Research Fellow

Practical Action is an innovative international development group, putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. We share what works with others, so many more people can change their worlds.

https://www.practicalaction.org

Terms of Reference: Research Fellow

ABOUT US

We are an international development organization putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges are made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.

We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

OUR AIMS

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic

climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:

Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living
Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work.
Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards – reducing the risk of hazards and minimizing their impact on lives and livelihoods.

PRACTICAL ACTION IN RWANDA

In Rwanda, we are recognized leaders in clean cooking and sustainable energy solutions. This includes ground-breaking work in solar, wind and water powered electricity generation, often delivered through independent mini grids. We bring rural communities, people in refugee camps, energy providers and decision makers together to put sustainable, clean energy solutions to work for the people who need them most.

In collaboration with Energy Saving Trust, we are delivering Humanitarian Productive Use of Renewable Energy (H-PURE) demonstrator) across three refugee camps and surrounding host communities in Rwanda. The demonstrator (2024–2026) aims to increase income-generating opportunities for refugee and host community entrepreneurs in Mahama, Kiziba and Nyabiheke camps by expanding access to productive use of renewable energy appliances. Practical Action serves as the lead delivery partner, responsible for community engagement, entrepreneur selection, capacity building, and local implementation. The demonstrator is managed by Energy Saving Trust, based in the United Kingdom and aims to strengthen market-based approaches in humanitarian settings by demonstrating the potential of renewable energy applications to increase income. Practical Action works closely with local distributors, providing training in sales, financing, after-sales support, and repairs to help entrepreneurs establish and sustain viable businesses.

By the end of the project, H-PURE seeks to:

- Increase access to energy-efficient, solar-powered appliances.
- Boost household incomes and reduce reliance on humanitarian assistance.
- Build entrepreneurial, technical and business capacity among participating enterprises.
- Strengthen local distribution networks, enabling long-term sustainability.
Reduce dependence on fossil fuel-based energy services in humanitarian settings.

ABOUT THE ROLE

To support this demonstrator’s Impact Assessment plan, Practical Action in collaboration with Energy Saving Trust seeks a Research Fellow to contribute to qualitative data collection, cleaning and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data throughout the H-PURE impact assessment cycle.

SCOPE

Title	Research Fellow
Reporting to	Market and PUE specialist/H-PURE Project Manager
Relationships	Externally with project partners and internally with projectfield staffs
Location	Kigali, Rwanda
Period	6 months

The Research Fellow will contribute to the following areas:

3.1 Data Management & Data Cleaning

Support the cleaning, verification, and analysis of baseline data collected during appliance installation, as well as monthly data on appliance usage and financial changes in entrepreneurs’ livelihoods.
Carry out quality checks on datasets collected by distributors and field staff.

3.2 Qualitative Research

Conduct one-to-one qualitative interviews with a sample of entrepreneurs.
Support design and refinement of qualitative tools (interview questions, data observation methods).
Transcribe, translate (if needed), and systematically code qualitative data.
Draft short case studies highlighting key findings and lessons learned.

3.3 Field Visits & Monitoring Support

Undertake regular field visits to Mahama, Kiziba and Nyabiheke refugee camps and surrounding host communities to:
- Observe appliance usage on the ground and unique business models adapted by entrepreneurs.
- Capture entrepreneurs feedback on the project, what worked well for them and what didn’t to inform future projects.
- Coordinate closely with distributor companies to capture their experiences of operating in the humanitarian settings.
- Capture insights from the field staff about project design and inputs on future scaleup.

3.4 Collaboration & Coordination

Work closely with the Energy Saving Trust research team and Practical Action project team to align research methodology, data analysis, and output developments.
Participate in internal and external learning meetings, including presentation of progress insights.

Deliverables

Output	Description
Cleaned and validated data set	Clean the baseline data collected by distributors, including spot checks and validating the information with Practical Action team. Review and clean the monthly data collected by distributors on appliance performance and by Practical Action on income changes in the businesses.
Lessons learned blog posts	Contribute to two blog posts based on insights gathered during field visits.
Lessons Learned Report	Contribute meaningful inputs to the Lessons Learned Report by synthesising insights from entrepreneurs, field staff, distributors, and other key stakeholders on project successes, challenges, and other key findings.
Coded qualitative data set	Support the Energy Saving Trust research team in developing the tools for qualitative data collection, execute the research tools with a sample of the entrepreneurs. Clean and code the data for analysis and contribute towards drawing insights from the data.
Impact Report	Support the research team in drafting the Impact Report by integrating insights from the cleaned baseline dataset, other quantitative data collected by distributors and business advisors, and the qualitative evidence gathered through interviews and fieldwork. The report will focus on income changes, job creation, and the wider socio-economic impacts associated with the productive use of renewable energy in humanitarian settings.

🡺 Core Competencies & Qualifications Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in development studies, Renewable Energy, Data Science, or related fields.
Al least 3 years of experience in research, preferably in related fields
Proficiency in collecting, cleaning, verifying, and validating quantitative & qualitative datasets and ability to use Excel and Google Sheets.
Experience in implementing data quality checks and identifying statistical outliers
Ability to align mixed methods executing structured/semi-structured interviews, and coordinating focus group discussions
Basic understanding of data quality checks (spot checks, consistency checks, identifying outliers).
Familiarity with conducting interviews, focus groups, or observation-based research.
Ability to take structured notes and organise qualitative responses for coding.
Able to contribute sections to blogs and reports based on evidence and field insights.
Motivation to engage with communities, understand project realities, and learn from field experiences
Fluency in Kinyarwanda and English is required; knowledge of French or Swahili is an added advantage.
Able to create visual representations of data findings to facilitate understanding and communication of insights
Competent in utilizing qualitative coding frameworks and software, alongside data visualization tools such as Power BI to translate data findings into scannable, visual insights
Experience conducting regular, on-the-ground field research and data observation in remote, and refugee camp settings
Strong capacity to work directly with diverse groups, including refugee and host-community entrepreneurs, private sector distributors, field staff, and international research partners
Experience producing evidence-based stories, blogs, or public-facing content. .
Strong problem-solving abilities with exceptional organizational and communication skills.

To effectively collaborate with our local teams and partners, this role is based at Rwanda, therefore Candidates must have the pre-existing legal right to live and work in Rwanda. Please review the detailed eligibility criteria listed below.

HOW TO APPLY

Applicants meetingthe required experience, skills, and drive we are looking for, please submit your application to our recruitment email: recruitment.rwanda@practicalaction.org clearly indicating the subject as the post you’re applying for.

Practical Action is an equal opportunities employer, andwe encourage applications from under-represented groups. We stay committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse working environment and believe that people from different backgrounds or cultures give us different perspectives, and the more perspectives we have, the more successful we will be. By building a culture where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued we give everyone working with us the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

The application deadline is June 14th, 2026

Please note that only short-listed applicants will be contacted