Senior Training Associate - J-PAL Global

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 more than 1,100 top researchers at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts innovative research and builds powerful partnerships to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, J-PAL has over 500 staff working across our offices worldwide.

Position overview:

J-PAL is recruiting a Senior Training Associate to contribute to its mission of promoting evidence-informed policy. This position is based at the J-PAL Global office at MIT in Cambridge, MA. Visa sponsorship is not available. Only applications following all instructions at the bottom of this page will be considered. 

This position is part of J-PAL’s Research, Education, and Training (RET) team – a diverse and integrated group that works together in a fast-paced, collaborative environment with the goal of equipping policymakers, researchers, and staff with the necessary knowledge and tools to conduct rigorous impact evaluations.

In this role, you will contribute to J-PAL’s training efforts by developing new teaching materials on randomized evaluations and helping with the planning and delivery of course offerings for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. You will work with learners around the world, developing open-access resources for J-PAL’s online courses and tailored materials to strengthen partners’ capacity to generate and use rigorous evidence in their work. You will work closely with our regional offices and J-PAL’s partner organizations, and you will have the opportunity to travel domestically and internationally to support or participate in training courses.

J-PAL encourages diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work, and we value the diverse perspectives our staff bring to their roles and to the broader J-PAL community. We encourage people from all backgrounds, especially those underrepresented in the field of economics, to apply to this role. In your cover letter, you are welcome to share how your background and lived experiences have influenced your desire to work at J-PAL (this is entirely optional, just an opportunity for us to get to know you a bit better).

Principal duties and responsibilities:

Your responsibilities may include:

• Researching and designing new teaching modules and preparing presentations, case studies, and manuals to train policymakers, implementers, researchers, and research staff on randomized evaluation methods and cost-effectiveness
• Serving as a teaching assistant for online and in-person training offerings to help learners strengthen their skills to generate and use rigorous evidence
• Assisting in planning, organizing, and conducting training courses and workshops for key partners in governments, NGOs, and foundations around the world
• Coordinating and collaborating with training colleagues across J-PAL offices to support knowledge management for our training materials and processes
• Maintaining tracking, monitoring, and evaluation systems for J-PAL courses and conducting data analysis to assess learning and engagement
• Supporting the development of relationships with key partners in governments, NGOs, foundations, multilateral aid agencies, and universities worldwide
• Other assignments as needed as the position grows

Qualifications and skills:

• Education: A bachelor’s degree in economics, political science, education, international development, or other related fields is required. Master’s degree preferred. Training in and a strong technical understanding of econometrics and/or randomized evaluations is required.
• Experience: 4 years of relevant work experience is preferred (which may include experience gained as a student), including in program evaluation, quantitative data analysis, economics, or a related discipline. Applicants with less than 4 years of experience are also welcome to apply. Exceptional candidates with less than 4 years of work experience will be considered for an Associate position.
• Interest: You have a strong interest in poverty alleviation policy and research, as demonstrated by coursework and/or study or work abroad.
• Quantitative skills: Knowledge of data management, data analysis, and econometrics is required.
• Software: Must have a good command of Stata, R, or Python. Comfort using Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms) is required. Familiarity with LaTeX and GitHub and exposure to other coding languages are a plus. Comfort using AI tools thoughtfully to streamline certain workflows 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 cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Compensation:

Information about the pay range and pay grade for this position can be found here.

Location: This position is based in Cambridge, MA, with an expectation of in-office presence at least two days per week (currently Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Staff may work remotely on the remaining three days. Hybrid policies are subject to change annually. We greatly value in-office presence and therefore this position, similar to others at J-PAL Global, is not eligible for full-time remote work.

Benefits:

As a member of the MIT community, you benefit from more than just your salary. J-PAL hires highly qualified staff and rewards them accordingly. Total compensation packages are competitive for the non-profit international development field with excellent MIT benefits, including comprehensive health insurance, a 401(k) match and pension-based retirement plan, tuition assistance, commuter benefits, MIT community discounts, a generous vacation policy, and more.

As a J-PAL staff member, you would also be eligible to take the proctored exams in the Data, Economics, and Design of Policy (DEDP) MicroMasters courses to earn course certificates that count towards the DEDP MicroMasters credential at no cost.

We like working at MIT and think you will too.