Research Associate Job in Nairobi Kenya - Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

Busara Center for Behavioral Economics 
 

Position: Research Associate
 

Deadline to Apply: January 5, 2014
 

Start Date: February 1, 2015
 

Location: Nairobi
 

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.