Job Opportunity Research Associate – Emissions Trading Scheme in Poverty Action Lab

Organization: J-PAL South Asia
Country: India
Education: Bachelor’s, Master’s, Other advanced degree
Start Date (Earliest): 1 February 2022
Length of Commitment: Two years

J-PAL is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. The Research team at J-PAL South Asia at the Institute of Financial management and Research (IFMR) forges relationships with implementers on the ground, designs randomized evaluations and survey instruments, carries out data collection, statistical analysis and data publishing and provides evidence to answer key questions on social policy and social development.

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) seeks qualified applicants for position of Research Associate for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change sector. J-PAL’s Environment, Energy, & Climate Change sector measures the real-world impacts of energy and environmental policies, particularly on energy access, pollution reduction, and climate change mitigation and resilience.

Project Description: 

The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) project is a collaborative exercise between the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPC), J-PAL South Asia at IFMR and Energy Policy Institute of Chicago (EPIC) to implement and evaluate a pilot ETS for Particulate Matter in India. 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 headed by Prof. Michael Greenstone (UChicago), Prof. Rohini Pande (Kennedy School of Government, Harvard), Dr. Nicholas Ryan (Yale University), and Dr. Anant Sudarshan (Executive Director, EPIC). 

Roles and Responsibilities: 

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

• Overseeing implementation of the evaluation in accordance to the research design, in association with our partner organization. Maintaining relationships with partner organizations at both headquarters and field levels  Supervising data collection and data-entry and ensuring data quality and productivity  
• Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, running pilot exercise, refining study design and surveying instruments.
• Managing field 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. Assisting with data cleaning, preliminary data analysis, and preparation of documents and presentations for dissemination.
• Reporting to PIs and supervisor on all the above-mentioned activities. 

Desired Qualifications and Experience:

Required: 

• A Bachelor’s degree in Economics or Engineering At least 1 year of work experience 
• Prior experience with field data collection is desired, but not necessary Familiarity with impact evaluations and randomized controlled trials is required
• Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills.
• Fluency in Hindi and English and strong communication skills are required. Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
• Willingness to live in Surat and travel extensively to study areas. Intermediate or advanced knowledge of STATA or other data analysis tool 

Desired:

• Master’s degree in economics, engineering or related disciplines are strongly preferred Work experience in environmental sciences/ engineering will be an advantage
• Proficiency in STATA (or other tools such as R, SPSS etc.) is desired. 
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
• Experience living in a developing country and/or liaising with government officials is a strongly desired but not necessary High level of attention to detail

How to Apply

Complete the J-PAL/IPA common application. After completing a brief registration, choose the Research job category, then select Research Associate – Emissions Trading Scheme – J- PAL South Asia and include 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.