Research Manager - Inclusion Economics India Centre at IFMR

Position: Research Manager, Bhopal-Based Employer: Inclusion Economics India Centre at IFMR
Location: Bhopal, India
Start date: As soon as possible

Principal Investigator:

• Soledad Artiz Prillaman, Stanford University

Who We Are:

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, with strategic oversight from Krea University. Inclusion Economics India Centre collaborates with the Inclusion Economics at Yale University team to enable inclusive economies and societies through research and policy engagement.

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.

We are driven by values of

• Inclusive Opportunity – We study how policies can promote inclusion and strive to practice this value by creating opportunities for individuals from all walks of life.  We collaborate with, and seek to learn from, each other.
• Rigor – We take a rigorous approach to research and the entire research environment – from asking initial questions, to engaging with the right policy counterparts to create impact, to communicating final results.
• Curiosity – we approach problems with open-minded curiosity and consider a wide range of approaches – which we then pursue with discipline and rigor.  We innovate, drawing upon other fields and developing new approaches beyond traditional economic tools.
• Integrity – We respect each other and those we work with, uphold ethical standards, are honest, admit our mistakes, and are committed to constant improvement.
• Challenge Accepted Paradigms – Bold research and policy engagement allows us to speak to the challenges of supporting the world’s poor and vulnerable.  We are willing to look through new lenses to rethink the status quo.

The Study:

Global attention on women’s political inclusion has coalesced into solutions that enable women’s descriptive representation - the guarantee of women’s presence in political spaces. But presence does not guarantee voice. In fact, despite widespread policies aimed at gender equality, women’s voices - their demands, needs, and interests - remain poorly represented in politics and policy. This imperfect representation of the voices of women in political institutions yields the underrepresentation of women’s interests and gender inequalities in policy access and social outcomes. Nowhere is this more salient than in India, where women continue to face chronic underrepresentation in politics. Accordingly, the primary research study will be focused on evaluating a proposed solution to women’s underrepresentation in politics – establishing a feedback loop between women citizens and representatives.

The selected candidate will also have the opportunity to 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.

Responsibilities:

• 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.
• Support the implementation of research projects, including overseeing day-to-day field-based activities and study design by supervising a team of Research Associates and other operations staff, in collaboration with relevant policy partners and India and out-of-India teams.
• Manage project activities, including intervention 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.
• 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 as and when called upon.
• 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 overall management and 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 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, database management

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

How to Apply:

If you are interested in this position, please fill out our Screening Questionnaire; you will be asked to upload a single PDF containing your CV, cover letter, writing sample, and academic transcripts.  Label your file “Last name, First name – Research Manager_Bhopal”. 

To view other open positions, visit the Inclusion Economics Opportunities page.