Senior Research Associate - Scaling Every Child Counts in India - JPAL - South Asia

 Project Title: Senior Research Associate - Scaling Every Child Counts in India

 Country: India

 Location: Vijayawada/Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

 Start Date: May, 2025

 Language requirements: English, Hindi , Telegu

About the Role

Every Child Counts is an evidence-based early years program that provides young students with the right stimulus to translate their innate understanding of mathematics into formal symbolic applications of mathematics in school. It includes four games—two focused on geometric abilities and spatial understanding, and two on enhancing number sense. It has been rigorously evaluated through three randomized evaluations (RCTs) in Delhi (2013–2019) in collaboration with Pratham Education Foundation and piloted across five Indian states between 2019 and 2023 in pre-primary and Grade 1 government school classrooms. In November 2023, J-PAL South Asia launched its first cohort of the Every Child Counts Certificate Program – a coalition model to scale up Every Child Counts by building capacity of NGO partners. The NGOs are required to go through a week-long classroom training followed by a three-month implementation pilot that is monitored by J-PAL SA.

We are seeking a motivated Research Associate to lead and support Monitoring & Evaluation efforts for scaling the Every Child Counts (ECC) program across Andhra Pradesh and parts of North India (Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi). The role involves engagement with partner NGOs, government stakeholders and internal teams to ensure robust evidence-driven implementation of the ECC program. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to one of India’s most promising scale-up efforts in foundational learning.

Key Responsibilities

The Research Associate will work closely with PIs and the field team to undertake the following tasks

Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) activities:

• Design and oversee end-to-end monitoring and evaluation processes (including field-based classroom observations, teacher training assessments, student learning evaluations) across multiple states to ensure timely, high-quality, and actionable insights that inform program implementation and scale-up strategy.
• Manage and evaluate pilots conducted by partner NGOs under the Every Child Counts Certificate Program. Provide technical guidance and ensure alignment with the program's M&E framework.

Data cleaning and management:

• Review and vet project datasets and maintain an efficient data documentation system
• Work with other members of the team to reconcile any gaps or errors in the data

Data analysis and synthesis :

• Assist in analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected during the project’s implementation
• Liaise with members of the project team by sending them statistics as and when required
• Generate aggregated views of the data for various stakeholders – the implementation partners, Principal Investigators and donors
• Assist in documenting data collection efforts, including any issues and key decisions taken for improvements

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Engage with implementation partners and government stakeholders in Andhra Pradesh to ensure effective coordination, alignment, and execution of the ECC program.
• Working closely with the Policy team to develop memos, presentations and other communication materials for use in advocacy, government meetings etc

Capacity Building: Lead and facilitate M&E-related trainings and advisory support for program teams and partner organizations in Andhra Pradesh and North India.

Develop M&E Resources: Create high-quality resources (manuals, toolkits and guides) related to M&E for the ECC program, to be published on the ECC website and used by practitioners across the country.

Reporting and Documentation:

Assist in preparation of documents and presentations for donor reporting as well policy memos as dissemination activities

Responsible for general project documentation

Maintain compliance with all J-PAL protocols and policies.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Education, Public Policy, Development Studies, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred for senior roles
• At least 2 years of professional experience in the education or development sector, with direct exposure to field-based implementation
• Proven experience in designing and implementing monitoring and evaluation systems, including process monitoring and outcome assessments
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to interpret and present data effectively
• Proficiency in Stata for data cleaning, analysis, and visualization
• Hands-on experience with SurveyCTO or similar digital data collection platforms
• Demonstrated ability to work independently in fast-paced, multi-stakeholder environments
• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal
• Language Proficiency: Fluency in Telugu, Hindi and English
• Willingness to be based in Vijayawada for at least 6-8 months with an option to relocate within Andhra Pradesh/Telangana thereafter.
• Flexibility to travel extensively across Andhra Pradesh and occasional travel to North India

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience engaging with government stakeholders
• Experience conducting or facilitating capacity building workshops or trainings
• Familiarity with foundational learning programs, teacher training models, or large-scale education reform initiatives in India
• Strong skills in data visualization, reporting, and knowledge product development
• Knowledge of qualitative research methods and tools (e.g., interview protocols, thematic analysis)
• Candidates with 2+ years of relevant experience may be considered for a Senior Research Associate position.