About BURN Based in Kenya, BURN designs, produces and distributes East Africa’s best-selling, most durable and economical charcoal and wood cookstoves that also dramatically reduce harmful smoke emissions which can cause significant health problems, even death.
Not only does BURN sell the world’s most fuel-efficient charcoal and wood household stoves, but we are also the only cookstove company that manufactures all its products in sub-Saharan Africa’s only state-of-the-art clean cookstove manufacturing facility.
Since 2013, BURN has sold 700,000+ Jikokoa ™ stoves in East Africa. These stoves have helped 3,000,000 beneficiaries save $215 million in fuel expenditures and 2.6 million tons of wood while reducing indoor air pollution by 65%.
BURN currently sells ~25,000 stoves per month and is on track to double sales over the next 12 months by expanding its successful model across Africa. BURN has 300 employees and expects strong growth in the number of employees in the coming years.
BURN is now poised to bring its revolutionary biomass cookstoves – as well as a new range of electric, hybrid, and liquid fuel stoves to Sub-Saharan Africa & beyond. Over the next 3 years, BURN will enter 6 new countries and launch 5 new products.
About the Role
BURN is currently seeking a mission-driven candidate to serve a 12-month term as a Market Research Product Coordinator for a promising new electric cooking appliance. BURN seeks an experienced data collector and market research team member. Applicants should be available to start work immediately.
The project encompasses research designed to collect customer feedback on a new electric product for product development milestones, and pilots / collecting user feedback from home placements. These will quickly scale, from pilots of 40 households to 300+ households, and the team member should be prepared to manage the customer identification, product distribution, data collection, analysis and reporting associated with these studies.
BURN has been developing, testing, and bringing to market new cooking products for 10+ years in Kenya. A successful candidate will have the opportunity to join a growing market research team beyond the demands of this specific project and contribute to a fast-moving company committed to improving economic, environmental, and social outcomes in East Africa.
Responsibilities:
·Overall: For this role, the employee will:
oCollaborate closely with the rest of the market research team, the product development team, and the broader Research & Development team at BURN to ensure effective and efficient product development and provide detailed reports to project and company leadership.
oCoordinate implementation and supervision efforts for this market research at all levels.
oRoutinely assess whether project activities are in-line to achieve programmatic outcomes; swiftly develop and validate alternate strategies if not.
·Design: The employee will design market research and customer research studies to support the product development process, meeting time & budget constraints. These studies will include quantitative data collection, qualitative data collection (such as semi-structured interviews), as well as exploring innovative customer feedback data collection techniques (such as home visits, focus groups, willingness-to-pay auctions, test sales, and more). The employee will:
oResearch product feedback data collection techniques across industry.
oRefine the relevant research questions, working with other team members.
oPrepare study plans for review by other team members, including detailed overviews of research methods, timelines, and logistics.
oCreate questionnaires, surveys, interview guides, and other materials as needed to collect robust feedback from customers.
oPilot the study materials and refine the methodology.
oManage timelines and grant-funded milestones.
·Data Collection: The employee will manage pilots from prototype production through field tests to commercial distribution. As needed, the employee will:
oRecruit customers for studies.
oManage the product preparation and the distribution to test customers for test-sales and home visits.
oHire data collectors and additional team members. Train, supervise, and monitor the performance of project staff.
oManage logistics (travel, transport, and lodging) as needed.
oManage advance requests for the whole team and ensure all expenditures are in line with set budgets. Forecast expenditures and ensure financial planning so activities are not delayed.
oFor smaller studies, the employee will be expected to conduct the data collection him/herself. The employee will conduct customer interviews, surveys, or focus groups as needed.
·Analysis and reporting: The employee will be responsible for data cleaning, analysis, and presentation to the broader BURN team. Reports happen frequently (approx. every two weeks) so the employee will need to analyze data and synthesize key findings quickly. The employee will:
oUse Excel (or other program) to collect quantitative insights, code qualitative data, and pull out key insights and findings.
oCreate well-written reports (primarily in Powerpoint) showing the study overview, key findings, next steps, and how this relates to the product development plan.
oAnswer questions from other team members about details of the study conducted.
oWhen necessary, contribute to grant reporting by providing more detailed study documentation.
oGive advice on training and marketing materials based on the insights from customer feedback.
·The ideal team member will be hands-on, not afraid to express his/her ideas in team meetings, offer insightful feedback, pitch in and take ownership of the market research.
·Travel around Kenya required. Some travel to other countries in the region (Uganda, Tanzania) may be required depending on pilot structures.
Desired Qualifications:
·The applicant should have a demonstrated ability to work independently and display strong attention to detail. We are looking for a self-starter who will thrive through exemplifying ownership and initiative.
·The ideal candidate should be able to collect diverse customer feedback insightfully, openly, and with empathy.
·The ideal candidate will:
oBe highly productive and internally motivated.
oWork well against complex delivery schedules.
oBe culturally adaptable and sensitive.
oHave a sense of humor and ability to roll with the punches.
Minimum Qualifications:
·Bachelor’s degree (required) or Master’s degree (preferred) in relevant field (management, technology, science, engineering, energy, electronics, statistics, M&E).
·3+ years of experience with data collection and team management in Kenya, with at least 1 year of managing a project budget, data collection team, and deliverables.
oknowledge and experience in planning and executing quantitative and qualitative research methodologies in all stages of product life cycle.
oExperience with collecting quantitative data, such as using a tablet. (Experience writing and coding surveys a plus.)
oExperience with collecting, coding, and analyzing qualitative data such as in-depth interviews, observations, focus groups, etc.
·Excellent computer skills with fluency in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Basic excel data analysis, cleaning, and visualization. (Stata, R, MySQL, or advanced Excel analysis a plus.)
·Fluency in Swahili required. Strong oral and written communication skills are necessary, in English and Swahili.
·Kenyan national preferred but international sponsorship possible for the right candidate.
