Job Description

Supporting the Institutionalisation of an evidence-based approach to policy: The Senior Policy Associate hired for this position will work closely on J-PAL SA s strategic partnerships with the Government of Odisha and the Government of Punjab,with the aim of institutionalising a data and evidence-informed approach to policy decisions. This would include: Coordinating and communicating with senior state-level officials to support the generation, dissemination, synthesis and scale-up of rigorous evidence-based policies in the states. Working closely with line-departments to identify and conduct policy gap analyses around key development priorities, including scoping interviews with key officials and evidence review and synthesis, and compiling scoping reports. Conducting desk research to prepare policy landscape notes on the state s priorities, schemes and new developments. Drafting policy-research memos, proposals, presentations, and working closely with the J-PAL SA s policy and research teams to support these activities. Supporting senior team members, including the state partnership managers, in preparation for government meetings, such as slide-deck preparation, writing notes, and coordinating with the government. Supporting in the development and execution of standard protocols for government partnership management Compiling periodic updates for the government and donors for regular reporting on state partnership activities. Working closely with the J-PAL SA policy team to support the generation, dissemination and synthesis of J-PAL s evidence across sectors. Assisting J-PAL SA s policy team in preparing background notes, memos, updates, and presentations for J-PAL SA s partnerships with state governments in India. Writing about J-PAL s evaluations in relevant documents with a clear, accurate, and non-technical format for a policy audience. Supporting the J-PAL SA policy team on any other tasks, as needed. Qualifications Your technical expertise, creativity, strong communication and organisational skills, passion for translating research into action, and interest in international development make you an ideal candidate for the position of Senior Policy Associate. Education: A master s degree with training in economics, public policy, development studies or allied fields is a requirement. A technical understanding of economics, statistics or impact evaluations is necessary to ensure that J-PAL s findings are translated into general policy conclusions in a way that is both simple to follow but also accurate and undistorted. Strong interest in international development policy, South Asia development, and/or program evaluation as demonstrated by coursework and professional experience. Experience: 2 or more years of relevant work experience. Prior experience working with state governments in India is highly preferred. Communication: You are detail-oriented, have advanced writing skills, and are comfortable with public speaking. You understand how to communicate policy lessons from technical academic research in ways that policymakers and non-technical audiences can understand. You are precise, clear, and creative. Organisation: You are a strategic thinker. You can handle multiple projects at once, meet deadlines, and effectively manage your time. You bring great thoroughness and initiative to all projects you undertake. You are a skilled project manager, with the ability to think through different moving pieces of a complex engagement. Attitude: You love learning. You are passionate about international development policy and the rigorous research that informs it. You are self-motivated, work hard, and enjoy working in teams.

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