Research Associate

CEGA is a West Coast hub for research on global development, with a network of 120+ academic researchers extending across the University of California, Stanford University, and the University of Washington. Our faculty affiliates design and test solutions for the problems of poverty, generating actionable evidence for policy-makers in low- and middle-income countries. Through careful matchmaking, competitive grant-making, and research dissemination activities, CEGA ensures that the scientific evidence we produce improves the lives of people living in poverty.

CEGA is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion – please read our values statement here.

Position Details

CEGA seeks a motivated Research Associate to support the Center’s Faculty Director, Edward Miguel. The Research Associate will coordinate field research activities for rigorous evaluations of social and economic programs in Africa, with a focus on the Kenya Life Panel Survey project. S/he will also provide critical administrative support including coordinating the Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE), budgeting/contracting, events management, and outreach/communications, while contributing to Center-wide process improvements and performance management. The Research Associate will work closely with Professor Miguel, who will provide mentorship and supervision, and will collaborate with other CEGA staff as needed. While this position is based in Berkeley, there will be periodic field work assignments in Kenya.

This is a challenging opportunity for an early-career professional who is passionate about global development and social science research; has a strong desire to expand and deepen skills in research administration, project planning, and partnership development; is a successful self-learner; and is energized to contribute to the long-term success of a dynamic organization.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Research Assistance (75%)

• Assist with data cleaning, data analysis, and replication activities (STATA, R).
• Conduct background research in conjunction with field activities.
• Design, refine, and pilot research questionnaires.
• Support data collection and data entry to ensure data quality.
• Liaise with field staff in Kenya on a variety of topics, including data quality, developing human subject protocols, grants management, survey questionnaire development and coding, etc.
• Assist in the preparation of documents and presentations for grant proposals, donor reporting, and dissemination activities.
• Manage a team of 3-5 graduate and undergraduate students per semester including hiring, onboarding, creating assignments, training and supervising work.

Administrative Assistance (25%)

• Support the implementation of CEGA research initiatives, such as the Working Group in African Political Economy (WGAPE), by organizing conferences (including an annual conference held internationally), cultivating partners, composing concept notes, and drafting proposals, budgets, and grant reports to funders.
• Manage grant budgets, including a complex mix of campus, grant, contract, and gift funds.
• Provide assistance with subawards/other agreements, including: compiling required documentation, drafting scopes of work, monitoring sub-awards to field partners, managing payments/invoicing, and ensuring adherence to regulations/processes, human subjects protocols, and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) recruitment and undergraduate student assistant recruitment for the Faculty Director or CEGA.
• Manage select communications for the Faculty Director including drafting content for his website.
• Organize periodic special events, including oversight of logistics and budgeting, calls for nominations/papers, communications, and reimbursements.
• Organize office hours and managing the Faculty Director’s calendar and scheduling.
• Participate in center-wide activities, including maintenance of standard operating procedures (SOPs), process documentation, internal work groups, writing blog posts and other communications as needed, and performance management.

Qualifications

As a Research Associate, your primary tasks will involve communication, analysis, and specialization.

Education: You hold at least a bachelor’s degree with significant training in economics, including intermediate-level economics and econometrics. Degrees in public administration, business mathematics or a related field may also be considered. Ideally you have a demonstrated academic interest in international development and public policy and/or international experience.

Experience: You have one to three years of relevant work experience.

Skills: You have strong quantitative and Excel skills, and proficiency in statistical software such as STATA or R. You have experience working in developing countries (preferably in a research-related capacity). Ideally, you have had coursework in quantitative research methods, and knowledge of a variety of administrative operations, such as budget creation, financial forecasting, managing calendars, hiring graduate and undergraduate students. It’s preferred (but not required) that you have proficiency in Kiswahili (spoken and written), and working knowledge of limited UC policy and procedures.

Communication: You are detail-oriented and have advanced writing skills. You are precise, clear, and creative. You use discretion and maintain confidentiality when necessary.

Organization: You are a strategic thinker and service-oriented. You are well-organized and can handle multiple projects at once, meet deadlines, and effectively manage your time with little direct supervision. You have the ability to anticipate and solve problems, and independently investigate solutions to administrative challenges.

Cultural competencies: You are comfortable and adept at working in a diverse and multicultural work environment, with colleagues, partners and policymakers from around the world. You display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Attitude: You love learning. You are passionate about international development policy and the rigorous research that informs it. You are agile, adaptable, self-motivated, hard-working, and collaborative. You have a sense of humor with a positive attitude in approaching challenges and uncertainty.

Salary & Benefits

Compensation is commensurate with experience. UC Berkeley offers a competitive benefits package. For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University visit: http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/forms_pubs/misc/benefits_of_belonging.pdf

How to Apply

Online application is required. Please visit http://jobs.berkeley.edu and search for Job ID# 14551. Please submit a brief cover letter and resume as a single PDF attachment when applying. The cover letter should be no more than one page, and include (1) your specific interest in working with CEGA, (2) your main qualifications for the responsibilities listed above, and (3) how you will contribute to diversity and inclusion on the UC Berkeley campus and within CEGA, including through life experiences and activities you have been involved in. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Hiring staff will first review applications by 2/28/2021 and applications submitted after this date will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please note this position is not eligible for US visa sponsorship, though foreign nationals with permission to work in the US are encouraged to apply.