The US Finance Initiative in the Financial Inclusion Program at Innovations for Poverty Action is searching for a Research Associate to join our team. Please see below for a description of the position as well as the URL for the online posting and more information.

Overview: Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), is an international non-profit research organization. Based in New Haven, CT, with offices in Washington, D.C. and worldwide, IPA works with development partners and academic researchers to create and evaluate approaches to solving development problems, to communicate “what works” in development and to scale up successful projects in a variety of fields, including health, education, microfinance, governance and agriculture.

Program Summary: The Financial Inclusion Program at IPA is a portfolio of research projects which seek to identify and innovate on products and programs that enhance poor households' use of improved financial services. The US Finance Initiative focuses on issues of financial inclusion and well-being for low- to moderate-income households in the United States. Using insights from behavioral economics, we develop, pilot, and rigorously test innovations in financial products designed to help such households pay down debt, build savings, and better manage their finances.

Position Summary:IPA’s US Finance Initiative seeks qualified applicants for the position of Research Associate based in New Haven, CT. This position offers the opportunity to gain extensive experience in project management, relationship management, data analysis, and US domestic finance. The Research Associate will join a team of three RAs under the supervision principal investigators Jonathan Zinman and Dean Karlan.

The Research Associate will be expected to lead project management for one or more USHFI studies, and to support the work of the US Finance Initiative and the Financial Inclusion Program more broadly. This includes but is not limited to:

Project Development:

Conduct literature reviews, market scans, and donor scans to support new project development in priority research areas
Support the Program Manager in the development of new project and grant proposals
Lead conversations with prospective partners regarding potential new projects
Project Management:

Manage high-level relationships with partner financial institutions, including travel to in-person meetings and provision of technical assistance
Coordinate communications between principal investigators, partners, and donors regarding study design and effective study implementation
Develop evaluation plans, survey instruments, and staff training resources as needed
Oversee piloting and implementation of behaviorally-informed financial products and product features
Set up data collection systems and data entry protocols in cooperation with project partners
Work with the USI Program Manager to ensure adherence to project budgets
Reporting and Data Analysis:

Provide detailed data analysis and reports to both academic and non-academic audiences
Work with donors to define and complete project deliverables on time
Assist PIs with inputs necessary for the production of academic publications
Produce policy memos, briefs, website summaries, and blog posts to disseminate information about projects as needed
Initiative Management:

Support USI communications strategy by developing content for traditional and social media, including blog posts, tweets, website content, and print materials
Attend conferences and grantee convenings to represent the initiative
Generate resources to be used across the initiative for staff training and development
Participate in staff meetings and initiative planning processes
Examples of USI projects can be found here.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

A Bachelor's degree in economics, statistics, social sciences, or related fields, with a Master’s Degree preferred
Proficiency with standard Office computer programs (MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
Familiarity with research design and particularly the design of randomized evaluations
Excellent management and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple responsibilities efficiently
Flexible, self-motivating, team player
Demonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
Fluency and excellent communication skills in English, with additional Spanish language skills preferred
Knowledge of Stata or other data analysis software, along with strong quantitative skills
Prior project management experience preferred
Familiarity with financial services provision in the US, and particularly with credit unions, preferred
Experience working with low-income populations in the US preferred
URL for online posting: http://www.poverty-action.org/getinvolved/jobs/US/IPAUSA101490

Please feel free to contact usfi@poverty-action.org with any questions you might have.

Thank you!