Summary

Laterite is looking for a Country Manager to provide strategic direction, oversee research projects, and lead and mentor research teams based in our office in Kigali, Rwanda. We are also open to hiring for a Country Director role for candidates with 8+ years of experience.

About Laterite

Laterite is a data, research, and analytics firm specializing in complex development challenges. We work with universities, global think tanks, international NGOs, multilateral donor organizations, and government ministries and agencies. Our clients include, for example, the World Bank, USAID, TechnoServe, Promundo, the Mastercard Foundation, and several UN agencies.

We currently have offices in the Netherlands, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and Peru. The team brings together more than 90 full-time local and international staff, as well as 1,000+ enumerators across all countries. We are proud to be a culturally diverse organization, and we welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented in our team. Learn more: www.laterite.com

We work insocio-economic development research projects. We believe that impact is a long-term endeavour that requires being embedded in the local context. Delivering high-quality research requires building local teams and data collection systems, knowing the country, and establishing close working relationships.

One of Laterite’s key strategic goals is to create a collaborative and rewarding working environment for our staff, where every team member feels engaged, represented, and heard. Laterite is committed to creating opportunities for learning and career development within the team and across our offices.

Laterite is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

About the teams

In Rwanda, Laterite was founded in 2010, and Kigali is our oldest and largest office, both in terms of team size and volume of work. The team in Rwanda comprises about 6 researchers, 9 data collection experts, 3 data quality specialists, and a finance and people team. Our project portfolio in Rwanda is varied and ranges from data collection (including mixed-methods studies with observational assessments or anthropometric measurement modules) to long-term learning partnerships. The Rwanda team works across all our key sectors with the majority of projects in education, public health and early childhood development topics.

What you will do:

As a Country Manager, based in our Kigali office, you will:

• Oversee office operations, including contributing to corporate strategy, overseeing process improvements, and financial and personnel management.
• Build and manage the pipeline of research projects, turning internal research ideas into externally funded projects and designing evaluations for clients.
• Develop and manage relationships and communication with Laterite clients and government officials
• Support and develop research teams, including coaching, mentoring and/or training to develop their research and management skills.
• Maintain and promote Laterite’s office culture, sustaining a very friendly and collaborative atmosphere, combined with a fast-working pace, high standards and a strong desire for innovation and learning.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for growth and innovation, be it from a technical, learning or business perspective.
• Providing technical leadership in all aspects of our work, including on program and impact evaluation design (e.g., regression discontinuity design, matching methods, matched cluster randomized control trials), sampling methods, and data analysis and modelling.

What you will bring:

We are looking for an accomplished researcher with experience managing complex research projects, growing research or business pipelines, and leading and mentoring research teams.

• Masters degree in Economics, Econometrics, Development Research, or in one of Laterite’s core sectors. MBA is a plus.
• 6 years of experience managing complex research projects, growing research or business pipelines, and leading and mentoring research teams.
• Experience managing a team of 10-20 people
• Strong quantitative data analysis skills and proficiency in Stata
• Strong oral and written communication skills in English
• Experience living and working in different cultural settings
• Motivation to work in social and economic research in Sub-Saharan Africa

In addition, we welcome:

• Previous work experience in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills, self-motivation and drive to flourish in a fast-paced environment, where timelines can often be unpredictable.

What’s in it for you?

Laterite offers a competitive remuneration package, including medical insurance and 25 days of annual leave. We are also committed to supporting our staff’s learning, providing an annual learning budget of up to $1,000 per person and 10 days of time off for professional learning each year. We also provide remote work options in accordance with Laterite’s remote work policy. The starting salary for this role is $5,926 Gross per month. The exact salary grade will be determined based on the selected candidate’s experience and performance in interviews.