Senior Officer, J-PAL Policy and Training, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, Grant Position

Reports to: Manager, J-PAL Policy and Training

Purpose: About J-PAL MENA at AUC: The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab’s (J-PAL) middle east and north Africa regional office is based at The American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business. J-PAL, povertyactionlab.org, is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. Anchored by a network of more than 200 affiliated professors at universities around the world, J-PAL draws on results from randomized impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. The Senior Officer, J-PAL Policy and Training will play a key role in supporting partnerships with governments, NGOs,

and donors to support the generation and use of evidence across the MENA region. He or She should be passionate about working with different stakeholders to enhance development policy, leveraging rigorous evidence to make recommendations. Being a part of J-PAL MENA’s Policy and Communications team, he or she will connect the dots

between economics and policy. The primary tasks will involve evidence summary and synthesis, supporting the policy team to disseminate lessons from impact evaluations, and supporting the use of evidence in policy design. As a part of the training team, He or She will build the capacity of policymakers in how to generate and use evidence in

decision making. Teamwork, communication, and analysis are central to the role.

Responsibilities:

Evidence generation:

● Lead sectoral efforts to generate new rigorous research on priority policy issues through research project matchmaking

● Contribute to efforts to raise funds for a J-PAL MENA at AUC research initiative to fund impact evaluations that will fill critical evidence gaps

Evidence synthesis:

● Review academic literature on randomized evaluations in development economics to draw out policy lessons from these field evaluations and consider applications and generalizability of lessons to MENA contexts and for policymakers in the region

Writing and communication:

● 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

● Communicate about J-PAL MENA’s work in various formats, including social media and written publications

● Support in the drafting of presentations for in-person events, and occasionally presenting publicly with J-PAL partners

Policy outreach and evidence dissemination:

● Meet with and build relationships with key partners in government, NGOs, foundations, and donor agencies, sometimes independently and sometimes with J-PAL affiliates or other senior staff

● Prepare presentations on J-PAL, evidence-informed policy, and specific lessons from the evidence base relevant to partners’ priorities

● Organize conferences and events to spur new research collaborations and share policy lessons from completed research

Sector expertise:

● Develop sectoral expertise on one to two critical policy issues in Egypt and MENA

● Develop plans for sectoral workshops to build consensus around policy issues and research priorities

● Support relationships with key partners in government agencies, non-profits foundations, and the private sector

Capacity building for policymakers:

● Adapt J-PAL training content for MENA policymakers, including coordinating translation, preparing case studies, revising module content, and preparing new workshop content

● Plan and coordinate logistics for training for key government counterpart agencies, including participant selection, lecturer preparation, and other event-related details

● Identify and follow up with trainees with whom J-PAL MENA can develop a deeper policy or research relationship

● Capacity building for MENA region-based researchers

● Design and launch MENA scholars fellowship for region-based researchers interested in conducting randomized evaluations

● Coordinate annual cohort of fellows and matching fellows with J-PAL randomized controlled trials (RCTs), including contributing to managing fellowship donor relationship

● Perform other tasks as needed to support organizational development

Requirements:

Minimum Education Requirements:

● Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, public policy, or a closely related field including coursework in microeconomics, econometrics, and development economics

Experience:

● Minimum eight years of experience, two of them with relevant work experience, including work related to poverty reduction, public policy, impact evaluations, and evidence-informed policymaking in government or NGOs

● Significant training in economics at the undergraduate or master’s level

● Prior professional experience working in policy design, implementation, or evaluation is preferred

● Prior professional experience in training, or capacity building

Skills:

● Strong self-management and organizational skills

● Fluent in both Arabic and English

● Comfortable to work with computer applications, such as Asana, Salesforce, Google Drive, and Microsoft Office

● Detail oriented and advanced writing skills, including proven ability to communicate policy lessons from technical academic research to a non-technical audience

● Can handle multiple projects at once with little supervision, meet deadlines, and practice effective time management

● Can manage projects and tasks effectively and proactively.

This position is open until September 29, 2025

Placement is based on the candidate’s experience and skills. Only candidates who make it to the short list will be contacted.

"The American University in Cairo is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply."

“We thank all individuals who have expressed interest in working at The American University in Cairo.”