Associate & Senior Associate

Location: East Africa (Kenya and Rwanda).

About the Associate & Senior Associate role

IDinsight’s Associates and Senior Associates are high-performing early-career professionals passionate about experiencing the front-line realities of evidence-informed decision-making. These roles provide a rich, varied experience with responsibilities ranging from in-depth research and analysis, data collection management, client interactions, and internal team building. We seek intellectually curious, resilient, and team-oriented individuals who – in addition to developing professional and technical skills – are highly motivated to grapple with the difficulties and unpredictability of trying to improve lives at scale.

Associates and Senior Associates are responsible for the following areas of work:

Managing project team workflow, systems, and deliverables
• Driving the day-to-day execution of the project work according to project plans and leading internal coordination efforts for their team.
• Conducting and supporting appropriate research design, data collection or acquisition, technical analysis, and results visualization/packaging, etc. for project tasks
• Creating client deliverables, including reports, slide decks, and oral presentations to inform decisions and actions of clients
• Developing strategic communications to build awareness of IDinsight projects and learnings, contribute to sectoral knowledge, and shift the sector towards more evidence-informed policy and practices

Supporting their team in developing strong client relationships
• Preparing talking points and presentations for client and partner meetings
• Managing relationships with stakeholders
• Contributing to client development, including developing proposals and concept notes

Leading data collection activities
• Overseeing all data collection activities to ensure quality, including questionnaire development, sampling, managing data collection teams, analysis, and result synthesis
• Traveling to project sites, IDinsight offices, embedded client locations, and other areas as per project needs

Contributing to internal team building
• Developing, piloting, and implementing internal systems or other organizational contributions (e.g., event management) for IDinsight, in coordination with functional teams such as Operations, Communications, Finance, etc.
• Contributing to office life and culture building, such as facilitating All Hands Meetings; leading team building efforts at team retreats; participating in Social Cultural Committee events; and engaging with the DEI Working Groups.

Career development

Skill and career development are core to IDinsight's values and long-term impact strategy. Associates and Senior Associates receive significant mentorship from IDinsight leadership, support from talented peers, and considerable autonomy in their work. They maintain professional development plans and are given "stretch" opportunities designed to strengthen a variety of skills. Real-time feedback and structured reviews are regularly provided to enable maximum professional growth. Additionally, Associates and Senior Associates have access to an annual professional development stipend that they are encouraged to utilize to explore their career interests and develop their skills.

Qualifications

IDinsight Associates and Senior Associates come from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, including economics, data science, policy research, development projects, engineering, environmental science, political science, public policy, literature and more. Given that no Associate or Senior Associate comes in with the same exact background as another, we’re typically looking for candidates with a broad range of qualifications and former experiences. Here are some examples of the key qualifications most successful candidates should possess:

Knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Economics, Policy Research, Development Studies, Engineering, Environmental Science, Political Science, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Strong analytical skills, with exposure to (either via professional work experience or academic coursework) the basics of econometrics, data, and research analysis tools, and quantitative and qualitative research processes or an ability to quickly understand these topics
• Strong writing skills with the ability to translate technical jargon into well-structured, writing-based deliverables (e.g., policy briefs, project memos, analytical reports, external blog posts, and more)
• Ability to understand complex concepts and topics quickly even with limited prior knowledge or exposure and a willingness to invest in learning new concepts, skills, and methods without being prompted

Behaviors and mindsets
• Highly organized, attentive to deadlines, and able to manage a high volume of work with efficiency
• Excellent interpersonal skills, can effectively engage with stakeholders ranging from school children to senior government officials to internal colleagues, and places a high value on being a teamplayer
• Demonstrated ability to be a self-starter and fast learner; resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges
• Intellectually curious and a willingness to share your opinions with the team, question the status quo, and encourage others to expand their perspectives
• Excels in diverse team environments, consistently treating colleagues across our global organization with respect.
• Embodies our organizational values and demonstrates a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their daily interactions.
• Deeply passionate about combating poverty worldwide and improving lives in disadvantaged populations
• Willingness to travel for extended periods of time where safety precautions and restrictions allow, including to remote and rural areas

Additional preferred qualifications
• Proficient in statistical analysis and data collection software, such as Stata, SPSS, R, SurveyCTO, and/or Open Data Kit
• Familiarity with local context as well as working proficiency in the local language(s) of country of placement

Candidates will be evaluated for an Associate vs. Senior Associate role based on their qualifications, quality of highly relevant work experience, and performance in the hiring process. Additionally, candidates may be considered for other available roles based on experience and qualifications.
• Highly relevant work experience includes, but is not limited to, creating quality research and analysis deliverables; managing data collection processes, including overseeing data collection teams; engaging with client and stakeholder relationships, including contributing to client development efforts; working within very similar contexts and with matching scopes of the role at IDinsight (e.g., complexity of workstreams, organization/team size, span of control, etc.).

Nuts & bolts

Location

Associate positions will be based in one of IDinsight’s offices or remotely (Rwanda) with possible significant regional travel depending on project needs and organizational expansion.
• East Africa: Kenya (Nairobi) and Rwanda

Work Authorization

IDinsight is committed to building a diverse global team and sponsors employment visas for all nationalities in its office locations. However, the organization will prioritize candidates who are Zambian citizens or already possess the legal right to work in Zambia, as they do not require IDinsight to sponsor work authorization.

Start dates

Start dates for Associates and Senior Associates hired during this hiring process will fall between June and August 2026,

with mutually agreed-upon start dates based on candidate availability and preferences and IDinsight project needs.

Compensation & benefits

Compensation and benefits are commensurate with the qualifications and experiences IDinsight is hiring for. We are especially proud of the people-focused benefits we offer, including comprehensive international health insurance with mental health coverage, paid vacation, sick leave, parental leave, relocation benefits, a travel stipend, technology and work-from-home stipends, a professional development budget, and more.

Please note, that while we aim to be competitive within the global development sector, we are non-profit, and as such are usually unable to meet compensation brackets similar to leading private sector organizations.

How to apply

Applications are due by 11 May 2026.

The application asks various questions in order for us to get to know you and requires a CV and cover letter.

Please ensure that your CV includes relevant professional and personal experience as well as details on academic qualifications. CVs can range from one to two pages. Please note that headshot photographs, parental details, birth dates, marital status, and other personal information are not relevant to the application and do not need to be included in your CV. Additionally, we strongly encourage you to use your cover letter to highlight why you want to work for IDinsight and what has prepared you to succeed in the role you’re applying for. A customized cover letter is an important part of IDinsight’s recruiting process as it allows us to understand your motivations for the position, relevant skills, and clarity of writing.

If you’ve previously applied to an IDinsight Associate role, we encourage you to reapply only if you’ve gained additional relevant experience to strengthen your application since your previous application. More information, including details on IDinsight’s hiring process and frequently asked questions, can be found online at IDinsight Careers. Any questions should be directed to esa.careers@idinsight.org.