Research Associate – Noora Pilot

Research Associate – Noora pilot

Project: Reducing Mortality via Improved Care: RCT on Noora Health’s Maternal and Neonatal Health Care Companion Program

Country: India

Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan

Start Date: between Dec 15 2025 to Jan 1 2026

Length of Commitment: 18 months

Education: Bachelor’s/Master’s in Economics, Statistics, Public Policy or related fields

Organization: J-PAL South Asia at IFMR

Language requirement: Hindi

PIs: Aprajit Mahajan and Manisha Shah from University of California Berkeley

About J-PAL South Asia:

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) J-PAL was established in 2003 as a research center at the Economics Department at MIT. Since then, it has grown into a global network of researchers who use randomized evaluations to answer critical policy questions in the fight against poverty. J-PAL is propelled by a first-rate team dedicated to research, policy, training, and other vital work, supporting J-PAL's mission to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence.

J-PAL South Asia, based at the Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR) in Chennai, leads J-PAL’s efforts to advance evidence-informed policymaking in the region. By conducting rigorous randomized evaluations, forging impactful strategic partnerships, and scaling effective programs, we strive to deliver better evidence to help governments design better policies so people can live better lives. Established in 2007, J-PAL South Asia is the oldest and the largest among all J-PAL offices. We have 255 ongoing and completed evaluations in the South Asia region across 11 sectors to date. We have a growing number of partnerships in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Project Description:

Despite considerable improvement in neonatal and newborn health over the last two decades, India is still far from meeting the Sustainable Development Goals related to neonatal mortality, particularly during the first four weeks after birth. Healthcare staff often have limited mandate and time to engage in anything beyond direct medical service delivery. Patients and their family caregivers are provided with little training for the critical tasks they perform. Recognizing the essential role of lay caregivers, Noora Health’s Care Companion Program (CCP) for Maternal and Newborn Health equips patients and their families with the skills required for healthy recovery after in-hospital delivery. To demonstrate the causal impact and cost-effectiveness of CCP, the team proposes a randomized evaluation of CCP focused on maternal and neonatal health outcomes. The first phase of 18 months will be a pilot evaluation of the program on a smaller scale in Rajasthan.

About the Role:

J-PAL South Asia is inviting expressions of interest for upcoming Research Associate (RA) positions across a variety of sectors and geographies. RAs at J-PAL play a central role in managing the implementation of randomized evaluations, working closely with researchers from leading Universities around the world, ensuring that each evaluation is designed and implemented with precision and rigor.

Key Responsibilities:

The responsibilities of a Research Associate typically include, but are not limited to:

Supporting researchers in developing and refining study protocols through in-field scoping activities. You will provide contextual and operational insights to help researchers shape experimental protocols that are methodologically rigorous and feasible within the study setting.
Strengthening measurement validity and reliability by assisting in the development and piloting of survey instruments. You will be responsible for organizing field tests, analyzing pilot data, and integrating structured feedback loops to improve the precision and accuracy of indicators.
Enable accurate and efficient data capture through the programming of digital surveys and development of end-to-end data workflows. This includes incorporating survey logic, real-time checks, and secure data transmission to ensure clean, analysis-ready datasets.
Ensuring collection of high-quality primary data—recruiting, training, and managing field teams to collect data that meets rigorous research standards.
Safeguarding data integrity in consultation with the research team by setting up and maintaining systems for real-time quality monitoring. You will identify issues in incoming data, identify solutions in collaboration with the researchers, and implement corrective measures.
Preparing analysis-ready datasets by writing reproducible code (in Stata, R, or Python), generating summary statistics, and contributing to the analytical preparation for publications, working closely with researchers.
Facilitating alignment between research team, our implementation partner Noora Health and the government partner in Rajasthan to ensure that project implementation aligns with study protocols. You will coordinate timelines, share updates across teams, and help troubleshoot day-to-day challenges while maintaining strong working relationships with external stakeholders.
Ensuring transparency and reproducibility by developing and maintaining detailed documentation, including codebooks, field protocols, and project logs that align with academic standards and support eventual replication and publication.
Maintaining strict adherence to J-PAL’s research protocols throughout all stages of the research lifecycle.

What We’re Looking For:

Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to addressing operational and analytical challenges
Ability to manage day-to-day work with minimal supervision
Excellent time management and attention to detail
Ability to navigate fast-evolving settings that require flexibility and initiative
Excellent written and verbal communication skills to help with multi-stakeholder management

Required Knowledge and Skills:

A Bachelor's/Master’s degree in economics, sociology, social sciences, public policy, public health or related fields.
Sound understanding of impact evaluation methods, especially randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
Proficiency in data analysis and statistical tools such as Stata or R
Experience with digital data collection platforms such as SurveyCTO or Qualtrics
Fluency in English and proficiency in Hindi
Willingness to travel extensively and stay in field locations in Rajasthan
Experience working with external stakeholders such as government departments or NGOs is beneficial

Note on Work Authorizations:

Candidates must have work authorization to work in India.