J-PAL North America, based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, seeks a Research Manager to support an evaluation of the Nurse Family Partnership program, to support the development of new research partnerships by contributing to feasibility and design assessments for projects with the U.S. Health Care Delivery Initiative (HCDI), and to contribute to the creation and dissemination of resources for researchers. This position offers the opportunity to gain experience in implementing and analyzing a randomized evaluation, managing a project in the field, and to work with Principal Investigators Margaret McConnell and Katherine Baicker. Further, this position offers the opportunity to gain experience developing relationships with policymakers and practitioners interested in evidence-based policymaking, and developing expertise in randomized evaluation design and implementation.
This is a mid-level position and is based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA.
The Department of Economics at MIT is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and welcome candidates with experience working on randomized evaluations in the United States or abroad.
Responsibilities
Evaluation Feasibility & Design:
- Assess the feasibility and design of randomized evaluations.
- Participate in discussions on randomization strategy and study design taking into account baseline data, background research, and government or partner-imposed constraints.
Research Management and Research Resources:
- Coordinate administrative data requests, data use agreements, IRB protocols and other compliance documents.
- Develop public goods promoting best practices, new methods, or resources for conducting high-quality randomized evaluations. Ensure these public goods meet the needs of J-PAL’s research network.
- Ensure the evaluation design is implemented faithfully, flagging potential threats to the research or analysis design.
- Share data analysis and design plans with policymakers and researchers through in-person meetings, memos, and phone calls. • Recruit, screen, manage, and mentor research associates or interns.
- Coordinate the efforts of research associates, principal investigators, research partners, and other stakeholders.
Communications:
- Hold conversations with prospective partners to identify opportunities for evaluation.
- Represent J-PAL North America in conferences or training events.
Strategy and Organization:
- Work with members of the Research Group to set objectives, plan activities for the upcoming fiscal year and oversee progress towards the goal of promoting the highest quality research practices among our network of affiliates and more broadly within the research community.
Qualifications
Education:
- Master’s degree in economics, public policy, or a closely related field, and an understanding of economics, econometrics, and statistics.
Experience:
- 4 or more years of relevant work experience, including 2 years analyzing data and 2 years working on a quantitative research project focusing on impact evaluation (can be concurrent).
Experience on a randomized evaluation is strongly desired.
Skills & Qualifications:
- Strong leadership and relationship-building skills. Previous experience managing staff is a plus.
- Project and time management skills with a demonstrated ability to prioritize among projects, push forward external stakeholders, and move initiatives forward on tight timelines.
- Advanced oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical subjects to non-technical audiences.
- A strong grasp of randomized evaluation design and methodology and a commitment to evidence-based policy.
- An interest in ensuring evaluations and interventions are implemented faithfully, following best practices.
- Willingness to travel occasionally to research sites or conferences.
Benefits This position is eligible for MIT benefits.
How to Apply
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 jobs at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, select "Research Manager - J-PAL North America" (MIT job number 14653), and complete an application. Please upload your resume and cover letter to that system.
Short-listed applicants will be asked to complete a writing and technical exercise and may be asked to provide transcripts. Finalists will be called for an in-person interview.