Job Opportunity for Senior Research Associate – Emission Trading Scheme at Poverty Action Lab

Location:

India

Education:

Bachelor’s. Master’s

Start Date (Earliest):

17 October 2022

Language Requirement:

English, Hindi

Length of Commitment:

One year

J-PAL South Asia, based at the Institute of Financial Research and Management in India, seeks a  Senior Research Associate to support its research activities in the Energy, Environment and Climate Change sector. The evaluations in the Environment, Energy, and Climate Change sector measure the real-world impacts of energy and environmental policies, particularly on energy access, pollution reduction, and climate change mitigation and resilience. We are looking for a high-calibre individual who can leverage their knowledge and experience to lead conversations with government partners to contribute to the emissions markets design and implementation for the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) project

The Emissions Trading Scheme for particulate matter is a collaborative scheme between the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, State Pollution Control Boards and  J-PAL South Asia at IFMR to implement and evaluate a pilot ETS for particulate matter in India. A successful pilot in Surat has generated interest for markets in other states as well as for other pollutants. Leveraging the emissions markets implementation experience, we are now looking to engage with policymakers on a larger scale to disseminate the learnings from the pilot and provide technical and strategic advisory to  develop markets in India for different pollutants. 

The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand research experience, including field operations and interaction with multiple stakeholders that include, State officials, local bodies and industrial associations, in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. This research team is being led  by Michael Greenstone (UChicago), Rohini Pande (Yale University ), Nicholas Ryan (Yale University), and Anant Sudarshan (University of Warwick).

The key responsibilities include:

• Engaging with government stakeholders and leading J-PAL’s involvement in stakeholder consultations related to market design. The candidate is expected to work out of the government office
• Understanding the different emissions markets globally and how their implementation lessons are relevant for India
• Content creation for workshops/advisory as may relevant to the engagement
• Coordinating with Principal Investigators to leverage their expertise and experience in designing emissions markets 
• Coordinating with other partner organisations on clear distribution of tasks and timelines pertaining to the government engagement
• Developing and maintaining relations with partner organisations
• Any other tasks as requested, including desk/literature survey and support in preparation of meetings, presentations, updates to government stakeholders and principal investigators. 

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Engineering
• Advanced degree ( Masters or higher)in economics, public policy, mathematics, statistics, data science or related fields.
• Candidates  will be remunerated commensurate with their qualifications and relevant work experience.
• 5-6 years of work experience preferably in the energy and environment sector. 
• Experience / knowledge of carbon pricing policies/ carbon markets/ energy markets will be highly desirable.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively is required
• Intermediate level proficiency in  statistical packages like R, STATA is required. 

Skills, competencies and behavioral attributes 

• A passion for and proven ability to work with multiple stakeholders to plan and execute complex projects. 
• Exceptional communication skills, including writing, conversing and presenting clearly in English.
• Working proficiency in one or more languages such as Hindi, Punjabi is highly desirable.
• Ability to work closely and constructively with multiple team members 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.
• Self-motivated, ability to problem solve and to work with minimal supervision and meet deadlines while conducting high quality work.
• Attention to detail and precision.  
• Initiative, resilience and flexibility in adapting to changing contexts. 
• A passion for teaching/training and strengthening data capabilities, belief in creating resources for public good and knowledge-sharing. 
• Willingness to travel domestically frequently and flexibly

About the Organization

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research centre 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.

How to Apply

If you are interested in this position, please click on the apply button on the JD below; the first-time users will be asked to sign up and upload your CV, cover letter, and academic transcripts (optional). 

Any queries, please write to recruitment.jpalsa@ifmr.ac.in.