Quality Assurance Lead Assistant -UG job at Busara Center

About Busara

Since 2014, Busara has evolved from a small behavioral science lab in Nairobi into a boutique research and advisory organization. Our diverse team of over 130 staff from 15+ countries has engaged in diverse projects across more than 50 countries in sectors like Agriculture, Health, Governance, and Inclusive Finance. While headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, we have expanded our footprint with offices now in India, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Latin America.

Role Purpose Statement

The Quality Assurance (QA) Assistant supports the advisory arm of Busara by ensuring the integrity, reliability, and consistency of research processes, data, and project deliverables. This role will be hosted within the Social Cohesion portfolio.

The Quality Assurance (QA) Assistant works closely with project teams to support monitoring of data quality, strengthening research processes, and ensuring that project outputs meet Busara’s quality standards. The role involves supporting both qualitative and quantitative research projects by reviewing data collection processes, conducting quality checks, identifying inconsistencies, and working with project teams to resolve issues.

The Quality Assurance (QA) Assistant will also support the review of reports, analyses, and client deliverables to ensure methodological rigor and adherence to internal standards, working in close coordination with Associates, Senior Associates, and Engagement Directors.

Key Accountabilities / Responsibilities

Core Quality Assurance Responsibilities

The Quality Assurance (QA) Assistant Quality Assurance Analyst will work closely with project teams to perform a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to:

• Monitor and review research data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency across qualitative and quantitative datasets.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve discrepancies or irregularities in internal and external research data, serving as a quality assurance resource for project teams and leadership.
• Work closely with project teams to source, clean, structure, and validate datasets to ensure they meet internal data quality standards.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews of survey instruments, ensuring alignment with research objectives, logical flow, clarity of questions, and methodological rigor.
• Coordinate QA checks during survey development, including formatting, logic testing, translation review, and liaising with survey programming teams.
• Support monitoring of data collection processes to ensure adherence to research protocols, ethical standards, and quality benchmarks.
• Work closely with the Project Operations team and project staff to plan and implement quality assurance processes for field operations and data collection.
• Conduct data audits, spot checks, and validation processes during fieldwork and data collection phases.
• Review drafts of client reports, analysis outputs, and research deliverables to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with underlying data.
• Support Associates and Senior Associates in preparing materials such as drafts of client reports, methodological documentation, research summaries, and presentations.
• Support multiple large-scale research and advisory projects simultaneously while ensuring quality standards are maintained across deliverables.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen internal research quality assurance systems and contribute to improving internal QA processes, templates, and documentation.
• Coordinate project activities related to research quality and data integrity, including timelines for data verification, analysis review, and reporting.
• Participate in fieldwork and project activities where required to ensure compliance with quality assurance protocols.
• Ensure coordination with relevant Busara teams including finance, procurement, operations, facilities, and wellness to support smooth implementation of research engagements.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the project supervisor.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

Minimum Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Economics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in quality assurance, data validation, process monitoring, or audit of research/data workflows.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify patterns, discrepancies, errors, and inconsistencies in datasets or processes.
• Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail while maintaining a broader perspective on project objectives and quality standards.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to report findings and recommendations clearly.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of self-motivation and energy with a proactive and solutions-oriented attitude.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Fluency in English with excellent writing and communication skills.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project locations as required, including in-country and regional sites

Desired Qualifications

• Familiarity with research quality frameworks, auditing methods, and QA best practices.
• Experience with data validation and cleaning using statistical or programming tools such as R, Python, STATA, SAS, or similar.
• Exposure to large-scale research, evaluation, or consulting projects, including monitoring and QA processes.
• Experience supporting research, data, or analytics projects in complex or multi-country contexts.
• Understanding of data management systems and workflows, including experimental and observational study designs.
• Familiarity with behavioral science research methodologies.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

• Monitor and review research data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency across qualitative and quantitative datasets.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and resolve discrepancies or irregularities in internal and external research data, serving as a quality assurance resource for project teams and leadership.
• Work closely with project teams to source, clean, structure, and validate datasets to ensure they meet internal data quality standards.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews of survey instruments, ensuring alignment with research objectives, logical flow, clarity of questions, and methodological rigor.
• Coordinate QA checks during survey development, including formatting, logic testing, translation review, and liaising with survey programming teams.
• Support monitoring of data collection processes to ensure adherence to research protocols, ethical standards, and quality benchmarks.
• Work closely with the Project Operations team and project staff to plan and implement quality assurance processes for field operations and data collection.
• Conduct data audits, spot checks, and validation processes during fieldwork and data collection phases.
• Review drafts of client reports, analysis outputs, and research deliverables to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with underlying data.
• Support Associates and Senior Associates in preparing materials such as drafts of client reports, methodological documentation, research summaries, and presentations.
• Support multiple large-scale research and advisory projects simultaneously while ensuring quality standards are maintained across deliverables.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen internal research quality assurance systems and contribute to improving internal QA processes, templates, and documentation.
• Coordinate project activities related to research quality and data integrity, including timelines for data verification, analysis review, and reporting.
• Participate in fieldwork and project activities where required to ensure compliance with quality assurance protocols.
• Ensure coordination with relevant Busara teams including finance, procurement, operations, facilities, and wellness to support smooth implementation of research engagements.
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the project supervisor.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify patterns, discrepancies, errors, and inconsistencies in datasets or processes.
• Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail while maintaining a broader perspective on project objectives and quality standards.
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to report findings and recommendations clearly.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of self-motivation and energy with a proactive and solutions-oriented attitude.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Fluency in English with excellent writing and communication skills.

• A Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, Information Systems, Economics, or a related field.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in quality assurance, data validation, process monitoring, or audit of research/data workflows.
• Familiarity with research quality frameworks, auditing methods, and QA best practices.
• Experience with data validation and cleaning using statistical or programming tools such as R, Python, STATA, SAS, or similar.
• Exposure to large-scale research, evaluation, or consulting projects, including monitoring and QA processes.
• Experience supporting research, data, or analytics projects in complex or multi-country contexts.
• Understanding of data management systems and workflows, including experimental and observational study designs.
• Familiarity with behavioral science research methodologies.