Research Manager (Gender and Governance Portfolio)

Location

Bhopal | India

Job description

Inclusion Economics India Centre is an initiative affiliated with Inclusion Economics at Yale University, founded and based out of the Yale Economic Growth Center and MacMillan Center. Inclusion Economics India Centre is based at, and accountable to, the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) Society.

Drawing upon economics, political science, and related fields, we conduct cutting-edge research to understand how policy can promote inclusive, accountable economies and societies. Our core research focuses on gender as it relates to labor economics and broader economic empowerment, political economy and governance, education and environmental economics. We also aim to build a culture of evidence and increase data literacy in the public sector, strengthening leaders' ability to identify and implement evidence-informed policies. Throughout the research life cycle, we engage closely with policy counterparts to ensure we address questions of immediate relevance, and we regularly communicate data-driven insights with policy counterparts and the general public.

The Role:

We are hiring a Research Manager to work on multiple research studies, starting with an ambitious multi-year, at-scale policy research initiative with the Government of Madhya Pradesh and PRADAN. The project focuses on understanding how giving women more control over their earnings at scale impacts their autonomy, labor force participation, and norms around women's work in the community. The position will allow the selected candidate an opportunity to gain first-hand research management experience on projects at the forefront of economic research and public policy. The candidate will join a team of leading economists and public policy experts at Yale and other reputed universities to work on cutting-edge development research and gain first-hand experience working with policy partners, implementing surveys and field experiments, and conducting rigorous data analysis.

This position requires a self-starting candidate with proven management experience and familiarity with applied economics research who can work with multiple stakeholders to deliver on the project objectives. They should be willing to work in a dynamic organizational environment and bring high levels of integrity and commitment to the work we do. The candidate should be able to effectively navigate India's institutional landscape and represent Inclusion Economics India Centre to outside stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Manage project activities, including intervention design and implementation, and contribute to study design, field-based scoping, survey design, and survey testing. Monitor field-based data collection to ensure the highest data quality standards are upheld. Regularly communicate with Principal Investigators to ensure that research design and managing threats to research design is informed by the ground realities and policy landscape.
• Mentor, manage and oversee staff on the projects. Recruit and onboard staff as determined by project requirements and funds. Contribute to the growth/feedback process of direct reportees and be their first point of contact when guidance is required.
• Ensure compliance with the research projects and advise the finance team to ensure budgeting and cash flow estimates reflect research assumptions.
• Work closely with research staff and lead investigators to ensure project budgets accurately reflect program design and budgets are updated and executed appropriately. Integrity and efficiency in all financial matters are very important.
• Coordinate with other project staff and Research Managers to contribute to organizational initiatives and staff capacity building.
• Manage relationships with funding organizations and partner institutions; work with partner institutions to coordinate project administration and logistics.
• Contribute to Inclusion Economics India Centre's strategic vision by identifying additional sources of funding and potential partner organizations for the expansion of our research portfolio.
• Contribute to grant applications as needed.
• Flexibility in working hours to accommodate coordination across teams in multiple time zones and to implement research activities.
• Other tasks, as required.

Basic Qualifications:

• Master's degree in relevant fields such as economics, political science or public policy/administration. Significant coursework in economics is highly preferred
• 3 to 5 years of management experience in field research/data collection in international development or related field
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English
• Proven analytical skills and knowledge of common statistics software packages (e.g., STATA, R)
• Proven ability to manage multiple tasks and propose solutions in a timely manner with minimal supervision
• Excellent attention to detail
• Capacity to maintain an organized and structured work style in a fast-paced environment
• Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to interact with a wide range of individuals ranging from Research Associates to academics, donors, research institutions, etc.
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment
• Willingness to visit research project sites as necessary

Preferred Qualifications:

• Working knowledge of Hindi
• Experience with research grants management, budgeting, and project management
• Solid understanding of research project design and processes, experience with RCT's
• Experience with Python (Pandas + Scrapy), Git, and database management

This position will be based in Bhopal, India, and will involve frequent travel throughout the country.

Job tags

Salary