Research Associate/ Senior Research Associate - Precision Development

Summary of the Organization:

PxD is a rapidly scaling global non-profit that harnesses the power of technology, data science, and behavioral economics to provide targeted information to farmers in low- and middle-income countries. Providing the right information to the right people, in the right way and at the right time, increases incomes, protects the environment, and improves well-being. We are evidence-based: we test our interventions with randomized controlled trials to prove our impact and cost-effectiveness, to simultaneously learn from and improve our service, and to demonstrate our value to funders and partners. There are few programs in international development that are as demonstrably cost-effective as ours. We currently work in seven countries in Africa, and Asia, and are expanding as more governments and organizations look for innovative ways to use new technologies to empower people across low and middle-income countries.

PxD’s activities in India are implemented in partnership with Behaviour Change Advisory Services (BCAS) LLP. 

Summary of the role:

PxD is looking for a Research Associate/ Senior Research Associate to join our team, which is embedded within a government ministry. The successful candidate will have opportunities to work closely with PxD and affiliated researchers and substantially contribute to PxD's and client’s research programs that test new ideas and measure their impacts. The successful candidate should understand and appreciate digital technology adoption and scaling through government. If you are passionate about working with the government to scale, leveraging evidence and technology, and committed to driving positive change in the agricultural sector, we encourage you to apply.

Responsibilities (including but not limited to): 

• Carry out day-to-day complex data management, including cleaning and merging datasets to prepare them for analysis 
• Produce accurate and organized summaries of data including analysis for descriptive statistics and more advanced regression analysis. 
• Support primary data collection, including enumerator training and designing high-frequency data checks. 
• Maintain project documentation, including experiment registry entries.
• Carry out literature reviews and other desk research, providing input on research questions and structure. 
• Develop and fill in frameworks with specific information to identify program insights.
• Draft survey and focus group discussion instruments, providing input on structure and concepts.
• Build strong relationships with a variety of partners, including at every level of Government. 
• May support and manage the development of SMS and voice platforms to send messages; monitor engagement with PxD services; support complementary monitoring and evaluation efforts. 
• Support IRB protocol development.
• Contribute to funding proposals and project reports.
• Contribute and support internal and external communications to disseminate research findings including briefs, blogs, reports, and presentations. 
• Contribute to PxD institutional knowledge management and internal learning efforts.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree or Master’s degree in economics, agricultural economics, public policy, statistics, or a closely related field, and experience in the following domains are desired:
• Strong understanding of economics, econometrics, and familiarity with randomized evaluations.
• Excellent knowledge of Stata, R, Python or similar software for data analysis.
• Demonstrated experience working on field research in economics in LMIC countries.
• Demonstrated experience in using SurveyCTO/ODK or a similar program for survey design.
• Understanding of research ethics for human subjects in the social sciences.
• Excellent organizational skills, detail-oriented, and ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Fluency in English. Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills. Knowledge of any Indian language is a plus. 
• Ability to work under time pressure and solve problems creatively.
• Experience working with government agencies.