Research and Impact Lead

About us

BFA Global is an impact innovation firm that combines research, advisory, venture building, and investment expertise to build a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient future for underserved people and the planet. We partner with leading public, private, and philanthropic organizations, global and local, to catalyze innovation ecosystems for impact across emerging markets.

About the Role

The Research & Impact Lead plays a pivotal role in shaping BFA Global’s evidence, learning, and measurement agenda across programs and portfolios as well as drawing insights from our work and from theory and practice in the relevant fields. This role leads the end-to-end design and analysis of rigorous mixed-methods research, ensuring that impact is measured credibly, consistently, and in alignment with the expectations of funders. The R & I role also supports the rest of the BFA team in selecting research methodology, interpreting results, and drawing conclusions.

The incumbent will need to lead the shaping of BFA’s organizational evidence strategy, ensuring alignment between research, program design, and strategic priorities (financial inclusion, climate resilience, jobtech, and AI for emerging markets). Partner with practice leads and senior leadership to embed evidence and learning into solution design, venture building, and advisory engagements. Support due diligence and evidence requirements for new initiatives, innovation labs, and blended-finance partnerships.

Key Responsibilities

Research Design & Management

• Lead development of research agendas, methodologies, and learning plans
• Design and implement quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies, including RCTs, longitudinal panels, observational research, and qualitative investigations
• Oversee fieldwork, sampling strategies, data systems and data quality assurance
• Manage research vendors, field teams, consultants, and implementing partners
• Ensure all research processes are ethical, methodologically sound, and aligned with organizational priorities
• Familiarity with ethical AI principles, data governance, and responsible data practices in emerging markets

Impact Measurement & Learning

• Develop and maintain impact measurement frameworks, indicators, and KPIs
• Strengthen Theories of Change and guide measurement strategies across partners
• Conduct M&E activities, review partner data systems, and ensure strong MEL frameworks are in place
• Build internal capacity across teams by providing training, mentorship, and guidance on research methods, MEL practices, and data interpretation.
  Establish internal quality standards for evidence generation and research outputs
• Facilitate learning sessions and promote evidence-driven decision-making across teams

Writing, Reporting & Content Development

• Produce high-quality written outputs, including research reports, impact assessments, case studies, donor reports and insight briefs
• Translate complex findings into clear, compelling narratives tailored to diverse audiences
• Review, edit, and enhance writing produced by internal teams
• Develop knowledge products such as publications, blogs, presentations, and dashboards

Data Analysis & Insight Generation

• Conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis using statistical and analytical tools
• Generate visual summaries, dashboards, and insight packs for leadership, donors, and partners
• Synthesize data into actionable insights that strengthen program strategy and effectiveness
• Ability to guide digital-first measurement systems, including building automated dashboards, real-time data pipelines, and adaptive learning loops

Stakeholder Engagement

• Liaise with donors, clients, and partners to align on research requirements and deliverables
• Manage researchers, consultants, and fieldwork vendors
• Represent the organization at conferences, workshops, and external learning platforms
• Support proposal development by shaping research designs, MEL frameworks, ToCs, and evidence narratives.
  Engage directly with donors and funders to articulate research methodology, learning agendas, and impact claims

Project Management

• Experience managing multi-stakeholder, multi-country research projects within tight timelines
• Strong skills in planning, sequencing research phases, and ensuring high-quality deliverables
• Excellent coordination, documentation, and communication capabilities

Qualifications

• Prior experience conducting research in at least one of BFA Global’s focus domains: household financial health, climate resilience, livelihoods, MSME finance, digital inclusion, or labour markets
• Ability to contextualize evidence within real-world constraints facing institutions and communities across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America
• Master’s or PhD in Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Development Studies, Data Science, or a related field
• 8–10 years of experience, including at least 2 years in a senior research or impact role (or 5–8 years for mid-level track)
• Strong grounding in impact evaluation, causal inference, and mixed-methods research
• Ability to work with formative and early-stage information systems
• Proficiency with Stata, R, Python, and qualitative analysis tools
• Demonstrated experience applying human-centered research approaches to understand user experience and program effectiveness
• Ability to integrate qualitative insights with quantitative data to inform design, adaptation, and strategic decision-making

Soft Skills

• Outstanding writing, editing, and synthesis abilities
• Strong interpersonal skills, able to work seamlessly with partners, field teams, and leadership
• Analytical, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, learning-oriented environment
• Strategic thinker with excellent problem-solving skills
• High integrity and commitment to ethical research and responsible data use

Anticipated Start Date: February 2026

*Preferred location: India, Kenya

Candidates must have work permits for their location*. Compensation will be commensurate with experience. 

Only shortlisted candidates who provide the required information will be contacted for follow-up.

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At BFA, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military, and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

BFA believes that diversity and inclusion among our teammates are critical to our success as a global company. We seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool and to carry out the best inclusion work we undertake. 

*BFA will not sponsor work permits.

**BFA will not pay for relocation expenses.