Senior AI Policy Manager - J-PAL Global

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. J-PAL affiliated researchers and offices conduct randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. We collaborate with NGO, government, and private sector partners to translate research into action, informing scale-ups of programs and policies that have reached more than 600 million people since 2003. Headquartered in the Economics Department at MIT, J-PAL has seven regional offices worldwide and staff based in almost a dozen countries. Our affiliated researchers include five Nobel laureates in economics, and a number of Clark Medalists and MacArthur fellows. Our host university MIT is itself world-renowned for both its education and cutting-edge research. MIT welcomes people from all walks of life to bring their talent, ideas, and experience to our community. What is less well known is that MIT is also ranked among the best places to work.

J-PAL is collaborating with the Schwarzman College of Computing at MIT to work on the intersection of Global Development and Artificial Intelligence. This initiative will work on evaluating and scaling transformative applications of AI in development programs. J-PAL is recruiting a Policy Manager under this initiative to play a key role in facilitating AI-related research by J-PAL affiliates and transforming relevant research into actionable poverty alleviation policies around the world. Staff will connect the dots between AI, economics, and policy and must be passionate about working with organizations to form partnerships for evidence-informed AI-based development policy. 

The position will be based in Cambridge, MA, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Only applications following all instructions at the bottom of this page will be considered.      

J-PAL encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work, and we value the diverse perspectives our staff bring to their roles and to the broader J-PAL community. We encourage people from all backgrounds, especially those underrepresented in the field of economics, to apply to this role. In your cover letter, you are welcome to share how your background and lived experiences have influenced your desire to work at J-PAL (this is entirely optional, just an opportunity for us to get to know you a bit better). For more information on J-PAL’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion visit this webpage.

Responsibilities

Your work requires a breadth of knowledge and a depth of understanding to support J-PAL’s growing policy efforts. As a Policy Manager, your primary tasks will involve brainstorming with co-chairs and the team on the opportunities and strategy for expanding our work in AI, initiative management, communication, analysis, and staff supervision.

Initiative Strategy and Management (45%): Help develop the strategy for our AI work, manage J-PAL’s AI for Social Good Initiative and supervise 1-2 associate-level initiative staff.

1. Develop policy briefs, presentations, and other materials that highlight evidence and policy lessons in this workstream
2. Identify and source potential AI evaluation projects to fund and support 
3. Develop new assessment and evaluation methods for AI-based interventions 
4. Identify key social sector interventions where AI is most likely to have the most benefit
5. Create and widely share practical guidance about how to use rigorous impact evaluations to measure the impacts of AI for social good interventions given that the underlying technology is changing very rapidly 
6. Organize public-facing events, and fundraise for the initiative to spark research in using AI to enable transformative outcomes for Millions of the world’s poor.
7. Develop, launch and manage a Request for Proposals (RFP) to fund relevant evaluations under the AI for Social Good Initiative      

As a manager, you will supervise and mentor Policy Associates on everything including their technical skills, writing style and professional development.      

Evidence Communication and Dissemination (30%): Build relationships with key partners in governments, technology firms, NGOs, foundations and multilateral aid agencies worldwide, and present J-PAL’s work and research. Write publications that “translate” J-PAL’s economic research into lessons for policymakers around the world and create materials for policy outreach. Create materials for AI firms to learn how to evaluate their products and to learn about algorithms that prove effective. Materials for policy makers and AI firms will include publications and presentations, as well as other high-level deliverables, as requested by J-PAL senior staff and affiliates. You will also conduct research and analysis for policy memos, grant proposals, and sector-specific work, including evidence synthesis publications such as Policy Insights.

Other (25%): Have the opportunity to support J-PAL’s overall mission in a number of ways. These can include supporting the work of a functional team (policy writing, cost-effectiveness), supporting a particular policy partnership, and performing internal tasks such as knowledge management, supporting recruitment and hiring, supporting work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and undertaking professional development opportunities.      

Professional Development

The Policy Group invests in your professional development. As a Policy Manager, you will learn, engage, travel, and grow.

Learn: J-PAL supports a culture of learning, with opportunities to attend weekly MIT–Harvard Development Seminars and take classes for credit at MIT or elsewhere with our generous tuition assistance program. All J-PAL staff are also eligible to take the innovative online MITx MicroMasters credential in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP) free of charge.

Engage: Managers have the opportunity to work directly with J-PAL affiliated researchers and directors by disseminating lessons learned to policymakers and practitioners. Managers also have the opportunity to TA or lecture at J-PAL’s capacity building sessions offered around the world.

Travel: Managers have the opportunity to present at J-PAL’s regional offices and attend and organize policy events worldwide. Managers may participate in a unique “Staff-to-Field” international experience supporting on-the-ground research. (Note: Travel may remain restricted for some period of your tenure due to Covid-19.)

Grow: Managers can expect to join a peer group eager to build institutional knowledge, focused on sharing and implementing best practices and lessons learned. In addition, managers receive one-on-one mentorship from senior J-PAL leadership and have the opportunity to work directly with affiliated professors.

Benefits

As a member of the MIT community, you benefit from more than just your salary. 

J-PAL hires highly qualified staff and rewards them accordingly. Total compensation packages are competitive for the non-profit international development field with excellent MIT benefits, including comprehensive health insurance, a 401(k) match and pension-based retirement plan, tuition assistance, commuter benefits, MIT community discounts, a generous vacation policy, and more. We like working at MIT and think you will too.

Qualifications

Your technical expertise, strong communication and organizational skills, passion for translating research into action, and interest in international development make you an ideal candidate for Policy Manager.

Education: You hold at least a Master’s degree with significant training in economics, including intermediate-level economics and econometrics, and understand how Machine Learning works. Do you have a demonstrated academic interest in AI, international development policy and/or study abroad experience? Even better.

Experience: You have 5 or more years of relevant and substantial work experience, including at least 1 year of experience working in a developing country. You have a successful track record of managing junior staff.

Skills: You are comfortable with intermediate-level economics and econometrics, especially randomized evaluation methodology and understand the fundamentals of Machine Learning. Additionally, you are comfortable working in or learning computer applications, including Google Suite and Salesforce. Fluency in English is mandatory. Knowledge of Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, French, Portuguese, Spanish, or other languages spoken in our regions of work are a plus.     

Communication: You are detail-oriented and have advanced writing skills. You understand how to communicate policy lessons from technical academic research in ways that policymakers, AI experts, and practitioners understand. You are precise, clear, and creative.

Organization: You are a strategic thinker. You can handle multiple projects at once with little supervision, meet deadlines, and effectively manage your time, as well as others’.

Cultural competencies: You are comfortable and adept at working in a diverse and multicultural work environment, with colleagues, partners and policymakers from around the world. You display sensitivity, adaptability, and inclusivity in your engagement with people from diverse backgrounds including age, ability, culture, gender, nationality, race and ethnicity, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and other identities.

Attitude: You love learning. You are passionate about international development policy and the rigorous research that informs it. You are self-motivated, work hard, and enjoy managing others.

Location: This position is based in Cambridge, MA and will require coming to the office in-person at least two days every week (currently those days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays for all staff). The other 3 days staff can opt to work from anywhere. Hybrid policies are subject to change annually. We greatly value in-office presence and therefore this position, similar to others at J-PAL Global, is not eligible for full-time remote work.

Travel: Some travel required (~10% of time)