Job Openings at Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

What does the Busara Center do?

Busara implements research for organizations around the world, ranging from qualitative in-depth studies to lab experiments to large-scale randomized control trials. In addition, Busara’s advisory arm works with governments, non-profit organizations and private sector enterprises on improving their policies and products: Through incorporating insights from behavioral economics, we help organizations understand decision-making and enable them and the people they serve to make better and more informed choices.
Examples of Busara’s past and ongoing work include:

• Improving uptake of insurance products among smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
• Designing demand-based interventions to improve consumers demand for safe food in informal markets in Nigeria
• Improved loan repayment rate for a nationwide microcredit scheme using behaviorally informed interventions.
• Designed a digital identity product to increase credibility for small business owners in Nigeria.
• Understanding social norms around gender, particular with respect to early marriage, early pregnancy, education and labor participation in order to design more targeted behavioral interventions.
• Designing evidence-based and cost-effective interventions to increase HPV vaccination uptake in India and Kenya
• Understanding intra-household dynamics in the context of financial decision making.
• Understanding bystander behaviors in cases of gender violence on college campuses and designing interventions to increase bystander action.
• Designing and testing interventions seeking to increase uptake of Iron  pills for pregnant and lactating women in rural Haryana, India to help combat anemia Understanding data privacy from a behavioral lens.

About the Internship

As a project intern for Busara Project Division you will get the chance to dive headfirst into the world of behavioral science and get firsthand experience working on projects in the development space alongside your mentors. This is not your coffee-grabbing internship! Interns are tasked with supporting the research, composing of reports, client deliverables, and analysis on ongoing projects, in close coordination with Analysts, Associates and Engagement Directors, thus exposing them to all sides of the field. 
This is a full time, paid internship for 12 weeks from November 2022, based in our Nairobi, Lagos and Delhi offices. There is some flexibility on the start and end dates, depending on the availability of the candidate, which can be discussed during the interview stage.
Who are we looking for?

• Recent graduates who have completed their course within the last 6 months or students in masters programs.
• Busara loves diversity of thought and we will accept applicants from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds– Psychology, Sociology, Economics, Public Policy, Political Science, Statistics, Marketing and so on.
• Interest in qualitative and quantitative research and familiarity with data analysis (Excel, Stata, R and/or other programming languages)
• Fluency and excellent communication and writing skills with a mastery of English and preferably one other local language.
• Hunger to learn, high level of self-motivation and energy, and an optimistic “can-do” attitude
• Flexible and comfortable with ambiguity
• Interest in working in a fast-paced environment and able to manage multiple tasks efficiently
• Ability to work independently and highly collaboratively as part of a team
• Interest in behavioral science (most important!)

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Who we are: We are an advisory and research organization focused on advancing and applying behavioral science in the Global South, in pursuit of poverty alleviation. We work with organizations to build behaviorally-informed solutions to help scale their products, programs, and policies. Our rigorous approach to experimentation has generated impact in a broad range of fields from financial inclusion to health and early childhood development.

Role Purpose Statement

The Associate supports both the advisory and research arms of Busara by leading the planning, execution, and day to day management of Busara projects.

As primary project manager for all external Busara projects, an Associate quickly gains an expert understanding of a particular problem or research question and uses all tools at their disposal, both within and outside Busara to execute an engagement to the highest possible degree, with careful consideration of timing and budget. An Associate develops creative and rigorous solutions to client and partner needs and manages both internal and external relationships with energy, enthusiasm, and professionalism. 

The Associate directly manages other project staff that work on their project and, as well as liaise with other Busara teams and is expected to coordinate and manage staff effectively.

Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities

CORE PROJECT RESPONSIBILITIES: Associates will work closely with Busara offices and directly with academic researchers and advisory clients to perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to:

• • Engage in multiple large-scale research and advisory projects at a given time.
  • Plan, manage, and execute external and internal engagements independently from start to finish with limited supervision.
  • Incorporate the latest research in qualitative and quantitative methods, behavioral science, psychology, economics, and development to provide creative solutions to engagements.
  • Manage and conduct qualitative and quantitative research and data analysis.
  • Design, launch, and analyze effective quantitative and qualitative survey instruments with coordination among project staff (Analysts, Project Leads, Data and Programming, and Operations teams).
  • Serve as a point of contact for clients and partners.  Effectively manage the needs of stakeholders through proactive communication and troubleshooting.
  • Contribute to project on-boarding and off-boarding for knowledge management.
  • Responsible for project timelines, deliverables, reports, and staffing.
  • Contribute to the creation of proposals, concept notes, and pitch decks for new business opportunities and knowledge sharing. Present at conferences, networking events, or client meetings.
  • Contribute to the design, execution, and dissemination of Busara internal research projects.
  • Work closely to lead or support other Associates to fulfill engagement requirements.
  • Perform any other duty as may be assigned by the project supervisor.

CORE ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES: In addition to project responsibilities, Associates also have the following organizational responsibilities to ensure a healthy and functioning organization.

• • Work with the Associate team to conduct goal-setting exercises, objectives and key results, and team building events.
  • Contribute to skills-building workshops for Associate teams.
  • Assist with internal initiatives where necessary.
  • Serve as mentors to Analysts and Project Lead team members, when requested.

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience: Minimum Requirements

• • A Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or related fields.
  • Strong qualitative, quantitative, research, and data analytic skills.
  • Fluency and excellent communication and writing skills in English and working proficiency in French is a must
  • 1-3 years’ previous work experience in a related field, with experience managing large scale research and consulting projects in developing countries. 
  • Strong quantitative skills including knowledge of and experience working with data analysis software
  • Ability to quickly understand and adapt to new contextual situations
  • Demonstrates the ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations.
  • Excellent management and organizational skill.
  • Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player.
  • Interest and experience working in a fast-paced working environment.
  • Ability to execute projects while sustaining a global focus and vision for institutional planning and decision making.

Desired Qualifications:

• • A Master’s degree in Economics, Social Sciences, Public Policy, or related fields.
  • Experience working with digital health systems, vaccination or public health or working with government ministries/government partners is preferred.
  • Experience managing or mentoring staff.
  • Familiarity with randomized controlled trials and/or quasi-experimental designs
  • Technical understanding of qualitative research techniques.
  • Strong academic behavioral science background.
  • Knowledge of the application of behavioral science to real-world problems.
  • Proficiency in Stata, R, or Python