Research Associate - J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean

About J-PAL:

J-PAL LAC 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 academics worldwide, J-PAL measures the impact of programs with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and uses these results to influence the design of public policies. The J-PAL network has conducted evaluations across dozens of countries, organized in 12 sectors. In Latin America, J-PAL LAC supports a growing portfolio of evaluations across the region.

J-PAL organizes its work into three main areas:

• Research: We partner with donors to create initiatives that fund research. We also implement RCTs 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 executive training and develop rigorous online education to build regional knowledge.

The local grounding of J-PAL is essential for its success. The seven regional J-PAL offices are located at leading universities on five continents. In Latin America and the Caribbean, J-PAL LAC is headquartered at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC Chile). J-PAL LAC also has a Memorandum of Understanding with Insper for work in Brazil and the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala for work in Central America.

In 2019, J-PAL founders Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee won the Nobel Prize in Economics "for their experimental approach to alleviating poverty."

Our Office:

J-PAL LAC is based at UC Chile in Santiago, where most of our staff is located. We also have a team in São Paulo, based at Insper, teams in Guatemala and Mexico, 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 and fundraising and has a more external-facing role. Claudia oversees our operations and develops strategic partnerships, especially with governments.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

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.

About the Project:

J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean (J-PAL LAC) works with governments across the region to strengthen a culture of generating and using rigorous evidence in policymaking. One of these partnerships is with Guatemala's Ministry of Social Development (MIDES), where J-PAL LAC and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG) have supported evidence-informed program design and institutional capacity building.

As part of this collaboration, MIDES, UVG, and J-PAL LAC are launching the Social Development Innovations Lab (SDI-LAB), a joint initiative housed within MIDES' Vice Ministry of Policy, Planning, and Evaluation (VPPE). The Lab aims to institutionalize a "test, learn, and scale" approach to social policy design and delivery so that public programs are better targeted, more effective, and more accountable to the populations they serve.

The SDI-LAB works across key MIDES directorates — including Monitoring and Evaluation, Planning, Program Design and Normativity, and Information Systems — in coordination with the operational units responsible for flagship social programs. The Lab also operates through mixed working groups, bringing together staff from MIDES, UVG, and J-PAL LAC's regional and Guatemala offices to jointly design, implement, and evaluate innovative policy solutions.

Through this collaboration, opportunities to strengthen existing programs and increase their impact have been identified. The first cycle of the Lab's work focuses on testing and refining innovations in two flagship MIDES initiatives. The first pilot focuses on the Beca de Capacitación Productiva (Beca Artesano) program and is being conducted by researchers from Tilburg University (Netherlands), in collaboration with partners from the University of California, Berkeley (United States) and Universidad de los Andes (Chile). The second pilot is currently under development, and its intervention design, research questions, and evaluation strategy are still being defined.

These projects sit at the intersection of development economics and behavioral economics, with a focus on improving livelihoods, economic inclusion, and social outcomes among vulnerable populations. Pilot interventions are being used to test and refine proposed program improvements before moving to larger-scale evaluations, including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), where appropriate. Beyond generating evidence on specific programs, the SDI-LAB seeks to produce lessons that can inform the broader Mano a Mano poverty reduction strategy and future MIDES policies and programs.

Summary of the Role:

The Research Associate will support the day-to-day implementation of the two pilots and ensure high-quality data collection during fieldwork. The role serves as a key coordination point between the research team, government counterparts, and local implementation partners.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate with government counterparts and implementing partners to support the planning and execution of pilot and RCT activities, ensuring alignment with project timelines, operational requirements, and research protocols.
• Facilitate regular communication between the research team, government stakeholders, and field partners, proactively identifying implementation challenges and supporting the negotiation of practical solutions to maintain fidelity to the study design.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with government officials and key stakeholders, securing institutional buy-in and coordinating decisions related to participant recruitment, randomization procedures, data collection activities, and program implementation to ensure the successful execution of the evaluation.
• Prepare and manage survey instruments using Excel and SurveyCTO.
• Clean, process, and analyze baseline and follow-up survey data using Stata or other programming languages.
• Coordinate directly with government technical teams, local facilitators, and municipal authorities.
• Support the organization of focus groups and qualitative interviews with participants and authorities.
• Monitor project databases to ensure consistency and quality of data collection.
• Participate in exchanges with Principal Investigators and support preparation of progress reports.
• Support administrative tasks, including expense tracking and document filing.

Qualifications:

• Education: A bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in economics, political science, public policy, or a related field. Knowledge of the design and analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) is essential, including a solid command of the associated terminology, statistical procedures, and concepts. 
• Languages: This job is based in Guatemala, so full proficiency in Spanish is a must. Advanced English is needed as you will also interact frequently with the Global and regional teams.
• Experience: At least three years of professional experience. Prior fieldwork experience in rural areas of Guatemala or similar socioeconomic contexts is strongly preferred. Preference will be given to candidates with experience in the implementation and evaluation of RCTs.

Soft Skills:

• Communication (written and verbal)
• Stakeholder management
• Team coordination
• Problem-solving
• Attention to detail
• Analytical thinking
• Organization and time management
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Proactivity and initiative
• Critical thinking
• Interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Decision-making

Analytical Skills:

• Impact evaluation (RCTs)
• Experimental design
• Data cleaning and management
• Data visualization
• Programming for data analysis (Stata, R, Python)
• Data analysis
• Monitoring and evaluation (M&E)
• Survey design and implementation
• Causal inference

Technical and Statistical Tools:

• Word: Advanced
• Excel: Advanced
• PowerPoint: Intermediate to advanced
• Statistical Packages (Stata required; R or Python desirable): Advanced
• SurveyCTO or similar mobile data collection platforms: Required

Work Permissions:

This position is only open for Guatemalan citizens at the time of applying for this vacancy.

Location:

Guatemala. The position is on-site and requires presence in Guatemala. Travel availability within Guatemala is required.