Research Associate/ Senior Research Associate- A Civic Education Intervention in Jharkhand's Higher Education Landscape - J-PAL South Asia

Start Date (Earliest): ASAP

Language Requirement: English and Hindi required

Length of Commitment: Approximately 12 months, with the possibility of an extension

Joining Location: Ranchi

Name of the Project: A Civic Education Intervention in Jharkhand's Higher Education Landscape

Sector: Education, Political Economy 

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/Senior Research Associate to work on 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 in developing and implementing randomized control trials in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. Read more about our work and projects here. 

Project Specific Details:

J-PAL SA is looking for a Research Associate/ Senior Research Associate to work closely with the Principal Investigators – Prof. Enrique Seira and Prabhat Barnwal (both at Michigan State University) to lead research at the intersection of political economy and higher education in collaboration with the state government of Jharkhand. The project is in its initial stage.

 The RA/SRA will be responsible for initial scoping and administrative data analysis, and will assist in designing field experiment(s). You can find more details on PIs work here and here. 

The RA/SRA will work very closely with PIs in establishing coordination with the partner organization and in carrying out the groundwork necessary for research.

This position looks for someone who has good communication and management skills, creative, flexible, independent, and excited to solve new challenges.

The RA/SRA will be based in Ranchi (Jharkhand) and will travel as necessary. 

Key Responsibilities:

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

·      Conducting formative work that inputs into designing experiments.

·      Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, running pilot exercises, refining study design and survey instruments Supervising data collection and data entry to ensure good data quality. 

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

·      Ensuring that the project complies with IRB and J-PAL data collection and security protocols 

·      Maintaining relationship with partner organization at both headquarters and field levels Assisting with data cleaning and preliminary data analysis 

·      Reporting to PIs on all of the above mentioned activities 

·      Any other task as assigned by the PIs or J-PAL senior management 

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 and Hindi and the ability to communicate effectively with a varied set of stakeholders 

·      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 and a drive to solve new challenges 

·      Ability to work independently 

Note on Work Authorizations: Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.