Senior Research Associate - J-PAL LAC

About J-PAL

J-PAL LAC is a non-profit research center that aims to reduce global poverty by generating rigorous scientific evidence to inform social programs and public policies. As part of a global network of leading academics, J-PAL conducts randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to measure the impact of social programs and works closely with policymakers to translate evidence into effective policy design and implementation across multiple sectors and countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

J-PAL organizes its work into three main areas:

• Research: We partner with donors to create initiatives that fund research. We also implement RCT 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 the executive training and develop a 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 the case of 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 Memoranda of Understanding with Insper for work in Brazil, the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala for work in Central America, and ITAM for work in Mexico.

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, Chile. In addition to our headquarters, we have staff based in São Paulo, Brazil (at Insper), Guatemala City, Guatemala (at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala – UVG), and Mexico City, Mexico. We support projects across multiple countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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 team, project, or initiative you would be working with

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. Within this collaboration, a central focus is the Beca Artesano program, a flagship MIDES initiative that aims to improve economic opportunities through skills development and productive inclusion.

Through this collaboration, opportunities to strengthen the program and increase its impact were identified. The current project implements a pilot to test and refine proposed improvements before moving to a full-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT).

The study is led by researchers from Tilburg University (Netherlands), the University of California, Berkeley (United States), and Universidad de los Andes (Chile), and sits at the intersection of development economics and behavioral economics, with a focus on rural women’s entrepreneurship and labor market outcomes.

The Senior Research Associate will support the field implementation and evaluation of the Beca Artesano pilot, gaining hands-on experience in applied development research, coordination with government counterparts and local partners, and data management and analysis. This position is particularly well-suited for candidates planning to pursue graduate studies in economics or other quantitatively oriented social sciences.

Summary of the role

The Senior Research Associate will support the day-to-day field implementation of the Beca Artesano pilot and ensure high-quality data collection. The role serves as a key coordination point between the research team, government counterparts, and local implementation partners.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Support coordination of pilot logistics, including participant recruitment, attendance tracking, and implementation follow-up
• 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: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Economics, Public Policy, Statistics, or a related field. Preference will be given to candidates with training in quantitatively oriented social sciences.
• Languages: This position is based in Guatemala; full proficiency in Spanish is required. Advanced English is necessary to work with international research teams.
• Experience: At least two years of relevant professional experience in research, fieldwork, data analysis, or evaluation. Experience with randomized evaluations is strongly preferred.
• Technical skills
  • Word: Advanced
  • Excel: Advanced
  • PowerPoint: Intermediate to advanced
  • Statistical Packages (Stata required; R or Python desirable): Advanced
  • SurveyCTO or similar mobile data collection platforms: Desired.

Additional experience and competencies

• Prior fieldwork experience in rural areas of Guatemala or in similar socioeconomic contexts
• Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to coordinate across multiple stakeholders
• High attention to detail, ability to work independently, and strong initiative
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical concepts into accessible language for diverse audiences, including public sector decision-makers.

Work permissions

This position is open to citizens or foreigners with visas and/or valid work permits in Guatemala at the time of applying for this vacancy.

Location

Guatemala, with travel to field sites outside the capital city as required.