Research Assistant/ Research Analyst I

Job Summary:

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks a Research Assistants or Research Analyst I for a one-year, renewable appointment in its Tajikistan Office. The successful candidates will work with senior research staff in the analysis of agriculture, rural development, food and nutrition security and related policies and other research support activities related to IFPRI’s work in Tajikistan. Applicants for this position may also be considered for other comparable positions at IFPRI Tajikistan.

The position is based at IFPRI’s Tajikistan office located in Dushanbe. The incumbent will work under the overall guidance of the IFPRI Tajikistan Evaluation and Analysis Activity Leader, but will be employed directly by IFPRI’s organizational host in Tajikistan, the Zerkalo Analytics Group. The employer of record will be the Zerkalo Analytics Group and its employment policies, compensation, and benefits of will apply to these positions. The final position title will be determined based on the candidate’s level of experience.This position is based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and interested applicants must have work authorization to work in Tajikistan.

Essential Duties: 

Specific Duties include but are not limited to:

• Support the collection, cleaning, and analysis of primary and secondary data 
• Assist in handling household survey data (including survey design, sampling & questionnaire)
• Coordinate field implementation of survey activities (scoping, pretesting, training survey enumerators, etc.)
• Build large dataset from multiple sources
• Assist with development of research instruments and analytical tools
• Analyze data using advance analytical methods
• Conduct literature reviews and synthesis
• Contribute to the writing of discussion papers, donor reports, and other scholarly publications.
• Assist in capacity building
• Develop data documentation manuals or other learning materials, as needed
• Help develop & coordinate technical workshops
• Coordinate projects and support outreach activities
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications :

• Research Assistant: Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Statistics or closely related discipline.
• At Research Analyst I: Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Agricultural Economics, Statistics or closely related fields and two years of relevant professional experience or a Master’s degree in one of the above fields.
• A minimum of one year work experience in academia, the private sector, a development-oriented organization or comparable institution in the area of impact evaluation. 
• Excellent knowledge of economic theory.
• Familiarity with quantitative econometric methods and/or economic modeling.
• Good knowledge of Stata, SPSS, or other statistical software.
• Excellent analytical mind and drafting skills.
• Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English and Tajik. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills and to work in a team-oriented multi-cultural environment.
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task as needed, consistently meet deadlines and manage time well. 
• Demonstrated professional level of attention to detail and accuracy of work. 
• Ability to work independently and with initiative.
• Willingness to travel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the literature on economic development, agriculture, nutrition, poverty reduction and related fields. 
• Experience with coordination of field implementation of survey activities (scoping, pretesting, training survey enumerators, etc.)
• Previous experience related to agricultural project and policy analysis, impact evaluations of social protection programs and evaluations of policies nutrition programs and policies. 
• Experience with policy communication activities. 

Physical Demand & Work Environment:

• Employee will sit in an upright position for a long period of time. 
• Employee will lift between 0-10 pounds. 
• Employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing computer terminal; extensive reading.

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