Research & Policy Manager, Agriculture

About the role

The Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago uses the tools of economics to develop innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people in low- and middle-income countries. It was founded and is led by Nobel laureate Michael Kremer.

Responsibilities

• Manage the establishment and growth of external partnerships to conduct new research and scale innovations in agriculture and food security.
• Develop and manage research projects according to plan, providing direct support on research projects as needed.
• Ensures that all aspects of the research projects are being conducted effectively and in a timely manner.
• Oversees output produced by research staff, including junior researchers, allocate tasks, and ensure sufficient research support.
• Serves as a key liaison between leadership, research teams, implementation partners, and external stakeholders, ensuring projects are delivered on time and aligned with organizational goals.
• Manages day-to-day project activities, including preparing for and facilitating internal and external meetings, ensuring tasks are completed on time and aligned with project goals.
• Provides direct support for faculty leads and collaborate with project partners to prepare for policy events and engagements; coordinates across stakeholders to ensure support smooth communication and collaboration.
• Manages project communications including preparing materials for policy makers (briefing documents, presentations, and reports), develop communications plans, and coordinate messaging across stakeholders, working in close coordination with faculty leads.
• Develops and refines processes and procedures for project implementation, tracking, and reporting.
• Manages development of high-quality project outputs including literature reviews, data summaries, and presentations; applying specialized knowledge of microeconomic theory and international development.
• Synthesizes research findings and translate them for policy, practitioners, and general audiences.
• Applies sector expertise to evaluate potential engagements for alignment with DIL's policy and research priorities.
• Coordinates fundraising efforts and identify opportunities for fundraising.
• Provides guidance, training and support to junior staff and project team members; support recruitment efforts.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field and 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a related field (economics, public policy, or other).
• Experience leading or contributing to RCTs, in low- or middle-income countries and in sectors related to agriculture, food security, or rural development.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex research and/or policy programs, preferably in the fields of international development, or development economics.
• Demonstrated understanding of impact evaluation, economics and statistics, agriculture, weather forecasting and government program implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, drive simultaneous projects to completion with minimal supervision, and work collaboratively with diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to synthesize evidence across multiple studies and translate findings into clear, accurate policy documents for diverse and cross-cultural audiences.
• Experience in one or more sectors related to DIL’s work (including agriculture, education, water treatment and child health).
• Demonstrated cross cultural communication abilities.
• Excellent organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.