Senior Policy Manager, Embedded Labs Program

About the role

IPA’s Embedded Labs program partners with governments to build data‑driven teams that improve public policy. The Senior Policy Manager will guide the next phase of growth, strengthening internal systems, expanding external outreach, and ensuring each Lab engagement stays on track.

Key responsibilities

• Provide technical assistance and project management support to Lab engagements from design through implementation.
• Support monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) to assess progress, impact, and best practices.
• Develop and deliver onboarding materials and training for Embedded Labs staff and other IPA teams.
• Generate public‑facing outputs such as case studies, toolkits, and evidence reviews, and help disseminate them.
• Identify business development and fundraising opportunities, coordinate grant reporting, and manage deliverables across engagements.
• Coordinate strategic events including summits, workshops, technical working groups, and the annual Cross‑Country Learning Exchange.

Required profile

• Master’s degree in economics, development, international relations, public administration, public policy, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3+ years of experience analyzing and communicating complex research, including at least 1 year working with large NGOs or governments, preferably in LMIC contexts.
• Demonstrated knowledge of rigorous evidence use for international development policy.
• Strong quantitative skills and ability to understand and analyze academic research studies.
• Experience leading teams to draw policy lessons from research and communicating them to diverse audiences.
• Excellent written and presentation communication skills.
• Proven ability to multitask, meet tight deadlines, and work with minimal supervision.
• Experience supervising staff and managing multi‑country projects.
• Familiarity with IPA or partner institutions is strongly preferred.
• Experience with government teams, research, or monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) is a plus.