Senior Research Associate - J-PAL Europe and CERR

About J-PAL Europe:

J-PAL is a global research centre working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence, and is anchored by a network of over 900 researchers at universities around the world. Our Europe office is hosted by the Paris School of Economics. J-PAL plays a key role in translating research by J-PAL affiliates into actionable poverty alleviation policies around the world and in helping create new links between partner organisations and researchers to launch new evaluations. Staff connect the dots between economics and policy and are passionate about developing partnerships to promote evidence-informed development policy.

I. Job summary

J-PAL Europe and the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR) are looking to hire a Senior Research Associate (SRA) to coordinate their research efforts in Uzbekistan. In particular, the Senior Research Associate is expected to contribute to the development and management of randomised evaluations in Uzbekistan. This will form part of our efforts to foster a culture of evidence-based policymaking in Uzbekistan. This position will be based at the Center for Economic Research and Reforms in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 

The position offers a unique opportunity for the SRA to further develop first-hand research management experience on projects at the forefront of economic research and public policy. The SRA will work closely with Principal Investigators (PIs), the CERR team, and partners in the development of randomised evaluations (RCTs), ensuring the evaluations are developed to the highest quality standards, well-implemented, and responsive to policy needs. The SRA will also provide administrative oversight, risk assessment, and risk mitigation strategy on the projects development and implementation from start to finish. 

In the project development phase, the SRA will be the main liaison between the PIs and partners and will work to identify policy needs and promising opportunities to develop impact evaluations. The SRA will work closely with partners and PIs in the intervention development, development of a research design, exploratory qualitative work, and piloting activities. This also includes identifying staffing needs, providing support in hiring as well as more efficient resource allocations in each project, which also includes supervision of budget management and monitoring. During the course of project implementation, the SRA will need to ensure compliance for all aspects of the projects including the fulfillment of J-PAL and CERR’s quality standards. The SRA will also need to build and maintain strong relationships with PIs, diverse research partners, and balance the needs/interests of the multistakeholders involved in the evaluations,including donors. This work also includes writing proposals for new projects, adapting existing proposals for new funding opportunities, developing budgets, liaising with other organisation units, as well as writing and editing reports, presentations and manuscripts. 

The SRA will be based in Tashkent, but is expected to be able to travel to rural and urban project sites across Uzbekistan. The SRA will be directly supervised by J-PAL Europe and the Principal Investigators. The SRA will also work closely with senior staff from J-PAL and CERR. This position is currently advertised for a one-year commitment. 

II. Key responsibilities 

Research activities 

• Develop research projects, under the supervision of J-PAL Europe.
• Collaborate with researchers on the design and implementation of randomised evaluations, including data collection plans. 
• Conduct exploratory qualitative research to assist in the development of interventions, ensuring they are adapted to local needs. 
• Support literature reviews and document preparation (writing reports and project documentation). 
• Oversee field research activities, including the implementation of evaluations, according to the research design in coordination with researchers and partners.
• Assist with hiring survey firms and enumerators, including drafting terms of reference. Assist with data collection training. 
• Supervise data collection to ensure it meets J-PAL and CERR’s quality standards, including hiring and training of field staff. 
• Assist PIs with data cleaning and analysis.
• Maintain and grow effective relationships with partner organisations.
• Play an active role in researchers and research associates' onboarding.
• Manage research associates throughout all the steps of the research circle. This includes supporting with technical questions (e.g. coding in STATA/R), devising data encryption protocols, personally identifiable data management, etc.
•  Ensure J-PAL research protocols are respected through all research activities, report to J-PAL Europe.
• Lead local institutional review board applications. 
• Engage with local authorities and undertake administrative procedures to ensure all data collection authorisations are obtained. 
• Coordinate with the administrative and finance team on a variety of tasks related to field staff contracting and payments related to field activities. 

Relationship management 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with researchers working on randomised evaluations in Uzbekistan. 
• Collaborate with potential partners, J-PAL Europe and PIs on the development, conceptual design, and implementation of randomised evaluations.
• Contribute to building systems that facilitate good research practices by our affiliates, including data security and confidentiality, registering trials, making data sets public. 

Reporting and Communication 

• Provide periodic updates on project activities to researchers and subject experts.
• Participate in the planning and design of any activities with partners.
• Ensure that project activities are on schedule and prepare project update reports according to agreements with funders and partners. 
• Any other work assigned by J-PAL Europe.

III. Requirements

 Experience: 

• Minimum 4 years of relevant experience, including at least 2 years of experience running research on the ground. Experience conducting research in Uzbekistan is a strong plus. 
• At least a Masters’ degree in economics or related fields. 
• Experience conducting quantitative field research. Experience conducting qualitative field research is a plus. 
• Experience with STATA and/or R data analysis software. 
• Experience conducting data analysis. Fluency in reading economic academic literature.
• Experience with academic project management is a must, including grant management experience. 
• Experience in collaborating with partner organisations and managing relationships with high-value partners is essential. 
• Strong proficiency in project development and expertise in policy outreach is highly advantageous. 

Skills:

• Very strong quantitative, organisational, and communication skills are necessary.
• Very strong interpersonal skills and ability to work flexibly and effectively in a changing environment is a must. 
• Fluency in Uzbek and English. Russian command is a strong advantage.
• Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organisations. 
• Mastering impact evaluation methods and strong familiarity with randomised controlled trials.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.