Policy Associate - Artificial Intelligence for Social Good - J-PAL South Asia

Country/ Location: Bengaluru, India or Delhi, India

Minimum Education and Experience: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with 1-2 years of professional experience

Length of Commitment: Two years

Job Description

The Policy team at J-PAL South Asia (J-PAL SA) at the Institute for Financial and Management Research (IFMR) engages with governments, civil society, other organizations and academic stakeholders disseminates findings of J-PAL’s research; It also catalyzes scale-ups and replications of effective projects; and supports the setting up of new randomised evaluations to address policy challenges.

J-PAL South Asia seeks a Policy Associate to contribute to its emerging and rapidly developing initiative on ‘Artificial Intelligence for social good’ and work on private sector CSR Landscaping. The Policy Associate will support the Policy team and the Director of Strategic Initiatives in establishing new organizational partnerships, public speaking engagements, exploring new randomised evaluations, tracking developments in technology and policy response from governments, supporting ongoing partnerships with governments, international organizations, philanthropic foundations and NGOs in India. The position will provide the right candidate with exposure and the opportunity to gain expertise in the fast evolving world of technology, AI and its intersection with developmental research.

Candidates should have a good understanding of technology, be aware of recent developments unfolding in Artificial Intelligence and have first hand experience of exploring AI tools. Candidates should also have an understanding of impact evaluation methods (especially randomised evaluations), be passionate about policy making, using technology for poverty alleviation, and have excellent desk based research and communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

Work closely with the Director - Strategic Initiatives, J-PAL South Asia to support relationship building with external partners, public speaking engagements and shape the agenda for the initiatives.

Work with partner organizations, governments and researchers to initiate discussions, showcase J-PAL’s vision and existing work, and facilitate the development of new randomised evaluations.

Track changes in the Indian and International policy landscape in the area of CSR, technology and Artificial Intelligence through policy trackers, news-tracking, and notes and lead the development of landscape notes that support the development of J-PAL SA’s AI for Social Good strategy.

Assist senior staff in preparing background notes, memos, updates, and presentations for J-PAL SA’s partnerships with governments, implementing partners and donors.

Track changes in private sector CSR giving, technology & Artificial intelligence, and create trackers and other mechanisms to summarize developments periodically.

Support Director-Strategic Initiatives, and other J-PAL staff in disseminating and synthesizing evidence related to AI for Social Good from the J-PAL network, for external stakeholders in the form of evidence reviews, memos or policy advisory notes.

Qualifications

Your technical expertise, passion for using technology and artificial intelligence for poverty alleviation, keen eye for detail, strong communication and organizational skills, passion for translating research into action, and interest in international development make you an ideal candidate for the position of Policy Associate.

Education: While candidates with a bachelor’s/master’s degree from different fields can apply, familiarity with Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence as demonstrated by coursework or professional experience is required. A technical understanding of impact evaluations is necessary to enable discussions and support setting up new evaluations.

Experience: 1-2 years of relevant work experience. You must have previous experience in research and/or policy ideally intersecting with technology. 

Subject Matter Knowledge: You must be familiar with recent developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence and aware of the tools and products from major technology companies. You must have first hand experience using these tools. Awareness of the discourse around the ethical use of AI would be a plus.

Communication: You pay attention to detail and are comfortable with creating documentation, notes and briefs, varying in complexity and scope depending upon the purpose. A good intuition to communicate effectively to different kinds of audiences would be ideal.

Attitude: You are goal oriented and be willing to continuously learn in a rapidly changing field and contribute in any way possible towards J-PAL’s vision in directing the use of AI in the social sector. You are self-motivated, work hard, and enjoy collaborating.

***Candidates must be authorized to work in India.