Research Manager (Pakistan)

Research Manager (Pakistan)

LEEP seeks a Pakistan-based Research Manager with excellent research skills to drive the exploration of new sources of lead exposure in Pakistan.

Position Summary

Application Deadline: Rolling applications, until August 4th 2025

Start date: As soon as possible

Hours: Full time

Location: Pakistan. We are currently unable to sponsor visas. Willingness to travel is needed.

Language Requirements: Full professional proficiency in English and Urdu

Salary: 13,900,000 to 14,840,000 PKR

How to apply: Fill out this application form

Contact: hiring@leadelimination.org

About LEEP

LEEP is an impact-driven, evidence-based nonprofit that aims to eliminate childhood lead poisoning, which affects an estimated one in three children worldwide. We primarily focus on one important source of exposure: lead paint. Our paint programs involve generating data, supporting governments with the introduction and enforcement of regulation, and assisting manufacturers in switching to lead-free paints. Beyond our paint programs, we are piloting interventions to address other sources of lead exposure, such as spices and cosmetics.

Since our founding in September 2020:

• We have initiated lead paint elimination programs in 31 countries and completed paint studies in 18.
• We have agreed on goals to establish lead paint regulation with government agencies in 16 countries (e.g., in Angola).
• We have received reports in 10 countries of manufacturers representing more than 50% of the lead paint market share (in that country) reformulating to lead-free, e.g., in Malawi.
• We have achieved significant reduction in lead paint market share in Pakistan, where lead poisoning affects nearly half of all children (~47 million) and paint with very high levels of lead is readily available on the market
• To achieve a reduction representing more than 80% of the lead paint market share in Pakistan over the next two years, LEEP plans to
  • Work with regulatory authorities to ensure that limits on lead are being enforced
  • Conduct paint testing surveys to monitor progress and motivate further action
  • Engage with manufacturers, particularly SMEs and informal manufacturers, and advocate for them to end the use of lead
  • Provide technical support to manufacturers seeking to reformulate lead-free products
  • Understand the legislative and policy environment around industrial and spray paint regulation and enforcement at a national level
• LEEP is also developing interventions to target lead in spices and cosmetics with government and non-government partners
• We have conducted lead in spices studies in Ethiopia and Türkiye.
• Founders Pledge estimates that it costs $1.66 to prevent one child’s lead exposure (in expectation) through our work, making LEEP one of its most cost-effective nonprofit recommendations. Our own analysis estimates that it costs under $5 to avert one DALYequivalent through LEEP’s first 13 established programs.
• We are a partner of the WHO and UN Environment Programme's Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint, and a member of the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future, launched by USAID and UNICEF.
• We have received grants from major grantmaking organisations, including USAID, Founders Pledge, Open Philanthropy, and Schmidt Futures.
• We have appeared in Nature, Vox, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, Prospect, on the 80,000 Hours Podcast, at the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future launch on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, and our co-founders were named in Vox’s Future Perfect 50.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Research Manager to lead the monitoring, evaluation, and learning workstream for LEEP’s spice program in Pakistan, and contribute to our broader research portfolio on lead exposure sources such as paint and cosmetics.

This role will focus primarily on designing and managing rigorous monitoring and evaluation systems for our spice-related intervention in Pakistan, helping ensure our work is grounded in data and responsive to what we’re learning on the ground. You will also support research scoping and design activities for new sources of lead exposure in Pakistan to help inform the intervention strategy and estimate their potential impact.

You will report to the Director of Research and Strategy and work closely with the Program Manager leading on implementation and government engagement. You’ll be embedded within LEEP’s spices team and collaborate cross-functionally with external researchers and program staff. Your day-to-day will involve designing surveys, managing data collection, monitoring data quality, analyzing findings, and feeding evidence back into strategy discussions to ensure our interventions are effective and evidence-informed.

This is an ideal role for someone with strong quantitative research skills and field experience, who is excited to take ownership of a high-impact research agenda while contributing to LEEP’s broader mission to eliminate lead exposure from a variety of sources.

Key Responsibilities

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (60%)

• Lead the development and execution of M&E plans for the spice program in Pakistan, including survey design, tool development, sampling strategy, and evaluation frameworks.
• Oversee data collection activities in the field, including training enumerators, supervising data quality, and managing field logistics.
• Design and implement systems to monitor the quality of intervention delivery.
• Oversee data cleaning, analysis, and interpretation to assess progress and effectiveness.
• Regularly communicate results and implications to inform program adaptation and decision-making.

Contribute to Research on Other Lead Sources (20%)

• Support the design and early-stage research strategy for new interventions (e.g., lead in cosmetics or other products), including landscape scans, exploratory data collection, market research or pilot studies.
• Collaborate with the central research team to ensure alignment with LEEP’s global theory of change and methodological standards.

Collaboration and Strategy Input (20%)

• Work horizontally with program staff and research partners to ensure data and insights inform intervention design.
• Provide strategic input into programmatic decisions based on research findings and M&E results.
• Coordinate with the Director of Research and Strategy on cross-country learning and research quality assurance.
• Engage with the Country Head and relevant local stakeholders as needed.

Who We’re Looking For

A successful applicant will possess or be the following:

• Based in Pakistan, with willingness to travel domestically for fieldwork.
• Experience designing and managing field research, including surveys and monitoring systems.
• Strong quantitative analysis skills and proficiency with statistical tools (e.g., Stata, R, or similar).
• Ability to design M&E frameworks that link to a theory of change and generate actionable insights.
• Experience working in low- and middle-income countries.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Collaborative and adaptable, able to work across functions and cultures.
• Excellent communication skills in English, with the ability to synthesize complex findings clearly.
• Fluency in Urdu.

A successful applicant may also possess:

• Background in public health, economics, environmental health, or a related field.
• Familiarity with policy-relevant research and communicating with government stakeholders.

Work Environment

Our culture is one of genuine care for each other and passion for our work and its impact. We are a team that values collaboration, openness, and mutual support, which creates an environment where everyone can thrive while contributing to meaningful work. Though we are a remote team, we are supportive and close-knit. We stay connected through weekly team calls and 1:1 calls, where we have conversations about both non-work and work topics; we regularly share photos and celebrate milestones and successes in our Slack; and we come together annually for an in-person retreat to strengthen relationships and reflect on our mission.

Our team of 30+ people is based across five continents and speaks over 10 languages. We have diverse expertise, from medicine to environmental health to international law.

Our work schedule is flexible. Some of the team work 9-5:30, and some adjust their daily schedule around school pick-up. We value work-life balance and rarely contact the team members outside their work hours.

LEEP offers:

• A chance to have a very large positive impact on the world
• 33 days of paid leave (inclusive of public holidays)
• Generous sick leave and parental leave policies
• 4% pension contribution
• Health insurance in countries where government healthcare is limited