Research Manager (Rolling) - Inclusion Economics India Centre at IFMR

Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab; India; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab's Inclusion Economics India Centre at IFMR is hiring Research Managers to support field-based research on gender, governance and environment in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, India. You will gain experience in research management, contribute to study design, lead surveys and field experiments, and work with top academics.

The role involves managing randomized controlled trials with top academics, budgeting, grants management, mentoring staff, and coordinating

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics or public policy, with strong economics coursework.
• 3–5 years of management experience in international development or related field.
• Excellent oral and written communication in English.
• Proven analytical skills with knowledge of STATA or R.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision.

Responsibilities

• Mentor, manage and oversee project staff and recruit as needed.
• Oversee day-to-day field activities and supervise Research Associates.
• Supervise field teams, design surveys and test survey instruments.
• Ensure budgeting and cash flow reflect research assumptions.
• Coordinate budgets with investigators and ensure accuracy.
• Cultivate relationships with funding organizations and partners.
• Support grant applications and explore new funding sources.
• Travel to field offices across India as required.

Skills

English communication

Analytical skills

Project management

Team leadership

Research management

Budgeting

Multitasking

Stakeholder engagement

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Education

Master’s degree in economics or public policy

Tools

STATA

R

Python (pandas + scrapy)

Git

Database management

Job description

Research Manager (Rolling) - Inclusion Economics India Centre at IFMR

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; 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 Research Managers to support a portfolio of several field-based research projects on gender, governance, and environment in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, India. The position will allow the candidate an opportunity to gain first-hand research management experience on projects at the forefront of economic research and public policy. The Research Manager will manage at least one randomized control trial involving top academics from internationally acclaimed universities. The Research Manager will be responsible for contributing to research design and implementation of the assigned project/portfolio, leading stakeholder engagement, mentoring and supervising the research team, budgeting and supporting other operational tasks, reporting, and contracts/grants management, as well as contributing to research design and implementation of the assigned project/portfolio.

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 organisational 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 appropriately represent Inclusion Economics India Centre to outside stakeholders.

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to join a team of leading economists and public policy experts from top universities across the world 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 by supervising a team of Research Associates and other operations staff, in collaboration with relevant policy partners and India and Yale-based teams
• Supervise a field-based team to manage project activities, including intervention implementation, and contribute to field-based scoping, survey design, and survey testing. Monitor field-based data collection to ensure the highest data quality standards are upheld. Some of these activities require frequent travel to our field offices in various states in India
• Ensure compliance of 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 is very important
• Coordinate with other project staff and Research Managers to contribute to organisational 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.
• Master’s degree in relevant field such as economics or public policy/administration. Significant coursework in economics is highly preferred
• From 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 the assigned project/portfolio’s main office location ( Delhi, Patna, or Bhopal ) with frequent travel throughout the country.

Who should apply for rolling positions

We are always looking for great candidates and understand that some of the fixed start dates in our positions may not work for you! Please check out the positions with specific start dates on our website. But if none of those start dates work for you, we strongly encourage you to apply for the positions we are hiring for on a rolling basis. For rolling positions, the start date is flexible. If you are looking to apply at a future date, we strongly encourage you to apply for it now and indicate your preferred start date in the application form. Candidates who will be completing their master’s degree in 2025 and are available to join in the summer or later in the year can also apply.

We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, particularly women, people of color and other marginalized communities which have historically been underrepresented in the field of economics.