Busara Center for Behavioral
Economics
Position: Research Associate
Deadline to Apply:January 5, 2014
Start Date: February
1, 2015
Summary: The
Busara Center for Behavioral Economics is seeking a qualified person for the
position of Research Associate.
Busara serves two primary
goals:
(1) to develop, test, implement
cutting edge behavioral science research, and
(2) to rigorously apply behavioral
insights to policy-making and program design to enhance organizational outcomes
and effectiveness.
To serve the first goal, Busara
conducts behavioral experiments, both in our physical lab setting housed in
Nairobi, as well as through our “mobile lab”, which can be deployed to any
location in Kenya. Busara has established a professional lab setting as a
resource for researchers to implement dynamic decision making experiments with
a unique subject pool.
Respondents are recruited from the
informal settlements of Nairobi and then randomly selected and invited for
sessions at the center. Experiments range from simple decision-making
tasks to complex political role-playing games.
To pursue the second goal, Busara
also engages directly with partners to enhance program outcomes by integrating
insights from the behavioral evidence base.
In this capacity, Busara can work on
larger scale client-based experiments, high-level policy advising, and capacity
building efforts.
The position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand field management experience in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research.
The Research Associate will work
directly with the Busara-Kenya team, but also with the academic leadership
housed at Princeton University, and any researchers or clients developed during
their work period. Past clients have included Duke, MIT, Harvard, University
College London, UC Berkeley, IFPRI, Stanford, the World Bank, and others.
Responsibilities:
The Research Associate will work
closely with the Busara-Kenya Office to conduct the following activities:
- Plan and assist with the project design,
including but not limited to survey design, sampling strategy, data
quality assurance protocols, data collection and ongoing analysis.
- Conduct analysis and assist in writing of
papers for submission to academic journals. Write reports of
completed projects for publication in technical journals, for presentation
to agency requesting project, or for internal knowledge development
- Develop and maintain efficient systems for
managing and implementing ongoing field and lab activities.
- Engage directly with clients to develop new
project ideas and foster ongoing partnerships
- Develop and update ongoing internal data systems
to improve knowledge sharing and training materials
The Research Associate will be based
in Nairobi, with occasional travel within Kenya and possibly
beyond.
Qualifications and Experience:
Required Qualifications:
- A Bachelor’s degree in economics, social
sciences, public policy, or related fields. Other fields will be
considered.
- Excellent management and organizational skills
along with strong quantitative skills
- Experience managing large teams or groups to
complete project tasks
- Fluency and excellent communication skills in
English
- Interest and experience working in a
fast-paced working environment
- Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage
multiple tasks efficiently, a team player
- Demonstrated ability to manage high-level
relationships with partner organizations
- Knowledge of and experience working with STATA
or other data analysis software
- Excellent team work and aspires and supports
the ideals of working in a team work environment
- Self-driven and highly motivated to deliver
results within tight deadlines
- Familiarity with randomized controlled trials
- Familiarity with and interest in behavioral
economics
- Proactive and ambitious to support innovation
and change in a dynamic working environment
Desired Qualifications:
- Extensive programming skills with STATA, R,
Matlab, and Python
- Strong econometrics background and extensive
experience managing large datasets
To apply, please submit your CV and
cover letter to jobs@busaracenter.org and ensure that the subject line reads:
“Research Associate REF NO: BU-2014-11-20”.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Deadline to apply is January 5, 2014.
