Block Coordinator, Literacy field

Vacancy Name Senior Research Associate - Rural Livelihoods

Employment Type Full Time

Location Delhi Office (DO)

Job Description Senior Research Associate - Rural Livelihoods,Evaluation office, New Delhi

1. Background

The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) promotes evidence-informed equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development. We support the generation and effective use of high-quality evidence to inform decision-making and improve the lives of people living in poverty in low- and middle-income countries. We provide guidance and support to produce, synthesize and quality assure evidence of what works, for whom, how, why and at what cost. 3ie is registered as a non-governmental organization in the United States. It has offices in New Delhi, London and Washington, DC.

3ie’s evaluation office, based in New Delhi, is responsible for developing and implementing evidence programs for impact evaluations, reviewing and quality-assuring 3ie-funded impact evaluations and conducting in-house evaluations. The office supports projects and programs across thematic areas like aquaculture, agricultural innovation, sanitation, immunization and livelihoods.

An important area of work for our evaluation office is working closely with different agencies to assure quality of impact evaluation of real-life development project and support impact evaluation ready Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems. 3ie has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India on a project that will provide technical support to generate evidence and strengthen capacity for Government’s flagship rural development program— the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). The aim of this project is to produce a diverse set of mixed method studies that, in combination, will provide evidence on the overall impact of NRLM, and on a subset of pilots conducted under the program National Rural Economic Transformation Project (NRETP), and generate learnings on pathways, contextual factors and other elements that mediate policy impact. Through these studies, 3ie will focus on generating evidence on the impact of the program on women’s income and assets and their control over income while simultaneously assessing its impact on household consumption and other measures of household welfare.

3ie is looking for a Delhi-based Senior Research Associate to support its livelihoods evidence program. Only for exceptional candidates with the right to work in India, we may consider a remote working arrangement. This position will be on a fixed-term contract until November 2025. Any extension will be subject to the continuity of the project funding, as well as performance in the role.

2. Summary:
The Senior Research Associate is expected to support research and grant management. Key activities include participating in research activities, writing program documents, reviewing grant proposals, quality-assuring studies. They are also expected to assist with knowledge management, evidence synthesis and stakeholder engagement related to the program.

3. Key responsibilities:

The core responsibilities are listed below, but the position may be assigned other duties depending on the organization’s needs.

3.1 Grant program management:

• Review technical deliverables submitted by grantees
• Organize relevant events and meetings such as steering committee meetings, monitoring calls, workshops and other events
• Prepare content for the webpages related to 3ie programs
• Participate in key stakeholder meetings, and field-based missions from time-to-time
Coordinate with key stakeholders in the program, such as donors, thought-partners, grantees, implementers, policymakers and others
• Assist in planning workshops where results and lessons from 3ie-supported grants are shared
• Assist in preparing donor reporting documents

3.2 Contribute to research and evaluation:
• Under the guidance of the program managers, design and implement mixed-methods research to examine the evidence program’s main questions
• Support data collection and where data collection is by a survey firm, undertake survey firm management, implement data quality control measures, including conducting field visits to monitor the survey team and submit field visit reports
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data collected for evidence production
• Co-author research articles with the program team
• Perform replication analysis as part of quality assurance of the grant programs for which the individual will be trained by 3ie
• Contribute to the generation of writing outputs such as project briefs, minutes from meetings and learning documents
• Support the capacity building, training and dissemination workshops with policymakers at the national and state missions

3.3. Knowledge management and marketing:
• Develop policymaker-friendly materials such as briefs, executive summaries, study summaries, blogs, conference abstracts and other reports for 3ie databases, internal tracking, website content and external channels
• Assist with organizing and planning 3ie events
• Attend local and international conferences to present work related to 3ie programs from time to time

3.4 In-house research:

Contribute to in-house research projects, including but not limited to push-button replications of data using statistical software, quantitative analyses of impact evaluation data, evidence syntheses (e.g., literature reviews, portfolio reviews, learning papers, data gathering), developing questionnaires and databases, and other research-related tasks.

3.5 Stakeholder engagement
Work to expand existing and build new networks with stakeholders including academic researchers, professional evaluators, development practitioners in government and non-government field and others, as required.

4. Qualifications and skills:

4.1 Education and work experience:

Required:

• A Master’s degree preferably in Economics, Social Sciences/Development Studies or a related field
• At least five years of relevant professional work experience
• Understanding of livelihood progras in rural India and familiarity with self-help group approach
• Proven experience in fieldwork in rural India

Desirable:

• Experience in managing large-scale surveys in developing country contexts, especially in the field of community-driven development programs and rural livelihoods
• Prior experience and/or knowledge of impact evaluation methodology
• Prior experience with and/or knowledge of qualitative research methods
• Prior experience in writing and producing reports, research papers or briefs

4.2 Skills and experience:

• Strong data analysis skills using statistical software such as STATA, SPSS and/or other statistical software packages such as R and Python; ability to work with large data sets
• Technical expertise in one or more of the following is desired:
• data science methods, including data wrangling, exploratory analysis of large-scale data sets, statistical analysis, predictive analytic
• geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and spatial analysis
• costing and economic evaluation (e.g., cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-benefit analysis)
• The ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English and Hindi, both oral and written
• Willingness to travel across India, including to the rural parts of the country
• Previous experience in organizing workshops and conferences is desirable
• Strong ability to work on a team and under pressure with strict deadlines
• Strong organization and planning skills, proactivity and perseverance
• Ability to work in a multicultural setting and sensitivity to people of all genders

5. Eligibility:

3ie will recruit one individual with the right to work in India and based in New Delhi. 3ie is an equal-opportunity employer committed to equality and diversity. We do not discriminate based on sex, age, religion, ethnicity, caste, sexual orientation or for being differently abled. We particularly encourage ethnic minorities and differently-abled persons to apply.

6. Terms of employment :
Candidates should be available to start work in April 2023. 3ie offers competitive remuneration based on experience and qualifications. Our policies and procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse. We follow a zero-tolerance policy for any form of bullying or harassment in the workplace.

7. How to apply:

The application package must include the following documents:
• A one-page cover letter highlighting the experience most relevant to the job description.
• Curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages) and contact information of three professional references (as one document)
• Interested candidates are required to fill the Google Form.

Due to the urgency to fill this role, applications will be reviewed, and shortlisted candidates interviewed on a rolling basis. 3ie reserves the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received before the above-mentioned closing date.

Apply here:
https://3ieinternational.my.salesforce-sites.com/careers/fRecruit__ApplyJob?vacancyNo=VN095