J-PAL Europe is looking to hire a new member of its Policy and Communications team, to contribute to its mission of promoting evidence-based policy across Europe. This position will be based in our offices at the Paris School of Economics.
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, and is anchored by a network of some 200 affiliated professors at universities around the world. The Policy & Communications Group 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 organizations and researchers to launch new evaluations. Staff connect the dots between economics and policy and are passionate about working with organizations to form partnerships for evidence-informed development policy.
The selected candidate will join a growing team based in Paris and report to the Associate Director for Policy. We are particularly interested in candidates who have relevant work experience and language skills to help grow our work in Germany and/or Turkey, but we are open to candidates who could help expand our work in other parts of Europe as well. In 2020-21, our office will host J-PAL co-founders and directors Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, and part of your job will be to leverage their presence in Europe to launch new research and policy partnerships.
This appointment will be made for one year and will be renewable contingent upon funding and performance.
Responsibilities:
As a Senior Policy Associate, you will work with a growing team to:
- Forge new connections and maintain strong relationships with key partners in government agencies, non-profits, foundations, and the private sector across Europe;
- Initiate and build partnerships with groups across the region to identify new opportunities for rigorous evaluation of social policies;Raise funds for new research and scale-up activities;
- Provide technical and project management support to policymakers and practitioners as they develop evaluations;Identify windows for drawing on existing evidence to contribute to decisions by policy-makers across Europe;
- Raise the profile of J-PAL’s work in the region by presenting J-PAL’s work and research at conferences and seminars;Create materials for policy outreach, including tailored evidence note presentations, policy briefs, and other high-level deliverables designed to “translate” research findings into actionable recommendations;
- Organize convenings designed to spur new research collaborations and share policy lessons from completed research and represent J-PAL at external events and in meetings with senior decision-makers.
- Draft blogs, op-eds, and other written materials to profile the research in our network and its policy impact; and
- Partner with implementing organizations and J-PAL affiliated researchers to plan for the scale-up of evidence-backed interventions (including planning for adaptation and further evaluation as needed).
Professional Development
The Policy Group invests in your professional development. As a Policy Manager, you will learn, engage, travel, and grow.
- Learn: J-PAL supports a culture of learning. All J-PAL staff are also eligible to take the innovative online MITx MicroMasters credential in Data, Economics, and Development Policy (DEDP) free of charge. You will also be a member of an active community of economists and professionals at the Paris School of Economics dedicated to evaluating social programs and development programs around the world.
- Engage: Associates have the opportunity to work with J-PAL affiliated researchers and directors, as well as interact with J-PAL partners, including decision-makers and practitioners, alongside senior staff.
- Travel: Associates have the opportunity to present at J-PAL’s regional offices, attend policy events worldwide, and participate in a unique “Associate-to-Field” international experience supporting on-the-ground research during their time at J-PAL.
- Grow: Associates can expect to join a peer group eager to build institutional knowledge and pass on lessons learned. Associates receive one-on-one mentorship from senior staff.
Qualifications
Your technical expertise, strong communication and organizational skills, passion for translating research into action, and interest in poverty reduction and development make you an ideal candidate for this role.
- Education: You hold a Master’s degree in economics, public policy, or a closely related field, including coursework in microeconomics, econometrics, and program evaluation. Candidates with Master’s-level degrees in other fields may be qualified as long as they have a solid understanding of quantitative research methods.
- Experience: You have at least three years of relevant and substantial work experience related to the design of social programs and policies in Europe. Ideally, you have direct experience of working with European governments on policy design. You have a successful track record of identifying opportunities, developing and managing external partnerships, and relevant experience in communication and development.
- Skills: You have strong project management skills, as well as excellent written and oral communication skills in English and at least one other European language.
- Fluency in German or Turkish would be a considerable asset; proficiency in French is also desirable. Experience running or interpreting randomized evaluations is desirable but not required.
- Communication: You are detail-oriented and have advanced writing skills. You understand how to communicate policy lessons from technical academic research in ways that policymakers and practitioners understand. You are precise, clear, and creative. You are adept at managing relationships across countries and time zones.
- Organization: You are a strategic thinker. You can handle multiple projects at once with little supervision, meet deadlines while conducting high-quality work, and effectively manage your time.
- 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.