Policy Associate - J-PAL North America

About J-PAL North America:

J-PAL North America, an economics research center at MIT, is actively recruiting a Policy Associate (Research Policy Associate 1, SRS) to support our ongoing partnerships with researchers, policymakers, implementing partners and philanthropic partners. Working at J-PAL North America means being part of a vibrant, collaborative team of professionals who are committed to translating research into innovative policy solutions that are effective in reducing poverty. As a regional office of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), J-PAL North America is part of an affiliate network of more than a thousand affiliated professors and invited researchers at universities around the world, including some of the world’s leading economics researchers. J-PAL North America works closely with J-PAL’s global headquarters and six additional independent regional offices in Africa, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia to generate cutting-edge research, policy outreach, and training. 

To learn more about our work and team culture, please visit www.povertyactionlab.org/na

Opportunity Overview:

As a member of the J-PAL North America team, you’ll be part of a Nobel-prize winning scientific movement that can transform US policy making. The Policy Associate’s primary tasks will include stakeholder engagement, supporting partnership development and capacity building, supporting our request for proposals (RFP) processes, policy writing and outreach, and general policy team coordination. This role requires some knowledge of social policy and/or public administration, a familiarity with program impact evaluations, excellent oral and written communication skills, attention to detail, strong project management skills, and the ability to take ownership of one's work independently and collaborate effectively with staff at all levels.  

Responsibilities:

• Stakeholder engagement: Supports engagements with policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working on randomized evaluations in North America. Builds and maintains strong relationships with key partners in government, non-profits, foundations, and the private sector. Attends initial conversations with prospective partners to identify promising opportunities for randomized evaluations or evidence dissemination activities. Supports the Events team in organizing convenings designed to bring policymakers, practitioners, and researchers together to spur new research collaborations or scale-up collaborations and share policy lessons from completed research. Drafts reports to philanthropic funders and policymakers on the progress of evaluations and on lessons learned from program implementation. 
• Partnership development and capacity building: Contributes to processes for identifying policy partners to participate in capacity building activities. This includes attending calls and tracking information in Salesforce. Supports the development and presentation of guides, documents, and training materials for policymakers. Supports processes related to collaborations with policymakers and practitioners to design randomized evaluations of innovative policies and programs. 
• Project and process management: Supports and implements Request for Proposal processes and policy outreach webinars and events. Reviews grantee reports and tracks compliance in Salesforce. 
• Policy writing and outreach: Drafts publications and presentations that summarize and synthesize the policy implications of key research results. Supports the policy group in identifying opportunities for informing policy development and strategically sharing evidence with policymakers, philanthropic partners, and other stakeholders. Provides guidance and assistance to practitioners working to scale up evidence-based programs. 

Compensation & Benefits:

This full-time, exempt position is classified by MIT as a Research Policy Associate I, SRS position. Please find the current pay range for this position with the job posting on MIT’s career website. This is a fixed market-based salary range and the starting salary MIT offers any candidate will be based on their experience relative to others in similar roles at MIT.

J-PAL North America staff are MIT employees, which means they are eligible for a wide array of institutional benefits. Some of these MIT benefits include comprehensive health insurance, a 401(k) match up to 5% of salary plus a pension-based retirement plan, tuition assistance up to $5,250 per calendar year, commuter benefits, access to MyLifeServices, a generous vacation policy (3 weeks of paid vacation in your first year, and 4 weeks every year after that, plus an additional 12+ paid Institute-wide holidays per year), paid leave for sick time, maternity and parental leave, back-up child care benefits and much more.

Professional Development:

J-PAL North America supports a culture of learning, with opportunities to attend weekly seminars, engage in small-group discussions with other J-PAL staff, participate in workshops, and take classes for credit at MIT or elsewhere with our generous tuition assistance program. Policy Associates have the opportunity to work with J-PAL affiliates and directors, as well as interact with policymakers and practitioners. 

Qualifications:

• Commitment to Mission & Values: Cares personally and deeply about policy that has the potential to reduce poverty and the rigorous research that informs it. Demonstrates interest in poverty alleviation in the North American (primarily the United States) context in particular. Demonstrates a commitment to J-PAL North America’s values.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy or administration, health or education policy, statistics, or a closely related field is required, as is coursework in statistics, quantitative methods, and effective non-technical writing.  
• Experience: This position requires 2 years of relevant experience in a professional work environment, which may include experience gained through relevant internships or research/policy work. Prior experience working with communities experiencing poverty in North America is a plus.
• Technical Skills: Demonstrates the ability to learn and draw general lessons on research design, study implementation, and/or results across studies and to develop mastery of a particular subject area with minimal support. Demonstrates proficiency in using office computer applications, software and systems to perform key responsibilities and the ability and willingness to learn new computer skills as needed to complete assignments.
• Ownership of Work: Takes responsibility/is accountable for effectively completing assigned discrete tasks or projects with high attention to detail under direct supervision. Produces high quality work in the time expected; identifies and follows up with their manager and other stakeholders as needed to ensure assignments are completed on time and at the quality expected.  
• Written Communication: Accurately and succinctly communicates in writing to J-PAL staff and relevant stakeholders with minimal supervision from senior-level staff. Clearly communicates written technical information to non-technical audiences. Demonstrates the ability to accurately copy edit and quality control written materials.  
• Oral Communication: Demonstrates strong active listening skills and accurately, succinctly, and persuasively communicates information orally to staff, researchers, and external partners with minimal supervision. Communicates with high-level external partners with direct supervision from senior-level staff. 
• External Stakeholder Relations: Supports partnership development between researchers and potential implementing partners and/or maintains relationships with existing stakeholders with minimal supervision. Supports partnership development through events and projects. 
• Task & Project Management: Takes on a process-oriented task, plans and organizes work, establishes appropriate priorities and timelines, delegates appropriately, coordinates with others, collaborates effectively with staff of all levels and across all verticals as needed to achieve goals, exercises follow through, finishes it well, and adds overall value to the process.
• Problem Solving/Decision Making: Demonstrates adeptness at analyzing facts, judgment, and strong decision-making ability. Responds to problems, issues, and opportunities that are identified by supervisors. Collaborates to identify a solution or response.  
• People Management: Provides candid feedback to and about colleagues including managers. Seeks feedback and areas for improvement. Willingly receives and acts on feedback.
• Travel: Willingness and ability to travel as needed locally and in the US (usually minimal) to attend events or participate in meetings.