Senior Policy & Research Manager, Development Economics Lab

University of Chicago; Washington; Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Benefits package

Job summary

The University of Chicago’s Development Innovation Lab seeks a Senior Policy & Research Manager to oversee organizational projects from inception to completion. You will manage day-to-day operations, coordinate across stakeholders, and ensure on-time delivery aligned with goals.

The role requires strong organizational skills, independence, and experience managing complex initiatives. You will bring expertise in development economics, program evaluation and research design, including familiarity

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics, public policy, international development or related field.
• 5–7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Experience with program evaluation and/or research design, including familiarity with RCT methodology.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct guidance to leadership on strategy and high-level engagements with stakeholders.
• Manage development of high-quality research outputs including evidence syntheses and data presentations.
• Prepare speeches, talking points, and briefing materials translating economic research for policy audiences.
• Lead scoping and design of emerging research and policy initiatives and contribute to funding proposals.
• Manage and deepen relationships with partners, funders, and collaborators to advance policy priorities.
• Lead recruitment for policy roles and supervise a policy staff team of 2–3.
• Contribute to lab duties, trainings, and onboarding as needed.

Skills

Program evaluation

RCT methodology

Statistical analysis

Policy communication

Project management

Cross-cultural collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in economics, public policy, international development or related field

Bachelor’s degree or higher in related field

Tools

Tableau

Datawrapper

GitHub

Stata

R

Asana

Microsoft Office

Job description

The University of Chicago’s Development Innovation Lab seeks a Senior Policy & Research Manager to oversee organizational projects from inception to completion. You will manage day-to-day operations, coordinate across stakeholders, and ensure on-time delivery aligned with goals.

The role requires strong organizational skills, independence, and experience managing complex initiatives. You will bring expertise in development economics, program evaluation and research design, including familiarity