J-PAL facilitates recruitment for postings from our affiliated professors as well as J-PAL’s regional offices and partner organizations. J-PAL’s Global and North America offices are at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, and J-PAL’s regional offices are at the University of Cape Town, IFMR (India), the Paris School of Economics, Universitas Indonesia, and PUC Chile.

J-PAL affiliated professors employ research staff through a variety of research centers, including Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), Centre for Microfinance, Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD), Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA), and IFMR Lead. J-PAL affiliates also hire research assistants at their home universities. Only staff hired for positions at J-PAL in Cambridge, MA will be hired as MIT employees. All other staff, including those hired by J-PAL regional offices, will be hired by the specific research center or university they are working with.

Please read job postings carefully and follow application instructions exactly as they are listed - they may differ based on position type or region. Some positions ask applicants to send their materials directly to hiring managers, while most positions require applicants to apply through our Common Application. If directed to the common application, it is especially important to follow application instructions and complete all required sections for the particular job for which you are applying. You will be unable to submit incomplete applications.

For our general research positions, a complete application in the database includes: a CV/resume, statement or purpose (cover letter), transcripts, an explanation of international and developing country experience (for positions based in developing countries), languages, and a list of courses taken in economics, mathematics, and statistics. Additionally, for select positions you will be asked to include the names and email addresses of two to three individuals who will provide your letters of recommendation. Because the application system will immediately send an email to your recommenders, we suggest you reach out to your letter writers prior to providing their information to J-PAL.

J-PAL is a network of research centers and academics who run research projects around the world. Though we have a centralized application database, the hiring process is highly decentralized. J-PAL staff, researchers, and hiring managers will browse applicants by a rating of application strength, geographic location, and flexibility. Given the volume of applications that J-PAL receives, only short-listed applicants will be contacted for interviews. Candidates may receive interview requests from several researchers or organizations within our network throughout the selection process.

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While the J-PAL network fills positions on a rolling basis throughout the year, the bulk of positions are filled during our annual recruitment drives. If you are interested in working for J-PAL or its partner organizations, applying during the annual recruitment drive maximizes your chances of having your application reviewed by many researchers and hiring managers in our network.

This year, our annual recruitment drive dates are:

During our recruitment drive, J-PAL collects a mass of applications from qualified applicants. Staff from J-PAL, IPA, and CEGA review all applications submitted during this period, and after the recruitment drive deadline, they create a database that serves as a recruiting resource for our network’s researchers and research centers. J-PAL staff, researchers, and hiring managers will browse applicants by a rating of application strength, geographic location, flexibility, and language skills. They contact short-listed applicants for interviews from the end of January through the spring. Candidates may receive interviews from several researchers or organizations throughout the selection process. Start dates for positions vary, but most being in June.

To apply to the Drive, first view the posted job descriptions, then submit a Common Application, selecting the jobs you are interested in and qualified for.

Recruitment outside of the J-PAL recruitment drives is conducted position by position. Timelines depend wholly on the needs of the projects, and often positions will post proposed start dates and deadlines for applications. A good general rule is that the sooner you submit your application the better. The majority of finalists for specifically posted positions will be contacted by hiring managers within a month of applying for the position.

J-PAL400 Main Street

E19-201

Cambridge, MA 02142

USA

Contact+1 (617) 324-6566

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