Senior Research Associate, The People Lab, Harvard Kennedy School

Organisation:
Harvard University
Location:
  • United States of America
Date de prise de fonction:

Job Summary

The Senior Research Associate (Sr. RA) will work closely with a diverse team of scholars at The People Lab (TPL) who are passionate about conducting collaborative, applied, data-driven research on key priorities in government. Projects range from: how to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, how to reduce burnout in front line workers, and how to increase take-up of anti-poverty programs. The vast majority of studies involve a randomized controlled trial (RCT), and direct collaboration with government agencies and other stakeholders.

This position is a term appointment ending June 30, 2025. This is a fully benefits-eligible position. 

Position Description

Duties & Responsibilities (included but not limited to):

  • Serves as a primary point of contact for government partners.
  • Develops and implements project timelines and management plans.
  • Executes the design and implementation of rigorous research designs, including – but not limited to – randomized control trials (RCTs), survey experiments, and behavioral interventions.
  • Conducts statistical and econometric analysis using Stata or R on administrative data sets and/or other incoming data, including developing preliminary analysis plans, cleaning data correctly, conducting analysis in accordance with analysis plans, and presenting and visualizing the results in various formats (tables/graphs, etc).
  • Coordinates, conducts, and analyzes surveys, both online and in the field, and supports and executes design of surveys.
  • Carries out research administration tasks, including data use agreements, data safety requirements and IRB protocols.
  • Provides guidance to junior Research Assistants/Associates (RAs), where appropriate.
  • Assists with the code review process.
  • Supports authorship of academic papers, policy reports, grant reports, and other publications by conducting literature reviews, editing or drafting text, and preparing manuscripts for submission and publication.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in public policy, economics, statistics, or another closely related field.
  • 5+ years of relevant post-baccalaureate research experience.
  • Prior experience conducting applied research.

OR

  • Graduate degree in public policy, economics, statistics, or another closely related field.
  • 3+ years of relevant post-baccalaureate research experience.
  • Prior experience conducting applied research.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

If you have some, but not all of the following, we encourage you to apply; we value employees with a willingness to learn:

  • Demonstrated experience meeting project timelines across multiple projects and communicating with internal and external stakeholders in a productive, professional, and timely manner.
  • Ability to work with streams of qualitative and quantitative data across multiple projects in a research setting.
  • Experience supporting client relationships and communicating with internal and external stakeholders in a professional and timely manner.
  • Experience handling sensitive data securely preferred.
  • Experience supporting the design and implementation of randomized controlled trials and / or online surveys.
  • Demonstrated experience in quantitative data analysis, including cleaning new data sets and presenting data in various formats.
  • Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills, including exceptional writing skills.
  • Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
  • Ability to work both independently and as a team member.
  • Eagerness and ability to learn new skills quickly on the job.
  • Experience working in the public sector or on public sector challenges.

Comment candidater

Your resume/CV should include your cumulative GPA in college and (if applicable) grad school. GPA will be one factor among many that will be taken into consideration. In your cover letter, please be sure to include (a) why this position interests you, (b) when you might be available to start, and (c) names and contact information for at least three references. We will not contact references until later in the recruitment process, with your permission. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Apply here .