Poverty Action Lab est à la recherche d’un responsable des politiques, Partenariats en Egypte

Country : Egypt

Education : Master’s

Language Requirement : Arabic, English

Length of Commitment : One year

Start Date :

ASAP :

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a leading research institute based at the Economics Department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and conducts randomized evaluations to understand the impact of development and poverty-reduction policies. Its mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by rigorous evidence and research is translated into action. To this end, J-PAL works with NGOs, international organizations, government institutions, and others to rigorously evaluate programs and disseminate the results of high-quality research. To date, J-PAL affiliated professors have over 900 completed or ongoing projects in over 80 countries. More information about J-PAL’s work can be found online at www.povertyactionlab.org.

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) / American University in Cairo (AUC) Initiative, a research center based at AUC, is looking to hire an experienced Policy Manager, Partnerships to contribute to its mission of promoting evidence-informed policy. The selected candidate will be an employee of AUC and will be based at the J-PAL/AUC Initiative office located at the AUC new campus or elsewhere in the MENA region (if an exceptional candidate). He/She will be willing to travel frequently to build partnerships across the MENA region.

As a member of the Policy & Communications Group, where staff connect the dots between economics and policy and are passionate about working with organizations to inform development policy, the Policy Manager will play a key role in developing partnerships with governments, universities, and funders and helping build a sustainable future for the J-PAL/AUC Initiative’s work across the MENA region. The Policy Manager will report directly to Alison Fahey, Project Director of the J-PAL/AUC Initiative.

About the J-PAL/AUC Initiative: J-PAL and AUC began collaborating in 2015, conducting randomized evaluations in sectors including labor markets, financial inclusion, and social protection. The J-PAL/AUC Initiative launched in 2018 to formalize this partnership. The Initiative works to improve the effectiveness of social programs in Egypt and across the region. The office offers research implementation support to J-PAL affiliated professors running randomized evaluations with partner organizations in Egypt and the region; trains and builds the capacity of local researchers to conduct randomized evaluations; and disseminates research results and collaborates with policymakers to integrate findings into current and future development policies and programs. If you are excited about the opportunities and challenges of supporting and developing a cutting-edge research and policy center from its early stages, developing relationships with potential supporters and donors, and leading development of relationships with a wide range of external partners critical to J-PAL’s mission in MENA, while collaborating with staff at one of Egypt’s leading universities, please read on for more details and to apply.

Responsibilities :

Your work requires a breadth of knowledge and a depth of understanding to support J-PAL’s growing policy efforts. As a Policy Manager, your primary tasks will involve fundraising, partnership development, evidence dissemination, communication, and staff supervision.

Fundraising and Development (40%) :

• Take ownership over relationship management for several of J-PAL’s existing individual and organizational donors focused on the MENA region, ensuring consistent and meaningful outreach ;
• Conduct prospect research and cultivate relationships with a diverse range of potential individual and organizational donors ;
• Track posted funding opportunities and support the development of proposals to philanthropic foundations and other international funders, working closely with AUC ;
• Develop engaging outreach content for existing and potential donors, from writing paper materials to planning donor visits at J-PAL offices and research sites across the region.

Stakeholder Engagement, Evidence Communication, and Evidence Dissemination (50%) :

• Forge new connections and maintain strong relationships with key partners in government agencies, non-profits, foundations, and the private sector ;
• Initiate and build partnerships with groups across the MENA region to identify new opportunities for rigorous evaluation of social policies ;
• Provide technical and project management support to policymakers and practitioners as they develop evaluations ;
• Raise the profile of J-PAL’s work throughout the region by presenting J-PAL’s work and research ;
• Working with sector teams at J-PAL Global, create materials for policy outreach, including tailored evidence note presentations, as well as other high-level deliverables, as requested by J-PAL senior staff and affiliates ;
• Organize convenings designed to spur new research collaborations and share policy lessons from completed research and represent J-PAL at external events and in meetings with senior decision-makers.

Other (10%) : Support the organizational development of the J-PAL/AUC Initiative and contribute to tasks to support the Initiative’s strategic goals.

Qualifications :

Your technical expertise, demonstrated success as a fundraiser, 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 in economics, public policy, or a closely related field, including coursework in microeconomics, econometrics, and development economics ;
• Experience : You have 5 or more years of relevant and substantial work experience, including work related to impact evaluations and evidence-informed policymaking, as well as fundraising for academic research or international development activities from a range of funding streams, including philanthropic foundations and high net worth individuals. You have a successful track record of developing and managing external partnerships, and relevant experience in communication and development. Experience managing teams preferred ;
• Skills : You have strong project management, budget management, and personnel management skills. You are bilingual in Arabic and English. You are comfortable learning computer applications, including Salesforce and Asana ;
• 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, and effectively manage your time, as well as others’ ;
• 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 and managing others ;
• Candidates with significantly more experience could be considered for a Senior Policy Manager, Partnerships role.

How to apply :

Please email your CV/resume and cover letter to the MENA recruitment team at mena_recruitment@povertyactionlab.org with subject line: “Application — Policy Manager — Partnerships — [Full Name].” The cover letter should discuss your fit for and interest in the position and J-PAL. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis.

Given the volume of applications received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.