Job Summary
The UM6P-J-PAL Agricultural Lab for Africa (UJALA) is looking to strengthen its Policy team to support the implementation of impact evaluations conducted by a team of international researchers in partnership with OCP Africa. This position will be based in our offices at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic campus in Rabat.
About UM6P-J-PAL Agricultural Lab For Africa (UJALA)
J-PAL and UM6P are partnering to form the UM6P-J-PAL Agricultural Lab for Africa (UJALA). UJALA funds research to rigorously evaluate agricultural technologies and practices designed to increase small-scale farmers’ food security, productivity, and profitability. UJALA aims to answer critical questions related to designing and delivering effective food and agricultural subsidies, assessing the value of fertilizer customization to crop needs and soil nutrients, reducing low-income households’ reliance on imported food, alleviating farmers’ constraints to adopting and maintaining new agricultural technologies and practices, and connecting farmers to markets that sell at competitive prices.
About UM6P
University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) is an institution oriented towards applied research and innovation with a focus on Africa. UM6P is engaged in economic and human development and puts research and innovation at the forefront of African development. This enables it to consolidate Morocco’s frontline position in these fields, using a unique partnership-based approach, and boost skills training relevant for the future of Africa.
About J-PAL
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of over 200 affiliated professors at universities around the world, J-PAL conducts randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty.
J-PAL values diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our work and the broader perspectives our staff bring. We encourage people of color, first generation college students/graduates, and other underrepresented groups to apply to this role. In your cover letter, please consider sharing how your racial, gender, socioeconomic and/or other identity has influenced your drive and desire to work at J-PAL. (This is not required, but rather an opportunity for us to get to know you.)
About The (Senior) Policy Associate Role
The UJALA (Senior) Policy associate will support policy engagements with partners, support the policy team in projects development, capacity building activities and communication tasks.
The selected candidate will join a growing team based in Rabat. We are particularly seeking individuals with at least one year of relevant experience for the Policy Associate role, or three to five years for the Senior Policy Associate role. Candidates should ideally have experience working with governments, policymakers, NGOs, or the private sector in Morocco or elsewhere, and demonstrate a strong interest in evidence-based approaches. The ideal candidate would be able to engage effectively with key stakeholders in the Agriculture space to disseminate evidence and promote evidence-based policymaking.
Key Responsibilities
As a (Senior) Policy associate, you will work under the supervision of the Policy Manager and Lab Director to:
* Support engagements with UJALA’s partners
* Create materials for UJALA’s partners, including tailored evidence notes, presentations, policy briefs, and other high-level deliverables designed to “translate” research findings into actionable recommendations
* Provide technical and project management support to policymakers and practitioners as they develop evaluations and act as a liaison between them and the research team
* Identify windows for drawing on existing evidence to contribute to decisions by policymakers
* Organize convenings designed to share policy lessons from completed research.
* Support project development
* Identify new opportunities for rigorous evaluation of social policies
* Support with building new partnerships with stakeholders in government, NGOs, international organizations and the private sector in Morocco
* Support implementing organizations and affiliated researchers to plan for the scale-up of evidence-based interventions (including planning for adaptation and further evaluation as needed).
* Support UJALA’s capacity building activities
* Support the organization and implementation of in person and online training activities
* Support UJALA team’s capacity building teams to create material for training activities.
* Support the management of UJALA’s competitive research fund
* Process grant proposals and coordinate with researchers and UJALA’s governing bodies..
* Draft funding decisions and assist the Senior Finance & Operations Associate in grant management.
* Support the communication and dissemination of research findings
* Manage external communications in collaboration with J-PAL’s Agriculture and Communications teams and UM6P’s Communications Office.
* Develop and maintain content for social media, blog posts, and the lab’s website.
* Ensure consistent and effective co-branding across UJALA partner organizations.
* Translate technical research into accessible summaries and materials for decision-makers, with support from J-PAL Global.
* Preparing policy outreach materials, including evaluation summaries, presentations, policy memos, and grant proposals.
* Draft and edit blog posts for J-PAL’s blog
* Support donor reporting and engagement
* Draft narrative reports for UJALA’s funding partners.
* Collaborate closely with the rest of the team to ensure timely and accurate reporting.
Requirements
Your technical expertise, strong communication and organizational skills, passion for translating research into action, and interest in poverty reduction and development make you an ideal candidate for this role.
* Education: You hold a Master’s degree (or higher) in economics, public policy, or a closely related field, including coursework in microeconomics, econometrics, and program evaluation. Candidates with Master’s-level degrees (or higher) in other fields may be qualified as long as they demonstrate a solid understanding of quantitative research methods.
* Experience: You have at least one year of relevant and substantial work experience for the Policy Associate role, or three to five years for the Senior Policy Associate role related to the design of social programs and policies. You have a successful track record of identifying opportunities, developing and managing external partnerships, and relevant experience in communication and development.
* Skills: You are a self-starter who is able to set personal goals, manage time with multiple work streams and competing priorities, learn quickly, independently identify solutions, and propose innovations. Candidates should be comfortable working in or learning computer applications, including Google Suite, Salesforce, and Stata or R. Proficiency in English and French are required. Knowledge of Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, or other languages spoken in our regions of work are a plus. Experience with randomized evaluations is a major advantage.
* Communication: You are detail-oriented and have advanced writing skills. You understand how to communicate policy lessons from technical academic research in ways that policymakers and practitioners understand. You are precise, clear, and creative.
* Organization: You are a strategic thinker. You can handle multiple projects at once with little supervision, meet deadlines while conducting high-quality work, and effectively manage your time.
* Cultural competencies: You are comfortable and adept at working in a diverse and multicultural work environment, with colleagues, partners and policymakers from around the world. You display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability.
* Attitude: You love learning. You are passionate about international development policy and the rigorous research that informs it. You are self-motivated, work hard, and enjoy working in teams.
* Travel: You are willing to travel internationally as required. Position may require travel to project location(s) or a J-PAL office in the US, Egypt, or South Africa. Other assignments as needed as the position grows.
Annuel based
Morocco, Morocco
Morocco, Morocco
