Research Associate - J-PAL North America

J-PAL North America, a research center within the Economics department at MIT, seeks two Research Associates to join its team and contribute to its mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. J-PAL North America conducts randomized evaluations, builds partnerships for evidence-informed policymaking, and helps partners scale up effective programs. As a regional office of the global Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, J-PAL North America leverages research by affiliated professors from universities across the world to generate and disseminate rigorous evidence about which anti-poverty social policies work and why. This position is based on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts and provides a hybrid work schedule with some days in the office and some days remote.

To advance our mission, J-PAL North America seeks exceptionally talented individuals of every background whose diverse lived experiences can help us ask better questions and identify better solutions to address the complex causes and consequences of poverty. We are committed to engaging in self-reflection, learning, and dialogue to nurture understanding across differences. Together, we will build an equitable, inclusive culture where everyone feels respected, empowered, and heard.

To learn more about our work and team culture, see our Join Our Team brochure or visit http://www.povertyactionlab.org/na.

Opportunity overview

As a member of the J-PAL North America team, our Research Associates are part of a Nobel-prize winning scientific movement that can strengthen the wider research community and transform US policy making. Our Research Associates play an important part in our work alongside a team of cutting edge researchers who are working to reduce poverty. Research Associates will support a number of randomized evaluations that are being launched across the country. Our Research Associates help the Research team draw lessons from the implementation and analysis of evaluations and translate these lessons into generalizable best practices, protocols, or training materials. They will also support the development of resources that could contribute to the success of new academics who are beginning to work on RCTs.

For our Research Associate positions, we are looking for candidates with a bachelor's degree, strong technical skills, an understanding of impact evaluation, training in economics and statistics, strong writing and communication skills, and a commitment to evidence-based policy. We seek applicants from all backgrounds and welcome candidates with experience working on randomized evaluations in the United States or abroad. We anticipate hiring two Research Associates during this recruitment process, with one beginning in April 2026 and one beginning in July 2026.

Responsibilities

• Support the design of new randomized evaluations through literature reviews, background research, data analysis, and project management.
• Assist with obtaining access to administrative data and applying for IRB approvals.
• Write evaluation design memos describing proposed interventions or evaluation methods.
• Assist in refining the theory of change, developing an analysis plan, and identifying potential constraints and threats to the integrity of the experiment.
• Support relationship management between J-PAL North America, researchers, and external partners to foster collaboration on impact evaluations.
• Field ad hoc research assistance requests (e.g., advice on the use of administrative data, power calculations, and research resources).
• Build capacity of research staff by supporting training engagements.
• Contribute to the development, curation, and dissemination of research resources and best practices in conducting rigorous evaluation.
• Centralize information and best practices on research management, administrative data access and analysis, ethics, regulatory compliance, and other research issues.
• Support the Economics Pathways program by scheduling and taking notes in meetings, developing communications and outreach products to advertise training programs.
• Contribute to trainings on randomized evaluations for pre-doctoral and doctoral level participants by drafting, revising, and copy editing presentation slides, exercise handouts, and additional resources.
• Update and adapt existing resources so they are relevant to researchers operating in the North American context.
• Translate lessons learned from specific evaluations into general research resources.

Compensation & benefits

This full-time, exempt position is classified by MIT as a Research Policy Associate I, SRS position. Please find the current pay range for this position with the job posting on MIT's career website. This is a fixed market-based salary range and the starting salary MIT offers any candidate will be based on their experience relative to others in similar roles at MIT.

J-PAL North America staff are MIT employees, which means they are eligible for a wide array of institutional benefits. Some of these MIT benefits include comprehensive health insurance, a 401(k) match up to 5% of salary plus a pension-based retirement plan, tuition assistance up to $5,250 per calendar year, commuter benefits, access to MyLifeServices, a generous vacation policy (3 weeks of paid vacation in your first year, and 4 weeks every year after that, plus an additional 12+ paid Institute-wide holidays per year and an end of year break), paid leave for sick time, maternity and parental leave, back-up child care benefits and much more.

Professional development

J-PAL North America supports a culture of learning, with opportunities to attend weekly seminars, engage in small-group discussions with other J-PAL staff, participate in workshops, and take classes for credit at MIT or elsewhere with our generous tuition assistance program. Research Associates have the opportunity to work with J-PAL affiliates and directors, as well as interact with policymakers and practitioners.

Qualifications

• Commitment to Mission & Values: Cares personally and deeply about policy that has the potential to reduce poverty and the rigorous research that informs it. Demonstrates interest in poverty alleviation in the North American (primarily the United States) context in particular. Demonstrates a commitment to J-PAL North America’s values.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree in economics or a closely related field is required, as is training in statistics and quantitative methods and training in effective non-technical writing.
• Experience: This is a junior-level position generally occupied by recent college graduates who are seeking to gain meaningful work experience before graduate school or other pursuits. Eligibility for this role requires demonstrating the equivalent of 2 years of relevant work experience involving research, social policy or data analysis, which can include part-time work, college level coursework, related internships, volunteer experiences, research assistant or teaching assistant experience and/or policy work. Prior demonstrated experience working with communities of color and/or those experiencing poverty in North America is a plus.
• Technical Skills: Demonstrates the ability to accurately explain basic concepts related to randomized evaluation and other impact evaluation methodologies with minimal support and accurately explain research design, study implementation, results, and/or data systems on assigned projects. Prior experience working on prospective randomized evaluations is a plus.
• Ownership of Work: Takes responsibility/is accountable for effectively completing assigned discrete tasks or projects with high attention to detail under direct supervision.
• Written Communication: Accurately and succinctly communicates in writing with J-PAL staff and stakeholders on assigned projects with minimal supervision from senior-level staff. Clearly communicates technical information to non technical audiences.
• Oral Communication: Demonstrates strong active listening skills and accurately and succinctly communicates information orally to staff and external partners with minimal supervision from senior-level staff.
• External Stakeholder Relations: Has the ability to support partnership development between researchers and potential implementing partners and/or maintain relationships with existing stakeholders under supervision from researchers or managers.
• Task & Project Management: Demonstrates ability to take on a process oriented task, plan and organize work, delegate appropriately, coordinate with others, establish appropriate priorities and timelines, exercise follow through, and add overall value to the process.
• Problem Solving/Decision Making: Has the ability to analyze facts, respond to problems, issues, and opportunities that are identified by supervisors, and collaborate to identify a solution or response.

How to Apply

Ready to join a team of collaborative, inclusive, and inquisitive colleagues? Apply by our priority deadline on Monday, March 2nd.

This position is not eligible for any type of visa sponsorship and any offer is contingent on the successful completion of a background check and your ability to provide proof of U.S. work authorization without sponsorship from MIT.

Submit an application via MIT’s human resources system. Visit http://jobs.mit.edu/external, search for job ID 25486 (Research Associate - J-PAL North America), and complete an application.

In a single PDF uploaded to the resume field, please include:

• A resume and a cover letter which answers the following questions:
• Tell us about your interest in poverty alleviation in the North America region, especially in the US and what experiences you have had that demonstrate that you are able to work with communities experiencing poverty?
• What experiences have you had with quantitative policy/social science research, and how they have prepared you to be effective in this Research Associate role?
• What experience have you had in translating technical concepts and communicating about research projects with technical and non-technical stakeholders?

Please note that in addition to addressing these prompts, your cover letter will be evaluated as a writing sample for this role and we will be reviewing it to see if your interest in our work and qualifications for this role are clearly communicated.

Should you need a reasonable accommodation to fully participate in our employee selection process, please contact Isaak Kifle, Human Resources Manager at najobs@povertyactionlab.org or (617) 715-5844.

We will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis as we receive them. Short-listed applicants will be asked to complete a technical exercise and phone interview. Finalists will be called for a final interview and have references checked.

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

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