Policy Associate - J-PAL Southeast Asia

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab seeks a Policy Associate to support its mission of promoting evidence-based policy by contributing to the design and execution of J-PAL’s policy outreach, project development work, and capacity building work. The Policy Associate will be based at the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI), Jakarta.

Regional offices are where the heart of J-PAL’s policy outreach and capacity building activities occur. Regional policy staff have the opportunity to help take the highest quality of academic research and translate it into action on the ground. Regional offices are housed within major economic research institutions around the world, giving policy staff access to an international network of top economists. Policy staff collaborate across regional offices and with J-PAL’s Global Office at MIT. Regional staff will develop expertise in the development challenges facing their region, opportunity to go to the field to assist research projects or development and interact regularly with policymakers.

Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

• Evidence to Policy (E2P):
  • This workstream involves identifying opportunities to translate research evidence into actionable policy insights and building strategic partnerships to support evidence-informed decision-making.
  • Conducting stakeholders mapping, literature review or desk research, and identifying policy issues in assigned sectors under the direction of the Executive Director
  • Assisting in the preparation of materials for J-PAL’s Evidence to Policy work, including preparing background notes, drafting briefs or memos, and creating presentations under the direction of the Executive Director
  • Leading stakeholders' engagement, such as meetings and other forms of communication, and managing follow-ups with stakeholders under the direction of the Executive Director
  • Identifying tailored technical support for partners according to J-PAL’s E2P menu of services
  • Capacity Building or Technical Assistance: This area focuses on strengthening the capacity of policy partners to design, implement, and learn from data and evidence.
  • Providing technical assistance to partners, such as supporting data analysis, reviewing data collection instruments, advising on program design, and reviewing Theory of Change (ToC) or Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) frameworks; under the direction of the Executive Director
  • Designing tailored capacity building programs, such as workshops or training sessions, based on partner needs and context; under the direction of the Executive Director
  • Supporting J-PAL SEA training activities by serving as a teaching assistant, contributing to content delivery and participant engagement.
• Research ethics standards:
  • Supporting the development of an ecosystem of research ethics standards in Indonesian universities, including assisting academic departments in establishing or strengthening their Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)
• Providing administrative and operational support for the running of the FEB UI Institutional Review Board, including review coordination, documentation, and communications
• Delivering capacity building for university departments or partner organizations on ethical research practices, such as through trainings or consultations on IRB setup and processes
• Advising research teams to ensure their protocols and implementation practices are in compliance with applicable research ethics standards and policies
• Policy outreach:
  • This area involves translating research findings into accessible formats and facilitating the uptake of evidence by policymakers and practitioners
• Synthesizing research papers into policy products such as J-PAL evaluation summaries, policy memo, powerpoint, blogs, or other J-PAL policy products for policy audience with a clear, accurate, and non-technical language
• Presenting evidence from J-PAL evaluations to policy audience in a private engagement or a workshop format;
• Organizing outreach events such as policy conferences, evidence workshops and seminars involving researchers and policymakers
• Supporting relationship-building efforts with governments, NGOs, philanthropic foundations, and multilateral agencies, under the guidance of senior management
• Project development:
  • This area supports the early-stage development of new research projects in collaboration with government or non-government partners.
• Building the knowledge of the assigned J-PAL SEA priority sectors, including understanding the relevant policy actors and policy context in the region, and identifying potential policy windows that might require evidence to inform policy.
• Supporting Principal Investigators (J-PAL Affiliates or invited researchers) in mapping potential partners, conducting desk research, and engaging with government or non-government partners to explore potential research collaboration.
  • Managing communication between Principal Investigators and government or non-government partners during the process of project development.
• Monitoring and evaluation
  • Assisting Policy Manager in conducting monitoring and evaluation to answer donor’s requirement.
  • Organizational
  • Providing support in onboarding new staff.
• Helping to organize J-PAL SEA policy and communication events.
  • Contributing to build effective management practices in J-PAL SEA’s policy team.

Qualifications:

• Education: A Master’s degree with a strong academic record, preferably in economics or a quantitative field, with a strong technical understanding of quantitative research. A strong interest in development policy, as demonstrated by coursework and/or study or work experience, is a plus.
• Experience: This position requires a minimum of 1-2 years of relevant experience. Experience in managing multi-stakeholder relationships and quantitative data analysis skills (e.g., using Stata) is a strong advantage.
• Analytical thinking: Able to display analytical thinking in writing, executing tasks, synthesizing academic papers into a policy audience, and discussing project direction with the Manager and Principal Investigators.
• Communication: Attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills to translate findings from impact evaluations into policy lessons for policymakers and the public audience. This requires clear, precise, non-technical writing and visual creativity in presentation.
• Time management: Proven ability to handle several different tasks at one time, successfully complete tasks assigned, and meet deadlines. A willingness to work hard, be self-motivated to learn, and display initiative will be essential for doing well in this position.
• Willingness to travel: Position may require travel throughout the region to meet with policymakers in government agencies, NGOs, foundations, and international development organizations, as well as follow-up work to promote research projects and other policy and capacity-building initiatives.
• Languages: High level of proficiency (fluent or native) in both Indonesian and English.