Description du poste Research Associate, Education project, Tutoring, Morocco Employment Lab, Morocco - J-PAL MENA
Organization: Location:
Morocco
Start Date (Earliest): 1 October 2023 Start Date (Latest): 1 November 2023 Length of Commitment: One year The Morocco Employment Lab (MEL) is looking to hire a Research Associate to coordinate its research efforts to foster a culture of evidence-based policymaking in Morocco, conducted by a team of international researchers. This position will be based in our offices at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic campus in Rabat.
About the Morocco Employment Lab (MEL)
Launched in September 2020 as part of a joint partnership between the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and Center for International Development (CID), the Morocco Employment Lab (MEL) seeks to create a culture of evidence-based policymaking in Morocco through rigorous impact evaluations and capacity building.
MEL partners with key stakeholders in the labor and education sectors to help improve their policies and programs. Labor sector projects cover topics such as youth economic inclusion, job search assistance and intermediation and vocational training. Projects on education range from early childhood education to foundational literacy and teacher professional development. MEL aims to develop new research projects in additional sectors in the near future, such as health and social protection sectors.
MEL works across four complementary components to contribute to building a culture of evidence-based policy and ensuring that public policies and programs are informed by evidence:
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Identify policy priorities
: The Morocco Employment Lab works with policymakers to diagnose key policy challenges, especially those compounded by COVID-19, identify data, highlight and prioritize knowledge gaps.
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Build capacity for evidence use
: The Morocco Employment Lab hosts training workshops and events on how to generate and use evidence in policymaking. Tailored trainings are being delivered to researchers, civil service trainees, NGOs and government officials at different levels to create a broad understanding of how evidence can be used in policy and program design.
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Conduct impact evaluations
: Together with its policy partners, the Morocco Employment Lab co-designs and implements a portfolio of impact evaluations that address the identified policy priority issues.
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Share evidence to inform policy
: The Morocco Employment Lab disseminates research results to a wide range of stakeholders through large-scale policy symposiums, policy briefs, and online communication channels.
About the research project
This research project is a randomized evaluation conducted by J-PAL affiliated and other international researchers: Andreas de Barros (University of California Irvine), Marc Gurgand (Paris School of Economics), Rebecca Thornton (Baylor University), Hosam Ibrahim (University of Minnesota), Sarah Chloe Deschenes (The World Bank).
The subject of the evaluation is an intervention implemented by the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports (MENPS) of Morocco that seeks to place students from teacher training programs as tutors in middle schools. The objective is to study how employing these teacher trainees as tutors to address weak fundamental skills can impact student learning and skills, as well as the effect of placing teacher trainees on teacher selection and future quality.
About the position
The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the design and implementation of impact evaluations as well as data collection, management, and analysis, in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research.
Research Associates work closely with academic researchers and other field staff to perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to: designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, running pilot tests, refining the design and the survey instruments of the study, managing survey teams, negotiating contracts with survey firms, checking and analyzing data, cleaning data and assisting in the preliminary analysis, assisting in the writing of project reports and policy memos, and coordinating with the local partner running the program under evaluation.
The position is designed to help the selected candidate prepare for graduate-level studies in economics, quantitative education research, and/or further professional opportunities in impact evaluation. Alumni who worked with the study's investigators in similar positions have gone on to Ph.D. and Masters programs at Harvard and the University of Chicago, for example.
This position is based in Rabat, Morocco.
Key Responsibilities
The Research Associate is responsible for the supervision of the project and its successful implementation in the field, which includes:
Propose and, as appropriate, implement innovations in the different stages of a project in coordination with Principal Investigators Maintain and grow effective relationships with partner organizations Oversee and lead the field research activities, including the implementation of the evaluation, according to the research design in coordination with partners Liaising with field staff running the evaluations and collaborating with them including travel to research field sites Conduct background research in conjunction with field research activities Designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, refining study design and surveying instruments Supervise in person or phone data collection and ensure the good quality of the data ● Assist with the preparation of administrative databases Assist with data cleaning and preliminary data analysis Any other work assigned by Principal Investigators
He/she will also be responsible for ensuring good communication and organization on a daily basis:
Facilitate, strengthen and maintain effective and efficient communication as the primary contact point with Principal Investigators. Provide periodic updates on project activities to PIs and subject experts Participate in the planning and design of any outreach activities Ensure that project activities are on schedule and prepare project update reports according to agreements with funders and partners
Requirements
A Master's Degree in economics, public policy, math, statistics or related technical fields including training in microeconomics, econometrics, statistics, and advanced mathematics Graduate-level coursework in economics is a plus Experience with living in Morocco or a developing country is a strong advantage Previous experience in development research preferred Very strong quantitative, organizational, and communication skills are necessary Fluency in French and an excellent command of English (compulsory). Arabic command is a plus Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations Prior experience working with large data sets and programming in Stata, SAS, R or other statistical programs is necessary. Familiarity with randomized controlled trials is a strong plus.
How to Apply
If you are interested, please share your CV and cover letter with Jamila Ayoub at jayoub@povertyactionlab.org following these instructions: (1) In the subject line: Include your full name: first (given) name followed by last (family) name, followed by job title : “Research Associate- Education-Tutoring project- Employment Lab, Morocco”.
Given the volume of applications received, only short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. Détails du poste Lieu de travail Maroc Domaine de la société Autres Services de Soutien aux Entreprises Type de société Non spécifié Type demploi Non spécifié Salaire mensuel Non spécifié Nombre de postes à pourvoir Non spécifié