Training & Education 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 on which social programs and policies can make a real difference in people's lives. Formed by a network of more than 900 academics worldwide, J-PAL measures the impact of programs with randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and uses these results to influence the design of public policies. The J-PAL network has conducted over 2,200 evaluations in over 90 countries, organized in 12 sectors. 

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 investigation's results, create alliances, and provide technical assistance to governments.

Training: We lead the executive training and develop a rigorous online education to build regional knowledge.

J-PAL's local grounding is essential for its success. The seven regional J-PAL offices are located at leading universities on five continents. J-PAL is headquartered at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC Chile) in Latin America and the Caribbean. 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, where most of our staff is. We also have a team in São Paulo, based at Insper, and project staff in several LAC countries. 

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. 

About the team, project, or initiative you would be working with

The Training and Education team is dedicated to building capacities and fostering collaboration across different stakeholders to enhance better producers and users of evidence and equip learners worldwide with skills in impact evaluation, including data analysis and economics related to social programs. The vertical is pivotal in coordinating specific training and technical assistance needs with other areas and projects at J-PAL LAC.

The main general activities of the vertical are structured as follows: 

• Play a pivotal and strategic role in fostering capacity development for evaluation and evidence use within governments and NGOs in LAC, specially in Brazil.
• Tailoring and crafting content, along with designing capacity-building solutions that resonate with the needs of our partners in the region. This involves harnessing J-PAL's online courses in Spanish and Portuguese and creating and executing customized courses.  
• Assume an active role in contributing to the education programs and efforts at J-PAL.

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.

Summary of the role

The Training Associate will support the planning, coordination, and implementation of training courses and education activities at J-PAL LAC, with a focus on strengthening the use and generation of evidence in public policy and organizational decision-making. The role involves working closely with internal teams and external partners to deliver training workshops, courses, and technical advisory services, as well as contributing to the development of learning materials and capacity-building tools aligned with J-PAL’s training standards. The position will be supervised by Valentina Olivares (Training & Education Senior Associate), with support from Shantal Aragón (Training & Education Senior Manager).

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

The primary responsibilities of the Training & Education Associate revolve around promoting a culture of evidence-based decision-making within a variety of policymakers and fostering collaborative relationships with key stakeholders. Some of the expected responsibilities and results for the position are: 

• Coordinate and implement training courses tailored to the needs of internal and external organizations.
• Design and implement new processes and tools for the Training & Education vertical.
• Develop training and education materials for capacity-building initiatives, including manuals and knowledge products, ensuring alignment with J-PAL’s training standards.
• Facilitate coordination between government and NGO partners and J-PAL teams to support meaningful engagement with evidence and data
• Support partners in navigating institutional barriers related to evidence use and impact evaluation.
• Contribute to expanding and strengthening a culture of evidence-based decision-making across projects and partners.

Qualifications

• Education: A bachelor's or master's degree in economics, public policy, sociology or a related field. Knowledge of the fundamentals of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) is essential, including a solid command of the associated terminology, statistical procedures, and concepts. Understanding of other impact evaluation methods, and theory of change is also desired.

• Languages: This job is based in Brazil, so full proficiency in Portuguese is a must. Intermediate to advanced English is desired as you frequently interact with the Global and Regional Teams. Although you can interact with the T&E team in Portuguese; basic, intermediate or advanced Spanish is desired as you will also share frequently with the LAC team based in Chile, México, Guatemala, and others.

• Experience: Relevant work experience, preferably related to training, education, or scientific dissemination activities. Previous experience as a university research or teaching assistant will also be considered.

• Technical Skills
  • Word and Excel: Advanced
  • PowerPoint: Advanced
  • Statistical Packages (STATA or R): Basic or Intermediate. 
  • Experience with impact evaluation methodologies
  • Familiarity with methodologies such as theory of change, logical frameworks, indicator development, randomized evaluations, and quasi-experimental methods is highly desirable.

• An ideal candidate demonstrates:
  • Strong organizational and analytical skills.
  • Ability to support multiple activities simultaneously and deliver agreed outputs on time.
  • Attention to detail and ability to work with structured materials and processes.
  • Ability to work independently on assigned tasks, with guidance from the team.
  • Clear written and oral communication skills, including preparing training materials and presentations.
  • Ability to collaborate with internal teams and external partners in a professional and respectful manner.
  • Interest in training, education, and capacity-building activities related to evidence use and public policy.
  • Alignment with J-PAL’s mission and interest in initiatives aimed at improving lives through evidence.

Work permissions

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

Location

Depending on your residence, you will be expected to attend the offices once a week or once a month, located in São Paulo, Brazil. The position involves frequent travel to different states in Brazil. Although all applications are welcome, priority will be given to those residing in the states mentioned above.