Research Associate - The People Lab, Harvard Kennedy School

Job Summary

The Research Associate (RA) will work closely with a diverse team of scholars at The People Lab (TPL) who are passionate about conducting collaborative, applied, data-driven research on key priorities in government. Projects range from: how to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, how to reduce burnout in front line workers, and how to increase take-up of anti-poverty programs. The vast majority of studies involve a randomized controlled trial (RCT), and direct collaboration with government agencies and other stakeholders. 

This position is a term appointment ending June 30, 2025. This is a full-time benefits-eligible position.

Position Description

Duties and Responsibilities, include but are not limited to

• Under the supervision of senior research staff
  • Supports management of relationships with government partners including regular engagement, and troubleshooting issues.
  • Supports the design and implementation of rigorous research designs, including – but not limited to -- randomized control trials (RCTs), survey experiments, and behavioral interventions.
  • Conducts basic statistical and econometric analysis using Stata or R on administrative data sets and/or other incoming data, including cleaning data correctly, conducting analysis in accordance with pre-analysis plans, and presenting and visualizing the results in various formats (tables/graphs, etc).
  • Supports authorship of academic papers, policy reports, grant reports, and other publications by conducting literature reviews, editing or drafting text, and preparing manuscripts for submission and publication.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, economics, statistics, or another closely related field.
• 2+ years of relevant post-baccalaureate research experience.

OR

• Graduate degree in public policy, economics, statistics, or another closely related field.
• 1+ year of relevant post-baccalaureate research experience.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

If you have some, but not all of the following, we encourage you to apply; we value employees with a willingness to learn:

• Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills, including exceptional writing skills. 
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail 
• Ability to work both independently and as a team member 
• Eagerness and ability to learn new skills quickly on the job 
• Experience working in the public sector or on public sector challenges.
•  Experience designing and conducting online surveys 
• Experience working on randomized controlled trials preferred 
• Demonstrated experience meeting project timelines across multiple projects and communicating with internal and external stakeholders in a productive, professional, and timely manner  
• Ability to work with streams of qualitative and quantitative data across multiple projects  
• Experience handling sensitive data securely preferred 
• Demonstrated experience in quantitative data analysis, including cleaning new data sets and presenting data in various formats preferred

Additional Information

Your resume/CV should include your cumulative GPA in college and (if applicable) grad school. GPA will be one factor among many that will be taken into consideration. In your cover letter, please be sure to include (a) why this position interests you, (b) when you might be available to start, and (c) names and contact information for at least three references. We will not contact references until later in the recruitment process, with your permission. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

This position is a fully benefits-eligible term appointment ending June 30, 2025, with possibility of renewal.

Learn more about our work culture and see yourself at Harvard Kennedy School.

We regret that the Harvard Kennedy School does not provide visa sponsorship.

Harvard University requires pre-employment reference and background checks. 

Harvard University is committed to supporting a healthy, sustainable learning and working environment.

This is a hybrid position based on our campus in Cambridge, MA. As a campus-based institution, we place a high value on the in-person experience, cross-team collaboration, and strong community building in order to create a vibrant campus for our students, faculty, staff, and research fellows. The position is required to work in-person on campus a minimum of three days per week during the academic year. Specific days and schedule will be determined between you and your manager.

The health of our workforce is a priority for Harvard University. With that in mind, we strongly encourage all employees to be up-to-date on CDC-recommended vaccines.

Salary Range: $66,200 - $108,200

Note: Starting salaries typically fall in the lower half of the salary range; however, they are ultimately determined by the scope of the position, the candidate's relevant experience, and internal equity.  

Work Format Details

This is a hybrid position that is based in Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. All remote work must be performed within one of the Harvard Registered Payroll States, which currently includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington, and California (CA for exempt positions only). Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

About Us

About The People Lab

The People Lab, led by Professor Elizabeth Linos, aims to empower the public sector by producing cutting-edge research on the people of government and the communities they are called to serve. Using evidence from public management and insights from behavioral science, we study, design, and test strategies that can solve urgent public sector challenges in three core areas:

(1)  Strengthening the government workforce - how to recruit, retain and support diverse talent in the public sector that can effectively and equitably respond to the changing needs of residents.

(2)  Improving resident-government interactions - how to reduce barriers to equitable access to government services, mitigate the burdens that residents face when they interact with their government, and increase trust and satisfaction through such interactions.

(3)  Reimagining the production and use of evidence - how to better include historically excluded voices in the design, implementation and evaluation of government innovations, and support the equitable adoption of best practice at scale.

The majority of our projects are co-designed with public sector partner agencies in order to ensure feasibility in the short-term and scalability in the long-term. Find out more on our website (https://www.peoplelab.hks.harvard.edu/)

About the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University

The People Lab is housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. Founded in 2021 with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University is a fast-growing global community committed to improving public management, leadership, and governance. The center’s unprecedented cross-Harvard collaboration unites expertise focused on cities across disciplines and schools to produce research, train leaders, and develop resources for global use