CEGA seeks a full-time Associate to support research, coordinate projects, and assist with fundraising and community-building activities that contribute to building CEGA’s Cost Transparency Initiative (CTI).
About CEGA
The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is a hub for research, training, and innovation headquartered at the University of California, Berkeley. We generate insights that leaders can use to improve policies, programs, and people’s lives. Our academic network includes more than 150 faculty, 65 scholars from low- and middle-income countries, and hundreds of graduate students–from across academic disciplines and across the globe–that produce rigorous evidence about what works to expand education, health, and economic opportunities for people living in poverty. Our mission is to improve the lives of people living in poverty by generating insights and tools for decision-makers backed by rigorous, inclusive, and transparent research.
CEGA values diversity and seeks to include people from under-represented groups on our team. Read our values statement.
About the Cost Transparency Initiative
Cost evidence is essential for policymakers to decide how to allocate scarce resources across impactful programs. Yet, fewer than one in five impact evaluations integrates cost evidence—such as by including a cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) or cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of the evaluated program (Brown and Tanner, 2019). Available cost evidence is often maligned because of poor underlying data quality, lack of methodological rigor, and insufficient transparency in the reporting of methods and assumptions. The lack of attention to costing from researchers limits the influence of impact evidence by making it less relevant to decision maker’s concerns.
CEGA’s Cost Transparency Initiative (CTI) works to address this challenge by studying and improving the “market” for producing and using cost data, establishing “best practice” methods and tools, and building sustainable research capacity for producing cost evidence. Through these channels, the CTI aims to improve and scale the use of high-quality cost evidence in impact evaluation research.
Position Overview
CEGA seeks a motivated Associate to support the Center’s Cost Transparency Initiative. The Associate will: provide research assistance for several projects focused on cost data collection, economic evaluation, and policy analysis, research on a large, integrated development intervention in Malawi and an evaluation of an open innovation prize competition, among others. General responsibilities include collecting cost data, implementing analysis, conducting interviews, and potentially undertaking field visits. The Associate will also provide critical administrative and project management support including budgeting/contracting, events management, fundraising scoping, and outreach/communications for the Cost Transparency Initiative and the Costing Community of Practice (CCoP), while contributing to Center-wide process improvements,performance management, and other activities. The position will report to and work closely with Dr. Elizabeth Brown, and will collaborate with other CEGA staff as needed. While this position is based in Berkeley, there will be periodic field work assignments in several low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries.
This is a challenging opportunity for someone passionate about global development and social science research; has a strong desire to expand and deepen expertise in cost and cost-effectiveness analysis; is eager to contribute to project administration, planning, and management; and is energized to help build the long-term success of a dynamic organization.
Required Qualifications
- BA/BS in Economics, Public Policy, Policy Analysis, Business, International Relations, Public Health or related field.
- Experience contributing quantitative and policy analyses in the field of international development.
- Broad knowledge of impact evaluation research methods and experience contributing to multi-country or multi-partner evaluations, including responsibility for carrying out empirical, quantitative research.
- Working knowledge of statistical software such as STATA or R and report integration with Overleaf and RMarkdown as well as MS Office (Excel) and GSuite applications.
- Interest in cost analyses and economic evaluation methods (.e.g. cost-effectiveness analysis)
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Self-directed, intrinsically motivated; proven capacity to manage work independently, multitask and be responsive to time-sensitive deadlines.
- Strong skills in short-term planning, problem-anticipation and -solving, and customer service; ability to independently investigate solutions to administrative challenges and anticipate leadership needs.
Preferred Qualifications
- MA/MS in Economics, Public Policy, Policy Analysis, Business, International Relations, Public Health or related field.
- Coursework in quantitative research methods, including mathematical statistics, econometrics, and microeconomics.
- Experience performing or consulting on costing analyses for international development projects, including oversight of field data collection and analysis.
- Experience working in low and middle-income countries (preferably in a research-related capacity).
- Experience implementing and/or evaluating USAID programs and demonstrated familiarity with the agency’s policies and procedures.
- Strong and effective interpersonal skills in working with colleagues at all levels. Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality. Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated ability to work diplomatically with diverse constituencies.
- Sense of humor with a positive attitude in approaching challenges and uncertainty.
Professional Development
CEGA invests in your professional development. In this role, you will learn, engage, and grow.
- Learn: CEGA supports a culture of learning, with opportunities to attend weekly UC Berkeley Development Seminars and take classes for credit at UC Berkeley (Extension) with our generous tuition assistance program.
- Engage: You will directly interact directly with CEGA senior leadership and staff across the center.
- Grow: You can expect to join a peer group eager to build institutional knowledge and pass on lessons learned.
Salary & Benefits
Compensation is commensurate with experience; range is between $60,000 – $73,000 per year. UC Berkeley offers a competitive benefits package. For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University visit: http://atyourservice.ucop.edu/forms_pubs/misc/benefits_of_belonging.pdf
How to Apply
Online application is required. Please visit http://jobs.berkeley.edu and search for Job ID 48372 . Please submit a brief cover letter and resume as a single PDF attachment when applying. The cover letter should be no more than one page, and include (1) your specific interest in working with CEGA, (2) your main qualifications for the responsibilities listed above, and (3) how you will contribute to diversity on the UC Berkeley campus and within CEGA, including through life experiences and activities you have been involved in. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Please note this position is not eligible for US visa sponsorship, though foreign nationals with permission to work in the US are encouraged to apply.
