Research Analyst I
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks a qualified candidate to serve as a Research Analyst I within the Development Strategies and Governance (DSG) Unit. This is a one-year, exempt, renewable appointment based in Washington D.C. The successful candidate will have experience in applied political economy analysis related to different dimensions of food systems, a track record of using mixed (qualitative and quantitative) research methods, and excellent English writing skills.
Essential Duties:
Specific duties include but are not limited to:
- Assist in conducting detailed literature reviews on political economy and governance aspects related to food security, food systems, agriculture and nutrition policy, conflict and fragility, and international development more broadly.
- Assist with survey design, implementation, and analysis (inclusive of sampling and questionnaire design, training and oversight of enumerators, and cleaning and processing of data).
- Assist with semi-structure interviews, focus groups, and case study design.
- Assist with development of political economy toolkits for research on food systems.
- Assist in preparation of working papers and research publications.
- Assist in preparing synthesis pieces, blogs, and other types of public communication.
- Assist in preparing high-quality presentations for donors and the research community.
- Assist with organizing seminars and other large-scale meetings with policymakers, researchers, and donors on governance and political economy issues.
- Assist in preparing datasets for public access.
- Assist with responses for internal/external data requests from researchers, donors, and government partners, and media.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree plus two years of relevant professional experience or Master’s degree in political science, government, public policy, economics, international development, or a closely related field.
- Ability to perform quantitative data analysis, including econometrics.
- Ability to conduct rigorous qualitative analyses and familiarity with qualitative methods such as focus groups, interviews, process tracing, and paired comparisons.
- Excellent writing skills and analytical mind.
- Excellent STATA and Excel skills
- Demonstrated ability to perform in-depth statistical analysis and report the results succinctly.
- Experienced conducting literature reviews of academic publications, research reports, etc.
- Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability 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, with initiative and minimal supervision.
- Ability to travel.
- Familiarity with food security and development issues in Africa, Asia, and/or Latin America
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience conducting fieldwork in developing countries.
- Strong background in applied policy analysis and the political economy of policy reform.
- Skilled in programming in GIS
- Working proficiency in French, Portuguese, and/or Spanish.
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.
The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is an equal employment opportunity employer - F/M/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity