Research Manager / Senior Research Manager, Philippines

Precision Development (PxD); Manila; On-site; PHP 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Precision Development (PxD) is seeking a dynamic Research Manager/Senior Research Manager for the Philippines to lead research activities, collaborate with government partners, and translate findings into program improvements. You will oversee formative research, rapid testing, experiments, and contribute to strategic decisions, ensuring policy-relevant insights drive implementation.

Ideal candidates have strong training in causal inference, proven research management experience, and excellent

Qualifications

• Degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or closely related field.
• Experience leading three large research/evidence-based projects in the Philippines.
• Ability to derive actionable insights from data for program improvement.
• Strong writing and presentation skills in English; policy-relevant communication.

Responsibilities

• Design and oversee research activities with stakeholders, adhering to timelines and budgets.
• Manage field activities, data management, analysis, and A/B testing.
• Guide teams on evidence-based approaches and technical rigor.

Skills

Data analysis

RCTs

Stakeholder mgmt

English writing

Presentation skills

Team leadership

Travel willingness

Tagalog

Education

Economics degree

Agricultural economics

Public policy

Tools

Stata

R

SurveyCTO/ODK

Job description

Location and Work Authorization

Manila, Philippines. Candidates must have existing authorization to work in the Philippines; PxD is unable to sponsor visas for this role.

Position

Full-time

Compensation

Salary will be competitive and commensurate with the candidate's skills, experience, and the local labor market in the Philippines.

Posted On

2 October, 2026

Application Deadline

25 October, 2026, 6 pm PHT (applications may be reviewed as they are submitted)

About The Role

Precision Development (PxD) is seeking a dynamic, creative, and self-motivated Research / Senior Research Manager for a mission-critical role supporting our flagship program in the Philippines. In this role, you will work closely with researchers, government partners, and cross-functional teams to design, test, and scale evidence-based, inclusive digital agricultural solutions for smallholder farmers.

You will manage a portfolio of projects, anchoring your work in iterative learning while operating fluidly across service delivery and research functions - ensuring insights are embedded into program implementation, operational decision-making, and government-facing engagements.

In practice, this means leading research activities (formative research, rapid user testing, experiments) as well as supporting program refinement, operational troubleshooting, and strategic decision-making. You will also help build sustainable systems that improve agricultural services for farmers and institutionalize processes that ensure long-term service continuity. We're looking for a proactive self-starter with strong causal inference training, research management skills, excellent stakeholder engagement abilities, and a passion for applying rigorous methods and insights to improve program outcomes.

We're hiring for this role at either the Research Manager or Senior Research Manager level. The specific level will be determined based on the candidate's years of experience, demonstrated seniority, and scope of past responsibilities.

Responsibilities

Will evolve as the role develops; key initial areas below.

Research & Data

• Work closely with internal and external stakeholders to develop learning objectives and manage implementation of research activities, ensuring rigor, adherence to policies/timelines/budgets, and appropriate stakeholder input.
• Oversee field activities, data management, analysis, and A/B testing.
• Interpret and contextualize external and internal evidence for PxD programs; guide teams on evidence-based approaches and technical rigor.
• Develop and ensure compliance with international research protocols and in-country research permissions.
• Document research activities, results, and rationale for decisions.

Program & Stakeholder Management

• Collaborate with research and service delivery leadership to scope, design, pilot, and scale evidence-backed digital agriculture services, translating research insights into operational improvements.
• Manage relationships with government counterparts, implementing partners, and other external stakeholders.
• Operate flexibly across research, program management, and service delivery, contributing wherever needed to ensure program success.
• Contribute to funding proposals, project reports, and organizational strategic planning.

Mentorship & Communications

• Provide close mentorship and guidance to Associate- and Manager-level staff.
• Contribute to internal and external communications (briefs, blogs, reports, presentations) to disseminate findings.
• Support PxD's institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.

What You'll Bring

• Degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, or a closely related field.
• Professional experience working on at least three large projects involving the design and management of rigorous research and/or evidence-based programs in the Philippines.
• Ability to draw inferences from data to identify pathways for program improvement.
• Adept at consuming large amounts of academic and scientific literature as well as other technical information, synthesizing key findings, and applying takeaways to program and research design.
• Deep understanding of economics and randomized evaluations.
• Excellent knowledge of Stata, R, or similar software for data analysis.
• Experience in survey design using SurveyCTO/ODK or similar tools.
• Strong grasp of the research & program life cycle and ability to supervise all activities on the ground.
• Experience managing program and/or research staff.
• Experience managing partnerships with an implementing organization.
• Understanding and application of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences.
• Strong writing and oral communication skills in English, with attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills.
• Willingness to travel to field sites.
• Working proficiency in Filipino/Tagalog.
• Right to live and work in the Philippines.

About Precision Development (PxD)

PxD is a rapidly scaling global nonprofit working with governments across Africa and Asia to close the last-mile gap in smallholder farming. We deliver evidence-based information and tools - from timely farming and weather guidance to climate-resilient inputs - that millions of farmers use to improve their lives. In the last 12 months alone, we reached over 60 million farmers at a cost of just $0.47 per farmer per year, with our flagship program in India delivering a benefit-cost ratio of 12:1–19:1.

Operating in Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, and beyond, the majority of our team is based in ours program countries, working directly alongside government partners and farming communities toward our goal of improving the lives of 100 million farmers by 2030.

In line with our values, we evaluate candidates on merit alone, without regard to gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, disability, caste, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law. We offer flexible working arrangements to support your wellbeing. Personal data provided is used for recruitment purposes only.