Senior Policy Associate - J-PAL Global

Position Overview:

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of over 390 affiliated professors at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.

The Policy & Communications Group plays a key role in translating research by J-PAL affiliates into actionable poverty alleviation policies around the world. Staff connect the dots between economics and policy and are passionate about working with organizations to form partnerships for evidence-informed development policy. 

J-PAL is recruiting a Senior Policy Associate, to contribute to this mission of promoting evidence-informed policy. The Senior Policy Associate will support the Global Deputy Executive Director, Global Director of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives, and Global Director of Policy & Communications in high-priority strategic, operational, cross-team initiatives, partnerships, and policy outreach. The position will be based in Cambridge, MA, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with two in-person work days per week. 

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Only applications following all instructions at the bottom of this page will be considered.

Responsibilities:

Your work will provide strategic, analytical, and communications support for J-PAL’s senior leadership and growing policy, scaling, and partnerships efforts. As a Senior Policy Associate supporting on strategy, partnerships, donor engagement, and cross-team initiatives, your primary responsibilities will involve preparing written materials (concept notes, decks, memos) for senior leadership and potential partners and funders, cross-team and partner coordination and communications, research, and outreach and evidence dissemination.

Strategic Support and Special Projects (80%)

• Support the three senior leaders on high-priority strategic, operational, and cross-team initiatives. This may include preparing briefing materials, drafting internal and external communications, supporting planning and prioritization, coordinating follow-through across multiple stakeholders, and helping move key projects and partnerships from idea to execution. Support senior leaders in their external and internal communications and provide writing, editing, and desk research support. Attend and participate in some external meetings with priority partners. 
• Provide project and analytical support on priorities led by J-PAL’s Policy & Communications and Evidence to Scale teams, and the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives. This may include background research, meeting preparation, presentation development, draft correspondence, writing briefing and concept notes, stakeholder tracking, and follow-up on next steps.
• Help coordinate complex internal and external workstreams involving senior staff, researchers, donors, policymakers, implementing organizations, and other partners. Contribute to planning for high-level meetings, convenings, and strategic engagements, and ensure that decisions and action items are clearly captured and advanced.

Policy Research and Evidence Dissemination (20%)

• Write and edit materials that translate economic research into practical lessons for policymakers and practitioners around the world. This may include evaluation summaries, policy insights, presentations, grant proposals, donor reporting, policy memos, blogs, newsletters, website content, and other written materials in support of J-PAL’s policy outreach.
• Based on priorities from senior leadership, develop substantive knowledge in one or more priority policy areas and provide research, analysis, and project management support as needed. This may include conducting desk research, synthesizing evidence for internal and external audiences, supporting partnership development, coordinating with researchers and implementing organizations, and contributing to strategic communications campaigns.
• Contribute to J-PAL’s broader mission in other ways as needed, including knowledge management, internal training and onboarding, recruitment and hiring, and support for cross-organizational projects.

Qualifications & skills:

Your technical expertise, strong communication and organizational skills, passion for translating research into action, and interest in international development make you an ideal candidate for the Senior Policy Associate role.

• Education: You hold at least a bachelor’s degree with training in economics, international development, public policy, or a closely related field. A good understanding of research methodology and/or econometrics as part of your coursework is a plus. 
• Experience: Minimum four years of relevant work experience; training in economics, including intermediate-level economics and econometrics. A master’s degree is preferred.
• Skills: Strong and error-free writing and analytical skills are a must. You are extremely detail-oriented, with the ability to organize information clearly and concisely without significant guidance. You are precise, clear, and creative. You are comfortable working in or learning computer applications, including Google Suite, Microsoft Office Suite, and Salesforce.
• Organization: You are a strategic thinker and love project management. You can handle multiple projects at once, meet deadlines, and effectively manage your time. You have a clear and strong vision and appreciation for how your work improves the productivity of J-PAL’s leadership and thereby contributes to the mission of the entire organization itself.
• Communication: You are detail-oriented and have advanced writing skills. You understand how to communicate policy lessons from technical academic research in ways that policymakers and practitioners understand. You are precise, clear, and creative.
• Experience with AI: You have experience applying AI to improve workflows. You have the ability to determine where and how AI tool use is responsible and ethical in your own work. Having working knowledge of a coding language sufficient to be able to describe a project to an LLM, execute the generated code, and iteratively de-bug with the AI tool’s help is a plus.
• Cultural competencies: You are comfortable and adept at working in a diverse and multicultural work environment, with colleagues, partners and policymakers from around the world. You display sensitivity, adaptability, and inclusivity in your engagement with people from diverse backgrounds including age, ability, culture, gender, nationality, race and ethnicity, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and other identities. We appreciate candidates who have familiarity with concepts and frameworks such as racial equity or gender analyses.
• Attitude: You love learning. You are passionate about international development policy and the rigorous research that informs it. You are agile, adaptable, self-motivated, hardworking, and collaborative.

Compensation:

Salaries for most new employees are set at the starting point / lower end of this range.  

Pay Range Minimum: $85,284 

Pay Range Maximum: $95,945