Job Opportunity for Senior Policy and Training Manager (Government Partnerships) at Poverty Action Lab

About J-PAL SA 

J-PAL is a global research center working to reduce poverty and fight climate change by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 500 top researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts innovative research and builds powerful partnerships to solve the world’s greatest challenges. We build partnerships with governments, NGOs, donors, and others to share this knowledge, scale up effective programs, and advance evidence-informed decision-making. For more information visit www.povertyactionlab.org

The Policy vertical at J-PAL South Asia (J-PAL SA) disseminates findings of J-PAL’s research; develops relationships with government, civil society, and academic stakeholders; catalyses scale-ups and replications of effective projects; and assists in conceptualizing new research projects. In line with its mission to create a long-lasting culture of evidence-informed decision-making, over the past decade, J-PAL SA has continuously developed and refined a model of engaging with state governments in India which ensures that we continue to build on evidence generation through rigorous research, and most importantly, enable the translation of research into action.

The Training vertical at J-PAL South Asia (J-PAL SA) works on strengthening monitoring and evaluation capacities and systems and helping implementers, policymakers, and researchers become better producers and users of evidence. We host CLEAR South Asia, the South Asia Regional Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR), an initiative coordinated by the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), and a key implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI). As host of the South Asia CLEAR center, J-PAL SA at IFMR covers India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka, offering M&E technical assistance and capacity building to governments, civil society, and M&E practitioners to support use of high-quality M&E for evidence-based decision-making. 

About the position

J-PAL South Asia seeks a Senior Manager (Policy and Training) to manage and expand its institutional partnerships on evidence informed policymaking with state governments in India. These partnerships are centered around four main activities: (i) engaging in policy research dialogues to apply insights from existing research to local challenges; (ii) designing and testing new innovations with the potential for scale; and (iii) strengthening government capacity to generate and consume data and evidence. This role will be a high visibility position and will have the unique opportunity to engage with senior government officials, leading NGO partners, donors and researchers. This position reports to Senior Management of Policy and Training verticals 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead J-PAL SA’s state-level partnerships in north India working closely with senior state level champions, state departments, J-PAL SA staff from across different verticals (policy, research and capacity building), J-PAL’s network of researchers and other state level partners. This role will entail developing custom strategies for collaborating with J-PAL SA’s partner states, outreach to new state governments and overseeing J-PAL SA’s existing state level partnerships for institutionalising a culture of data and evidence production and use. The role will enable in-depth understanding and engagement with policymakers and researchers to align their interests for initiating new innovative policy-research studies, support custom M&E capacity building of partner states, and forge collaborations through evidence based scale ups to maximize on ground impact.
• Lead M&E capacity building partnerships with state and central government partners such as NITI Aayog, LBSNAA and state governments (Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and others) that aim to strengthen government M&E systems and capacities.
• Develop and deliver M&E diagnostic, technical, and other advisory support services for government partners
• Build and strengthen relationships with strategic partners, clients, and stakeholders and expanding outreach for capacity building activities in South Asia
• Generate knowledge products, training modules and document best practices for use by staff and external partners
• Manage donor reporting and engagement  

Others:

• People Management: Manage and mentor Policy and Training Managers and associates, giving them support to perform better and prioritizing their learning and skill development.
• Cross-vertical collaboration: Participate in cross-vertical collaboration opportunities such as providing systematic support to an ongoing research project, capacity building of internal staff, etc.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Advanced degree (Masters or higher) in a related field (evaluation, economics, public policy, political science, sociology, or another social science related to monitoring and evaluation).
• Experience: Minimum of 6 years of relevant professional experience in managerial or technical positions, with a focus on evidence and monitoring and evaluation and working with government stakeholders. 
• Monitoring and evaluation technical skills: Strong M&E skills, as demonstrated in professional and/or academic experience. Candidates should have a good understanding of evaluation tools, methods and approaches, particularly impact evaluations, and a strong record of providing M&E capacity building and technical advisory services to governments. Preference will be given to candidates with previous experience in research, training, and/or monitoring and evaluation, particularly conducting field data collection and leveraging quantitative data skills in a high performing environment. 

Skills and Competencies

• Strong communication skills, including the ability to present in a clear, objective and engaging manner in high-level settings;
• Strong interest in monitoring and evaluation and/or international development policy as demonstrated by coursework and professional experience.  
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and engage constructively with multiple team members (internally and externally) in a collaborative manner and on short timelines. 
• Proven ability to handle several different projects/tasks at one time, successfully plan, delegate and complete tasks, and meet deadlines while ensuring high quality work 
• Attention to detail and precision.
• Willingness to travel domestically frequently and flexibly