J-PAL North America is recruiting an Administrative Associate to support the operations of our mission-driven research and policy organization. This position is based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.
The Finance and Administration Group supports J-PAL’s mission to promote evidence-informed policy by ensuring that our office is run with maximal efficiency. The team manages logistics that touch every aspect of J-PAL’s operations, from administrative assistance and office management, to travel and event coordination, to budgeting, subaward administration and grant reporting.
Responsibilities Your work provides the support needed to grow J-PAL’s policy, research and capacity-building efforts.
Systems-Building and Maintenance: Manage contact and information management systems through the use of Salesforce and other platforms. Help maintain and develop J-PAL North America’s organizational documents on Dropbox and Google Drive. Create new documentation on policies, processes, and work flows as needed.
Executive Assistance: Provide executive assistance to J-PAL North America’s Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director. Main tasks include calendar, travel, and expense management.
Administrative and Operational Needs: Support website management by performing quality checks on the J-PAL North America section of the J-PAL website. Serve as back up to front desk reception. Distribute mail, packages, and coordinate general office mailings. Assist in administrative tasks related to recruiting operations. Provide copy-editing support to Policy and Research staff. Provide logistical event-planning support for conferences and other J-PAL events.
Qualifications Your attention to detail, good judgement, positive attitude, and ability to multi-task and problem-solve make you an ideal candidate for the Administrative Associate position.
Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Experience: A minimum of 3 years of experience working in an administrative capacity (with a preference for demonstrated experience in event planning and executive assistance) is preferred. We can consider entry-level applicants with consistent part-time work experience (for example, multiple full-time summer positions throughout college).
Skills: You are comfortable learning and using computer applications, including Excel, Salesforce, Dropbox and other platforms. You have strong writing skills and are able to communicate clearly with multiple parties. You can accurately and effectively handle complexities of multiple events at once from start to finish.
Organization: You have a strong ability to anticipate, plan, prioritize and meet deadlines. You can handle multiple tasks at once, manage numerous requests from various parties, and effectively manage a high volume of work.
Attention to Detail: Strong ability to manage a time-sensitive workflow while maintaining absolute accuracy with details.
Responsibility and Trust: You are capable of dealing with high-profile organizations and officials with diplomacy and integrity. You exhibit tact and good judgement in handling confidential information.
Attitude: You are self-motivated, have a “can-do” attitude, and enjoy working in teams.
Professional Development The Finance and Administration Group invests in your professional development. As an Administrative Associate, you will learn, engage, and grow.
Learn: J-PAL North America supports a culture of learning, with opportunities to attend weekly academic seminars, engage in small-group discussions with other J-PAL staff, and take classes for credit at MIT or elsewhere with MIT’s generous tuition assistance program.
Engage: In addition to working directly with J-PAL North America’s senior management, you will also have the chance to work with and learn from J-PAL associates in other regions and offices around the globe.
Grow: You can expect to join a team eager to continuously improve upon the systems that keep our office running smoothly. As a member of the team, you will be able to develop and create systems, make decisions on how those systems are implemented, and find creative solutions to problems as they arise.
Benefits As a member of the MIT community, you benefit from more than just your salary.
J-PAL hires highly qualified staff and rewards them, accordingly. Total compensation packages are competitive for the non-profit international development field with excellent MIT benefits, including comprehensive health insurance, a 401(k) match and pension-based retirement plan, tuition assistance, commuter benefits, MIT community discounts, a generous vacation policy, and more.
How to Apply
Ready to join a team of supportive, engaging, and fun colleagues? Apply now.
This position is not eligible for any type of visa sponsorship.
1. Submit a short application via MIT’s human resources system. Visit http://jobs.mit.edu/external, search for job ID 15230, and complete an application. Please include both your cover letter and resume in this portal.