Research Lead / Manager

Details

• We are making one hire for this role. The successful candidate will be designated either Lead or Manager, based on their prior experience and suitability for the role.
• Location: This is a remote role, open to international applicants:
• We expect you to stay in Ghana for 3 months in a year for fieldwork and collaborating with the team. This does not need to be a continuous 3 month visit.
• You must work in a timezone that’s GMT +/- 5:30 (e.g. East Asia and the US West coast would be incompatible).
• Salary: Location specific. For reference, in Ghana it would be 24,000 to 28,000 USD, and for London it would be 50,000 to 60,000 GBP (66,000 to 80,000 USD)
• Start date: ASAP, but we will accommodate any reasonable notice period.

Organisation overview

AWASH (Aquatic Welfare for African Sustainability and Health) is a charity focused on improving farmed fish welfare in Ghana. We aim to identify cost-effective, evidence-based interventions, and share what we learn so others can try to replicate the work in their own contexts.

AWASH was incubated through Animal Advocacy Africa in October 2025. The organisation has completed its initial scoping research and is currently running a pilot. The plan is to add up to three additional pilots in the next 12 months, focusing on juvenile tilapia welfare.

Ghana has one of the fastest-growing aquaculture sectors in Africa. This means welfare improvements made now could benefit many more fish in the future. Because so few organisations focus on farmed fish welfare, especially at the juvenile stage, there's a real opportunity to identify unexplored interventions and shape how the field develops.

Role overview

Research is core to AWASH's work, given how neglected the space is and how few interventions have been thoroughly tested, especially in the African context. Our role is to identify and test them, then share the results with other organisations and researchers in the field. This role is an opportunity to lead this work.

Your expertise will elevate the quality of our research, which should increase the likelihood of identifying promising interventions. One of our biggest challenges is reliably collecting high-quality data from farms, so this role will focus on improving that. Your work will lead our growth, as we increase from one to up to four pilots in the next 12 months.

You will report directly to the founder, Naveeth Basheer. We have recently hired three Founder’s Associates, who will hold research and operations responsibilities, and will be managed by Naveeth. Over time, some of them are expected to specialise in research, at which point you will have the opportunity to line manage them directly, if you want to. However, managing them is not a necessity.

Both role designations (lead or manager) require substantial field research experience. If you are designated “Lead”, you will be expected to drive AWASH’s research strategy. As “Manager”, you will focus on implementing the mutually agreed research strategy driven by Naveeth.

You should apply for this role if you are…

• Experienced in field research, especially in an LMIC context, with a track record of generating reliable data in difficult field conditions and improving how data is collected on the ground.
• Experienced with statistical analysis, including software such as R.
• Comfortable working independently, staying organised, and adapting as priorities shift.
• Willing to question assumptions, suggest improvements, and clearly articulate the reasoning behind your conclusions.
• Able to train and develop the team.

Nice to have, especially for Lead level

• Background in aquaculture, Effective Altruism, animal welfare, or a related field..
• Experience setting the research direction for a team or organisation, in either an academic or applied setting.
• Experience working in early-stage organisations or charities.

In this role, you will be expected to…

• Develop research projects to identify high-impact, cost-effective interventions for improving fish welfare in Ghana. This will include pilot design, implementation protocols, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes, and expansion of successful pilots.
• Improve the quality and reliability of field data, including collection protocols.
• Monitor and evaluate the data from the projects, and regularly update management.
• Write research reports on the findings, including recommended next steps.
• Train a team of up to three associates, developing their research and evaluation skills.
• Remain up to date with the latest research in the field.
• Take on additional responsibilities as the organisation's needs develop.