Research Consultant - Educational choices and employment outcomes, Telangana - J-PAL South Asia

Company description

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) seeks qualified applicants for positions as Research Consultants for projects on agriculture, education, environment, finance, health, labor, and governance in locations around the world. The projects study a variety of topics within the previously listed fields. The positions offer an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research. These positions are located primarily in developing countries around the world and the principal investigators are J-PAL affiliated professors.

Project description

Many college graduates in Telangana, especially those with non-STEM degrees, struggle to find employment or are disappointed in the jobs they find. Attending college is a low-return investment for them because the skills they gained are not what employers are looking for. Yet students pursue college because they overestimate the value of their BA degree in the labor market. Or they pursue college for social prestige rather than practical skills development.

Meanwhile, manufacturing firms report that college graduates are often reluctant to accept available positions, viewing them as beneath their qualifications. This skills mismatch is a challenge for attracting electronics manufacturing and other formal-sector employers to the state. This problem is not unique to Telangana or India; it is common across middle-income countries including China and in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Principal Investigators - Dr Seema Jayachandran (Princeton University); Dr Rebecca Dizon-Ross (University of Chicago); Lucia Lamas Cardozo (Princeton University) – are conducting a research study, through J-PAL, that aims to improve employment outcomes for young adults in Telangana by addressing skills mismatch between higher education and labor market needs.

The research consultant will work on the pilot survey to assess employment rates, job types, salaries, and satisfaction levels and identify factors that predict successful outcomes.

Research consultant roles and responsibilities

The RC will work closely with academic researchers and other field staff to perform a variety tasks including, but not limited to:

• Overseeing implementation of the evaluation in accordance to the research design, in association with our partner organizations
• Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, conducting quantitative analysis of survey data.
• Managing field teams: Recruit, train, and supervise both field-based and data operations teams consisting of project assistants, field managers, field-based surveyors, data entry operators and other field and office staff.
• Supervising data collection and ensuring data quality and productivity.
• Maintaining relationships with partner organizations at both headquarters and field levels
• Assisting with data cleaning, preliminary data analysis, and preparation of documents and presentations for dissemination.
• Reporting to PIs on all of the above-mentioned activities.

Qualifications and experience

• Required
  • A Bachelor’s degree in Economics (or related field), Education, Social Sciences
  • At least 1 year of work experience is necessary
  • Prior experience working with government partners is desired but not necessary
  • Prior experience with field data collection is desired but not necessary
  • Familiarity with impact evaluations and randomized controlled trials is required
  • Excellent management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills
  • Fluency in English and strong communication skills are required. Fluency in Telugu is preferred – speaking, writing, reading.
  • Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
  • Willingness to live in Hyderabad, Telangana.
  • Intermediate knowledge of STATA or other data analysis tools
  • Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
• Desired
  • Master’s degree in economics, public policy, development studies, social sciences or related disciplines is preferred
  • Experience living in a developing country and/or liaising with government officials is a strongly desired but not necessary
  • Proficiency in STATA (or other tools such as R, SPSS etc.) is desired.

We are looking for a commitment period of 4 months for this position, with a scope for extension within this project or within other projects at J-PAL. 

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana

Note on work authorizations

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India. This covers citizens of India, Nepal or Bhutan, Persons of Indian origin (PIO), and an Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).