Job Description

Language Requirement: Hindi and English Length of Commitment: 5 months Joining Location: Patna/Ranchi Name of the Project: Work India Sector- Education/Gender/Labor/Migration About the Organization 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 J-PAL South Asia is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to age, disability, family status, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and other attributes protected by law. We strongly encourage people from marginalized communities to apply for this role. Project Specific Details- Youth unemployment remains a major policy challenge facing the developing world today. Young workers are 3-4 times more likely to be seeking work than older ones. A rich literature has documented the importance of search and matching frictions as key important channels in impacting early labor market outcomes for the youth. However, testing the effectiveness of scalable policy solutions in reducing them remain far and few. In this project, we evaluate the effectiveness of a new job search technology, namely one of India\'s largest private online jobs portals-Work India. Work India is used by over 18 million low-skilled workers, mostly in urban cities. The project aims to understand if this new technology (online job portals) can potentially ease the job application process and affect the choice and retention of jobs by candidates. Moreover, we can also examine whether it can decrease candidates\' reliance on traditional job search methods (such as intermediaries and social networks), where marginalized social groups and women are particularly disadvantaged. The research associate will also support the Principal Investigators in revising the guidelines of DDU-GKY training program in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. We plan to organize a research dissemination event in both states to engage with district level officials and state governments in communicate the findings of the existing research projects. Principal Investigators: Apurav Bhatiya,Bhaskar Chakraborty, Gaurav Chiplunkar, Clement Imbert. 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: Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, running pilot exercises, refining study design and survey instruments 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 Overseeing the implementation of the evaluation in accordance to the research design in association with our partner organization 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 with data cleaning and preliminary data analysis 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 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.

foundit