Job Opportunity for Research Associate – Dream a Dream at Poverty Action Lab

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 to lead 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 implementing randomized control trials in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. Read more about our work and projects here.

Project Specific Details

The Anandam Pathyacharya happiness curriculum was developed by the Dream a Dream foundation in partnership with the government of Uttarakhand, India, and will be implemented in grades 1-8 across Uttarakhand public schools. The curriculum consists of daily happiness classes, where students engage in mindfulness, storytelling with open-ended discussions, and reflective conversations and activities designed to help students experience happiness. This study would be the first to evaluate the effectiveness of a happiness curriculum, exploring its impact on student mental health, wellness, and academic achievement. Further, this study will perform a cost-benefit analysis of the curriculum in comparison to the opportunity cost of less learning time, disentangle the mechanisms by which the curriculum adds value, and evaluate the impact and malleability of teacher buy-in. In a pilot, we plan to test surveys of student mental health, teacher and student buy-in, and assess the implementation of the curriculum, which will be followed by a large-scale RCT in the following school year.

Research Associates work closely with Research Managers & Principal Investigators who guide and supervise them in their various tasks.

Key Responsibilities

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

• Translate survey instruments from English to Hindi
• Assist in randomization process
• Administer surveys of teachers over WhatsApp
• Hire and remotely supervise enumerators as they conduct field surveys
• Assist in development and translation of teacher training variations
• Preliminary data checks, cleaning, and analyses
• Managing teams: Recruit, train, and supervise both field-based and data operations teams consisting of project assistants, field managers, field-based surveyors, data entry operators and other field and office staff
• Supervising data collection and data entry to ensure good data quality during both these phases
• Co-ordinating with the Administrative and Finance team on a variety of tasks related to field staff contracting and payments
• Ensuring that the project complies with IRB and JPAL data collection and security protocols with the help of the Research Manager
• Maintaining relationship with partner organizations at both headquarters and field levels
• Assisting in preparation of documents and presentations for donor reporting as well as dissemination activities
• Reporting to PIs on all of the above-mentioned activities
• Any other task as assigned by the Research Manager, AD Research or ED

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
• Some conversational-level skills in regional languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Kannada etc.
• 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
• Ability to work independently and in rural field locations

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.

How to Apply

Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application. After completing a brief registration, choose the Research job category, then select “Research Associate Pilot for the Anandam Pathyacharya Happiness Curriculum, J-PAL South Asia” and include a resume, cover letter, transcripts, and two recommendation letters. Note that applications with incomplete submissions will not be considered. You are able to submit your application before your references complete their recommendation letters; however, you must include their contact information before submitting your application. Given the volume of applications received, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.