Senior Specialist Prevention, Research and Innovation: Behavioural Science and Impact Evaluation

Universität Basel; Basel; Vor Ort; CHF 85.000 - 110.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

The Basel Institute on Governance seeks a behavioural scientist to design and pilot anti-corruption interventions, lead rigorous impact evaluations and analyse resulting data. You will work with an interdisciplinary, international team, travel for fieldwork, and publish findings in peer-reviewed venues.

The role demands deep expertise in experimental methods, strong data management skills, and a commitment to rigorous causal analysis for real-world impact.

Qualifikationen

• PhD or equivalent research experience is an advantage.
• Excellent statistical and econometric skills including causal inference methods.
• Demonstrated expertise in design and implementation of experimental impact evaluations.
• Experience with GDPR and research data risk management.

Aufgaben

• Collaborate with PRI team and external partners to design behavioural experiments and field interventions.
• Lead design of rigorous impact evaluation approaches including RCTs or quasi-experimental designs.
• Lead statistical analysis of experimental and survey data with causal inference techniques.
• Design and implement experiments and surveys with instrument development and sampling.
• Manage databases and data infrastructure with GDPR compliance and risk management.
• Develop procedures and rules for experiments and support ethics approvals.
• Program and maintain infrastructure for experiments (oTree, z-Tree, Qualtrics).
• Contribute to writing and publishing research outputs and donor reports.
• Communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences and donors.
• Engage with stakeholders and implementers throughout the research cycle.

Kenntnisse

Experimental design

Causal inference

Statistics / Econometrics

R and Stata

Data management

GDPR & data security

Otree / z-Tree / Qualtrics

English communication

International travel

Ausbildung

PhD in behavioural science or related field

Graduate degree (PhD preferred)

Tools

oTree

z-Tree

Qualtrics

R

Stata

Jobbeschreibung

Place of Work and Contract

Place of work: Basel, Switzerland

Employment rate: 80–100%

Start date: As soon as possible

Contract type: 3 years with possibility of extension

Other: Must be eligible to work in Switzerland

About the Employer

The Basel Institute on Governance is a hands-on centre of competence dedicated to promoting good governance and countering corruption for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Established in 2003 in Basel, Switzerland, the Basel Institute works with partners worldwide to advance knowledge, practice and policy on anti-corruption, asset recovery and business integrity. With field operations worldwide, it has some 150 staff covering 32 nationalities. The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel.

Job Description

We are seeking a behavioural scientist with exceptional quantitative skills to join our Prevention, Research and Innovation (PRI) team. Working at the intersection of research and practice, the successful candidate will collaborate with the team to design experiments and pilot anti-corruption interventions in the field. They will also lead the design of rigorous impact evaluation approaches – e.g. randomised controlled trials – and the statistical analysis of the resulting data to build robust evidence of what works in preventing and reducing corruption. This is an intellectually demanding and stimulating position with excellent prospects for both academic publication and real-world impact. You will work with an interdisciplinary team and international partners. The role involves a significant amount of international travel for data collection and intervention design. The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in experimental methods and causal inference with strong data management skills, a broad understanding of the social sciences (ideally including corruption studies) and a keen interest in testing development interventions for impact.

Your Position

• Collaborate with colleagues of the PRI team and external partners in the design of behavioural experiments and pilot anti-corruption interventions in field and lab settings.
• Lead the design of rigorous impact evaluation approaches, including experimental methods (e.g. randomised controlled trials) and, where randomisation is not feasible, quasi-experimental designs.
• Lead the statistical analysis of experimental and survey data, applying appropriate econometric and causal inference techniques to ascertain impact, effect sizes and direction of causality with a high degree of statistical rigour.
• Design and implement behavioural experiments and surveys, including instrument development, sampling strategies and power calculations.
• Manage the team's databases and data infrastructure, including the development and implementation of data management plans, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance, data security and risk management.
• Develop procedures, protocols and rules for experiments, and support ethics approval processes.
• Program and maintain the technical infrastructure for experiments and surveys (e.g. oTree, z-Tree, Qualtrics) and provide organisational support for running experiments in the field.
• Contribute to writing and publishing research outputs, including peer-reviewed articles, working papers, policy briefs and donor reports.
• Communicate findings to technical and non-technical audiences, including practitioners, partner organisations and donors.
• Engage actively with stakeholders, implementing partners and team members throughout the research cycle.
• Support the broader activities of the PRI team concerning research, acquisition, and project design and implementation.

Your Profile

• Graduate degree in behavioural science, experimental or behavioural economics, psychology, political science, statistics or a related quantitative discipline; a PhD or equivalent professional research experience is an advantage
• Demonstrated expertise in the design and implementation of experimental impact evaluations
• Excellent statistical and econometric skills, including causal inference methods, with proven ability to analyse experimental and observational data (proficiency in R or Stata required)
• Experience designing and implementing behavioural experiments and surveys, including familiarity with standard experimental games, behavioural theories and preference measures
• Strong data management skills, including experience with data management plans, GDPR and research data risk management
• Experience programming experiments and surveys in platforms such as oTree, z-Tree (unleashed) and/or Qualtrics
• Excellent written and spoken English, with a track record of (or strong potential for) publication in peer-reviewed outlets
• Strong interpersonal skills, intellectual curiosity and the ability to engage with new areas of research
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally, including to challenging environments

Equal Opportunity Employer

Equal opportunity employer

The Basel Institute is an equal opportunity employer. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law.

All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

We have been positively evaluated by the Swiss Federal Administration to gender pay equality.