of which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to a tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 600 leading academics to conduct over 900 evaluations in 52 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide. 

Safeguarding at IPA

At Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), we are committed to creating a safe and respectful environment for all individuals,  particularly children and vulnerable adults. As IPA adheres to strict safeguarding principles, selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards. By joining IPA, you become part of a team dedicated to ethical conduct, social responsibility, and meaningful impact in the fight against global poverty. Together, we work to create a better world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive with dignity and respect.

IPA's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) 

As an organization, IPA is dedicated to improving the lives of the world's most vulnerable populations through evidence and policy. We also recognize how important it is for our staff to reflect the diversity of the places where we work and the communities we work with. As such, IPA is committed to hiring from a diverse pool of candidates, from a range of backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, and perspectives. We know that this makes our work stronger and more responsive to the challenges faced by those we work with and for and we encourage people from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Click here to learn more about IPA’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Innovations for Poverty Action is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other protected class. IPA will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodation to a qualified applicant with a disability unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. If you believe you require such assistance to complete this form or to participate in an interview, please contact us at jobs@poverty-action.org or via phone at 1-202-386-6200. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work to be performed by the specified position. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities. Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that IPA will never request any form of payment from an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to confirm the information listed above with IPA prior to releasing any extensive personal information to the organization. Please direct questions to jobs@poverty-action.org. Please note that only qualified applicants will be contacted by the hiring manager