Research Associate - Impacts of Cold Storage Infrastructure on Agricultural Outcomes and Trade- J-PAL South Asia

Language Requirement: Hindi, English

Length of Commitment: 1-2 years

Joining Location: Odisha

Name of the Project: The Impacts of Cold Storage Infrastructure on Agricultural Outcomes and Trade

Sector - Agriculture

About the Organization

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of 194 affiliated professors at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. J-PAL South Asia, based at the Institute for Financial Management and Research in India, leads J-PAL’s work in the South Asia region. J-PAL South Asia conducts randomized evaluations, builds partnerships for evidence-informed policymaking, and helps partners scale up effective programs. Over more than ten years of existence, J-PAL South Asia has conducted 193 ongoing and completed randomized evaluations.

About the position

J-PAL South Asia at the Institute for Financial Management and Research seeks qualified applicants for the position of Research Associate to lead impact evaluations in India. The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. The Research Associate will join a team of world-class researchers from leading universities in the world and will gain first-hand experience implementing randomized control trials in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research Read more about our work and projects here.

J-PAL South Asia is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, family status, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and other attributes protected by law. We strongly encourage people from marginalized communities to apply for this role.

Agricultural traders, including smallholder farmers and vendors, don’t have enough power to influence the price they receive for their produce, they largely accept the price they get at the market (that is, they are price takers). In the absence of cold-storage facilities, traders are forced to distress-sell any perishable produce, bringing down the price they receive for it. The study focuses on understanding how access to the coldrooms affects farmers' selling behavior and terms of trade. These findings address the sustainability of the coldrooms going forward depending on the value they generate for their users, and how the coldroom model can be scaled up in other locations.

Research Associates work closely with Research Managers & Principal Investigators who guide and supervise them in their various tasks.

Key Responsibilities

Research Associates work closely with academic researchers and other field staff to perform a variety tasks including, but not limited to:

 Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, running pilot exercises, refining study design and survey instruments

Managing teams: Recruit, train, and supervise both field-based and data operations teams consisting of project assistants, field managers, field-based surveyors, data entry operators and other field and office staff

Supervising data collection and data entry to ensure good data quality during both these phases

Co-ordinating with the Administrative and Finance team on a variety of tasks related to field staff contracting and payments

Overseeing the implementation of the evaluation in accordance to the research design in association with our partner organization

Ensuring that the project complies with IRB and JPAL data collection and security protocols with the help of the Research Manager

Maintaining relationship with partner organizations at both headquarters and field levels

Working knowledge of at least one of the following – Stata, Python, R. Ability to work in a team, manage multiple projects and be self-motivated

Assisting with data cleaning and preliminary data analysis

Assisting in preparation of documents and presentations for donor reporting as well as dissemination activities

Reporting to PIs on all of the above mentioned activities

Any other task as assigned by the Research Manager, AD Research or ED

Desired Qualifications

• A Bachelor's/Master’s degree in economics, social sciences, public policy, education or related fields
• Experience living in a developing country is a strong plus
• Previous experience in development research preferred
• Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills
• Fluency and excellent communication skills in English
• Some conversational-level skills in regional language such as Odia.
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and team player
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
• Knowledge of Stata (strongly preferred) or other data analysis software is preferred
• Familiarity with randomized controlled trials/clinical trials/quasi-experiments preferred
• Ability to deal with unstructured and changing environments
• Ability to work independently and in rural field locations

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.