Policy and Communications Associate - J-PAL LAC (Chile)

Summary of the Organization:

J-PAL is a non-profit research center that aims to reduce global poverty by generating rigorous scientific evidence on which social programs and policies can make a real difference in people's lives. Formed by a network of more than 1000 academics around the world, J-PAL measures the impact of programs with randomized evaluations (RCTs) and uses these results to influence the design of public policies. In 2019, the founders of J-PAL, Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, won the Nobel Prize in Economics "for their experimental approach to alleviating poverty." The J-PAL network has carried out more than 2,200 evaluations in more than 95 countries. 

J-PAL organizes its work into three main areas:

• Research: We partner with donors to create initiatives that provide funding for research. We also implement RCT from data collection to data analysis.
• Public policy: we summarize the results of the investigation, create alliances, and provide technical assistance to governments.
• Training: We lead the executive training and develop a rigorous online education to build knowledge in the region.

J-PAL’s office for Latin America and the Caribbean (J-PAL LAC) (https://www.povertyactionlab.org/latin-america-caribbean) is based in UC Chile (https://www.uc.cl/en) in Santiago, where most of our staff is. We have satellite offices in Brazil (based at Insper) and Guatemala (based at UVG), and project staff in several LAC countries. 

We strive for a collegiate, horizontal, and amicable culture where peers can learn from each other and are not afraid to innovate. The office is led by Executive Director Paula Pedro, originally from Brazil, and Deputy Executive Director Claudia Macías, originally from Mexico. Paula leads the office’s overall strategy, fundraising and has a more external-facing role. Claudia leads our operations and develops strategic partnerships, especially with Governments. 

The selected candidate will join the Policy and Communications vertical at J-PAL LAC, which is responsible for translating research into action and fostering a global culture of evidence-informed policymaking. This team disseminates evaluation results to non-academic audiences and forges partnerships with governments, NGOs, and high-level decision-makers to promote the use of evidence and drive its large-scale adoption.

Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion is essential to address poverty's complex causes and consequences. To advance our mission, J-PAL LAC must draw on diverse experiences from our staff and affiliated researchers to ask better questions and identify better solutions. We are working to increase the limited representation of individuals from underrepresented economic backgrounds. We are committed to self-reflection, learning, and dialogue to nurture understanding across differences. Together, we will build an equitable, inclusive culture where everyone is respected, empowered, and heard.

Summary of the Role:

The selected candidate will be an integral part of J-PAL LAC’s Policy and Communications vertical, supporting efforts to bridge the gap between research produced by J-PAL affiliates and policymakers, ensuring that public policies and social programs are informed by rigorous evidence. 

This is a full-time position.

Responsibilities: 

• Support J-PAL in the engagement with partners. This implies participating in meetings, sharing evidence, following-up on agreements, among others.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing by supporting the organization of J-PAL LAC’s communities of practice and creating materials for its members.
• Curate evidence and make it more approachable for policymakers in the LAC region.
• Support in the implementation of the office’s communications plan. This includes managing social media as well as other communication platforms and the institutional J-PAL LAC email account.
• Create content both in Spanish and English. The content will be disseminated through our different communication channels and is aimed to highlight J-PAL’s work, as well as to share evidence for policymakers.
• Organize events and support other members of J-PAL to organize or participate in events.
• Support the design of proposals and fundraising efforts, as well as brochures and institutional materials. 
• Support intervertical projects in the duties related to policy and communications.
• Support with internal communications

Qualifications:

• Education: A master's degree in economics, political science, public policy, or a related field. Knowledge of the design and analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) is essential. 
• Languages: Native Spanish and English (advanced). Although the person will work mainly in Spanish-speaking countries, they will be in touch with teams from our different regional offices and our Global office, which is done mostly in English. Portuguese is desirable as our office operates in Brazil, but not a must.
• Experience: Experience working in areas related to impact evaluation, public policy, government or related fields is desirable. Some experience working or familiarity with Latin America and the Caribbean is a must.
• Word: Basic
• Excel: Basic
• Power Point: Intermediate
• Statistical Packages (STATA, R, and SQL): No

Work permissions:

This position is open to citizens or foreigners with visas and/or valid work permits in Chile at the time of applying for this vacancy.