Research Associate (Mathematics), Assessment Unit, ASER

PRATHAM Education; New Delhi; On-site; INR 600,000 - 660,000; Full time

Job summary

Pratham Education Foundation (Pratham) is seeking a Research Associate to design mathematical assessments and frameworks for ASER projects. You will plan and coordinate timelines, work with ASER and Pratham teams, and liaise with external donors as needed.

The role requires developing assessment tools, translating content, preparing training materials, and supporting large-scale deployment across diverse regions with frequent rural travel.

Qualifications

• Minimum graduates in Mathematics, science, psychology, measurement or a related field (with Mathematics/Statistics as core).
• Minimum 1 year of work experience in assessment development, implementation, or analysis.
• Familiarity with mathematics assessment frameworks, test development, and psychometrics.

Responsibilities

• Design and development of mathematics assessments, theory of change, and technical reports.
• Develop standardized assessment items and translations for multiple programs and languages.
• Prepare training materials and detailed training plans; review regional translations.

Skills

English proficiency

Hindi proficiency

MS Office

Statistical analysis

Education

Bachelor's in Mathematics/Statistics

Post-graduate in relevant field

Tools

Stata/R/Python

Job description

Pratham Education Foundation (Pratham) is one of the largest education NGOs in India with a record of innovative, rigorously evaluated programs that have inspired similar programs across three continents. With a history spanning 30 years, Pratham’s work today extends from programs for early and elementary years to girls and women, and youth skilling. Through programs covering 25 states and Union Territories, in an average year, Pratham usually reaches over 6 million children and youth. This is achieved through a combination of efforts: directly working with children and youth in communities, as well as through collaborations with state and district-level governments.

Pratham has received notable awards such as the Lui Che Woo Prize, WISE Prize for Innovation, Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the Henry R Kravis Prize in Leadership and the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year for Public Service. Pratham also received the 2021 Yidan Prize for Education Development and the Yashraj Bharati Samman in 2025.

Established in 2008, ASER is the measurement, assessment, and research arm of Pratham Education Foundation. ASER generates evidence for action and focuses on outcomes and processes in education and other social sectors. It builds the capacity of individuals and institutions to measure at scale, understand, communicate and act upon the findings of assessments and research, with the objective of improving the quality of social sector programs. It aims to create a culture where rigorous measurement of outcomes is integral to action, thus bridging the gap between theory and practice, assumption and reality.

The Assessment Unit at ASER specialises in designing innovative assessment tools for various educational programs, both nationally and internationally. Our expertise spans Early Childhood Education (ECE), Primary, and Upper-Primary groups, as well as EdTech initiatives. We develop assessments to measure student learning outcomes, teacher effectiveness, and impact of educational interventions with a focus on continuous improvement. Our recent endeavors include creating tools to evaluate the impact of technology-driven learning interventions and designing adaptive assessments on Android applications.

Position Summary

The Research Associate will be responsible for all aspects related to designing educational assessments and frameworks pertaining to Mathematics oriented projects of the Assessment Unit. The role may additionally involve project management duties which include setting and delivering on project timelines and milestones, and coordinating closely with various units at ASER and Pratham and/or external clients/donors.

Key Responsibilities:

Design and development of mathematics assessments

• Develop the Mathematics assessment frameworks, theory of change, and technical report through extensive literature review and field pilots.
• Develop simple, standardised, and discriminating items/assessment tools to measure children’s knowledge and skills across multiple programs and languages, through extensive literature review, and field pilots.
• Translate and validate items and content to enhance the quality of the assessment tool.

Development of training material and plan

• Create print and audio-visual material for training of trainers and volunteers.
• Create detailed training plans for different levels of training.
• Review and finalise the regional translations of training material.

Planning and implementing at scale

• Support in identifying resource requirements for projects and allocate them adequately.
• Create a plan, timeline, and budget for assessment roll‑out from literature review to implementation.
• Troubleshoot problems during assessment roll‑out with support from the Senior Researchers and Teammates.

Data interpretation and report writing

• Explore different interpretations and visualisations of collected data.
• Write and edit reports and visualise report design.
• Create content such as proposals, articles, research papers and evidence briefs as required.
• Participate in any other research, assessment, survey project of ASER on need basis.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

Education

• Minimum graduates in relevant fields like Mathematics, science, psychology, measurement or a related field (with one of the core subjects as Mathematics, Statistics, Applied Mathematics etc). Post‑graduation in the relevant field and B.Ed./M.Ed. will be an added advantage.
• Minimum 1 year of work experience in assessment development, implementation, or analysis (if no full‑time work experience, then internships can be considered).
• Familiarity with Mathematics assessment frameworks, test development, educational measurement theories and psychometric.

Communication

• Reading, speaking and writing proficiency in English and Hindi is essential; proficiency in any other regional language is an added advantage.
• Strong written and oral communication skills to correspond with a diverse audience – rural, urban, faculty, students, government officials, partner organisations, donors, etc.
• Experience with research writing and editing is an added advantage.

Technical

• Advanced proficiency in MS Office – Word, PowerPoint, Excel.
• Knowledge of any data analysis software such as Stata, R, Python is an advantage.

Organisational

• Able to work under minimum supervision
• Able to manage multiple projects simultaneously with great attention to detail
• Able to handle work pressure and deliver under tight schedules
• Take initiative and think innovatively
• Open to rural travel for long and short durations, often at short notice and sometimes alone

Travel:

Frequent travel to rural locations across the country.

Duration:

Minimum 2 years’ commitment.

Remuneration:

CTC 6 – 6.6 lakh per annum, negotiable as per experience.

Reporting:

The selected candidate will report to the Unit Head, Assessment Unit.

Note: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may not be able to provide individual responses to every applicant. We will reach out only to shortlisted candidates. We appreciate your understanding and patience.