Manager, National Poverty Lab

About the role

IPA Nigeria is looking for a Manager to lead its National Poverty Lab, an embedded evidence lab within a federal institution. The role will serve as the senior technical lead, shaping a policy‑relevant research agenda, strengthening data and monitoring‑evaluation systems, and building institutional capacity for sustainable impact.

Key responsibilities

• Position the lab as a trusted technical partner and facilitate inter‑agency data sharing and coordination frameworks across federal and state levels.
• Represent IPA at federal policy forums, technical working groups and inter‑ministerial meetings, communicating lab findings and promoting evidence‑informed decision‑making.
• Develop the lab’s operating model, governance structure, SOPs and workflows for data mapping, evidence intake, analysis and reporting.
• Design and manage primary data collection and administrative data reviews, ensuring methodological rigor and alignment with decision‑making needs.
• Leverage large‑scale administrative datasets (social registries, programme management information systems) to generate policy‑relevant insights.
• Co‑create embedded evaluations and research studies that assess the effectiveness of social protection programmes.

Required profile

• Deep knowledge of Nigeria’s social protection landscape and its institutional context.
• Strong analytical and research expertise with a proven ability to translate complex data into actionable policy insights.
• Experience designing and conducting rigorous impact evaluations and building data systems.
• Demonstrated capacity to lead capacity‑building activities with government staff and to present findings to senior decision‑makers.

Required skills