Senior Research, Education & Training Associate - J-PAL Global

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 more than 1,000 affiliated researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts innovative research and builds powerful partnerships to solve the world’s greatest challenges.

J-PAL is recruiting a Senior Research, Education & Training Associate to contribute to its mission of promoting evidence-informed policy. This position is based at the J-PAL Global office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. Visa sponsorship is not available. Only applications following all instructions at the bottom of this page will be considered. 

This position is part of J-PAL’s Research, Education, and Training (RET) team—a diverse and integrated group that works together in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with the goal of equipping policymakers, researchers, and staff with the necessary knowledge to conduct rigorous impact evaluations.

In this role, you will contribute to training and capacity strengthening efforts, such as new partnerships with USAID on the Promoting Impact and Learning with Cost-Effectiveness Evidence (PILCEE) initiative, and FCDO (the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) on the Strategic Impact Evaluation and Learning Program. These collaborations aim to build capacity for USAID, FCDO, and partner organizations to deliver and use learnings from impact evaluations and cost-effectiveness evidence. Work on these programs will include developing new training materials and resources on impact evaluation and evidence use for policymakers and early career researchers in collaboration with consortium partners including IPA, CEGA, and NIERA. 

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 responsibilities may include:

Researching and designing new teaching modules and preparing presentations, case studies, and manuals to train policymakers, implementers, researchers, and research staff on randomized evaluation methods and cost-effectiveness analysis

Assisting in planning, organizing, and conducting training courses and workshops for key partners in governments, NGOs, and foundations around the world, primarily USAID and FCDO

Supporting the development of relationships with key partners in governments, NGOs, foundations, multilateral aid agencies, and universities worldwide

Supporting J-PAL’s efforts to create technical resources for LMIC-based researchers

Serving as a teaching assistant for online and in-person trainings

Maintaining monitoring systems and analyzing data to assess learning and engagement in J-PAL’s courses

Other assignments as needed as the position grows

Skills and Qualifications

Education: A bachelor’s degree in economics, political science, education, public policy, international development, or other related fields is required. Master’s degree preferred. Training in and a strong technical understanding of econometrics and/or randomized evaluations is required.

Required experience: At least 4 years of work experience is required for the senior associate level, including in quantitative data analysis and economics or a related discipline. If you have less than four years of relevant experience you may be considered for an Associate-level position.

Preferred experience: The ideal candidate has experience working with or in large bilateral or multilateral organizations; teaching experience; experience working in low- or middle-income countries, and/or experience designing and running randomized evaluations. 

Interest: You have a strong interest in poverty alleviation policy and research, as demonstrated by coursework and/or study or work abroad.

Quantitative skills: Knowledge of data management, data analysis, and econometrics is required.

Software: Must have a good command of Stata or R. Comfort using Google Docs Editors (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms) is required. Familiarity with LaTeX and GitHub and exposure to other coding languages such as Python are a plus. 

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 cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Professional Development

J-PAL invests in your professional development. As a Senior RET Associate, you will learn, engage, travel, and grow.

Learn: As a member of the RET team, it will be central to your role to keep abreast of the latest impact evaluation methods and developments and trends in the policy and training spaces, and to seek out opportunities to deepen your knowledge in these areas. J-PAL supports a culture of learning, with opportunities to attend weekly MIT–Harvard Development Seminars and to 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 Design of Policy free of charge.

Engage: Associates have the opportunity to interact with policymakers, practitioners, and affiliates alongside senior group members.

Grow: Associates can expect to join a peer group eager to build institutional knowledge and pass on lessons learned. Associates receive one-on-one mentorship from senior group members and are eligible for internal promotion based on performance, ability, and educational qualifications.

For more information about working at J-PAL, please visit this webpage.

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, a hybrid work policy and flexible work hours.