Research Associate, Labor, Morocco Innovation and Evaluation Lab, Morocco - UM6P/J-PAL/CID

Job SummaryThe Morocco Innovation and Evaluation Lab (MEL) is looking to hire a Research Associate to support the implementation of an impact evaluation conducted by a team of international researchers in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and other potential partner organizations working on labor market topics. This position will be based in our offices at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic campus in Rabat.About The Morocco Innovation And Evaluation Lab (MEL)The MEL is a collaboration between the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Harvard Center for International Development (CID). The Morocco Innovation and Evaluation Lab emerged from the Morocco Employment Lab, an initiative that was launched in 2020 in partnership with the Millennium Challenge Account - Morocco Agency (MCA-Morocco) and hosted by the Policy Center for the New South. With the support of Community Jameel, the lab is expanding its work beyond employment into sectors such as education, social protection, firm growth, agriculture, and environment.The MEL works in close collaboration with the public, private, NGO, and philanthropic sectors in Morocco to conduct evaluations that speak to their priorities and share rigorous evidence to inform their decisions.About The ProjectThis project seeks to deepen our understanding of the determinants of formal and informal employment from a worker's perspective. Conducted in collaboration with the Observatoire at the Moroccan Ministry of Labor, it began with a qualitative phase in 2025 exploring workers’ and jobseekers’ experiences, motivations and constraints related to informality.Insights from this phase are informing the design of the intervention and the large-scale survey for the upcoming quantitative phase, which will test several interventions and measure their impact on jobseekers’ trade-offs between formal and informal employment. The Research Associate will work closely with the Principal Investigators : Bruno Crépon (CREST/ENSAE), Rema Hanna (Harvard), Louise Paul-Delvaux (World Bank), and Shreya Tandon (Harvard), and will liaise with the Ministry of Labor and other local partners throughout the project’s implementation.About The PositionThe position offers an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the design and implementation of impact evaluations as well as data collection, management, and analysis, in an organization undertaking cutting-edge development research.Research Associates work closely with academic researchers and other field staff to perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to: designing survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, running pilot tests, refining the design and the survey instruments of the study, managing survey teams, negotiating contracts with survey firms, overseeing data collection, ensuring data quality, checking and analyzing data, cleaning data and assisting in the preliminary analysis, assisting in the writing of project reports and policy memos, and coordinating with the local partner running the program under evaluation.The position is designed to help the selected candidate prepare for graduate-level studies in economics, quantitative labor market research, and/or further professional opportunities in impact evaluation. Alumni who worked with the study's investigators in similar positions have gone on to Ph.D. and Masters programs at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, for example.Key ResponsibilitiesThe Research Associate is responsible for the supervision of the project and its successful implementation in the field, which includes:Propose and, as appropriate, implement innovations in the different stages of a project in coordination with Principal InvestigatorsMaintain and grow effective relationships with partner organizationsOversee and lead the field research activities, including the implementation of the evaluation, according to the research design in coordination with partnersLiaising with field staff running the evaluations and collaborating with them including travel to research field sitesConduct background research in conjunction with field research activitiesDesigning survey questionnaires, conducting qualitative research, refining study design and surveying instrumentsManage the relationship with the survey firm, supervise in person or phone data collection and ensure the good quality of the dataAssist with the preparation of administrative databasesAssist with data cleaning and preliminary data analysisAny other work assigned by Principal InvestigatorsHe/she will also be responsible for ensuring good communication and organization on a daily basis:Facilitate, strengthen and maintain effective and efficient communication as the primary contact point with Principal Investigators.Provide periodic updates on project activities to PIs and subject expertsParticipate in the planning and design of any outreach activitiesEnsure that project activities are on schedule and prepare project update reports according to agreements with funders and partnersRequirementsA Master's Degree in economics, public policy, math, statistics or related technical fields including training in microeconomics, econometrics, statistics, and advanced mathematicsGraduate-level coursework in economics is a plusExperience with living in Morocco or a developing country is a strong advantagePrevious experience in development research preferredVery strong quantitative, organizational, and communication skills are necessaryFluency in French and Arabic and an excellent command of English (compulsory)Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team playerDemonstrated ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizationsPrior experience working with large data sets and programming in Stata, SAS, R or other statistical programs is necessary. Familiarity with randomized controlled trials is a strong plus.Length of Commitment: One year renewableLocation: Rabat, Morocco