Please note :  All IPA volunteerships are unpaid.

IPA Liberia is looking for a student volunteer to work on the Partnership Schools for Liberia endline evaluation. In 2016, the government of Liberia piloted a new public-private partnership model of pre-primary and primary education. IPA research team partnered with the government to run the first randomized evaluation of such a program in the Sub-Saharan Africa region. The Principal Investigators are Justin Sandefur (Center for Global Development), Mauricio Romero (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México – ITAM) and Wayne Sandholtz (University of California, San Diego).

 

Position Summary :

The student volunteer will work closely with the research staff and other IPA country office staff to oversee all aspects of the research study. This position provides an excellent opportunity to gain extensive experience in a field setting and to have significant responsibilities in a vibrant organization undertaking cutting-edge development research, as well as the opportunity to work in close collaboration with a private sector developing country partner.

Key areas of involvement will include: assist research staff in overseeing data collection activities, support research staff in coordinating and collaborating with the partners, revising survey questionnaires, training and managing survey teams, designing and supervising logistics for the field activities, assisting in cleaning and analyzing survey data, assisting in the writing of project reports and policy memos, and liaising with key government and nongovernmental stakeholders. The work will develop your analytical and management skills and require your full commitment in a challenging environment.

Qualifications

  • Interest in development issues and more particularly in education issues within the developing world ;
  • Good understanding of impact evaluation methodologies (particularly randomized controlled trials) and terminology ;
  • Strong academic background, comfortable reviewing academic papers ;
  • Basic knowledge of working on STATA or R software ;
  • Excellent writing, analytical, synoptic, and communication skills (English) ;
  • Candidates should expect to be available for a minimum of 3-5 months, should be flexible and self-disciplined ;
  • Previous experience working in a developing country is a plus ;
  • Previous experience working with IPA and/or J-Pal is a plus.

 

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements :

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external customers ;
  • Excellent computer proficiency (MS Office – Word, Excel and Outlook) ;
  • Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary customer service ;
  • Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices ;
  • Bachelor’s degree (master’s preferred) in economics, statistics or development.

Application Instructions

1) Follow the instructions and complete the application form here.

About IPA

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that discovers and promotes effective solutions to global poverty problems. IPA brings together researchers and decision-makers to design, rigorously evaluate, and refine these solutions and their applications, ensuring that the evidence created is used to improve the lives of the world’s poor. In recent decades, trillions of dollars have been spent on programs designed to reduce global poverty, but clear evidence on which programs succeed is rare, and when evidence does exist, decision-makers often do not know about it. IPA exists to bring together leading researchers and these decision-makers to ensure that the evidence we create leads to tangible impact on the world. Since its founding in 2002, IPA has worked with over 575 leading academics to conduct over 650 evaluations in 51 countries. This research has informed hundreds of successful programs that now impact millions of individuals worldwide.

 

Apply here