Policy Manager – J-PAL Southeast Asia 1148 views

Job Description

J-PAL Southeast Asia, based in Jakarta at the Institute for Economic and Social Research in the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI), seeks a qualified applicant for the position of Policy Manager for the Inclusive Financial Innovation Initiative (IFII). The Inclusive Financial Innovation Initiative (IFII) aims to generate evidence on what digital financial services (DFS) work, why they work, and how they can be deployed to maximize impact.

This mid-level position offers an excellent opportunity to have significant responsibility and contribute to the design and execution of J-PAL’s policy outreach and capacity building work in Southeast Asia

Job Responsibilities

Policy Outreach

• Build and manage partnerships with government agencies, NGOs, foundations, private sector organizations, and bilateral and multilateral aid agencies to ensure that policies in the Digital Financial Inclusion space is informed by evidence
• Provide technical assistance to government, civil society, and private sector organizations to promote the scale-up and replication of programs and policies in the Digital Financial Inclusion space that have been rigorously evaluated and found to be effective
• Write proposals and progress reports to donors; additionally, background notes, policy briefs/memos, and other outreach documents that accurately summarize the findings from J-PAL affiliated professors’ research for a policy audience
• Lead and manage policy outreach events including contributing to their strategic planning, content, logistics, and relationship building with key stakeholders
• Coordinate the production of and help write high-quality reports for major donors; manage relationships and serve as a key point of contact for major donors; assist with fundraising to support new research, policy, and training activities as needed
• Represent J-PAL at conferences, workshops, and meetings and give presentations on J-PAL’s work and our affiliated professors’ research findings
• Build and maintain institutional knowledge on Digital Financial Inclusion in Indonesia (identify key policy issues, conduct stakeholder mapping, and literature reviews to target policy outreach or in identifying new potential projects)

Project Development

• Facilitate the development of new randomized evaluations in the topic of Digital Financial Inclusion by matching implementing organizations in the region with J-PAL affiliated professors
• Identify funding opportunities for research projects or initiatives and write funding proposals
• Identify potential opportunities for collaboration of new Digital Financial Inclusion research with government, non-government, and donor organizations.

Capacity Building:

• Assist training team in identifying and engaging with various organizations in the region in promoting J-PAL SEA training courses
• Assist the implementation of executive education and custom training courses, including assisting the training team in developing new capacity building content and training materials as needed, for key clients including government agencies, international organizations, research institutions, and NGOs.
• Take part as lecturer and/or teaching assistant in J-PAL SEA training courses.

Organizational:

• • Provide support in recruiting, onboarding, and mentoring policy staff
  • Build and strengthen the management systems and practices of J-PAL SEA’s policy teams

Job Requirements

1. Education: Master’s degree with strong academic record in economics, public policy, development, or a related field
2. Experience: equivalent to four years or more of relevant experience in policy and program design, project management, monitoring & evaluation, preferably related to Digital Financial Inclusion.
3. Knowledge: All positions at J-PAL will be introduced to the design and value of randomized evaluation and their usefulness for informing policy decision in the first six month of their position. Prior basic knowledge of how to understand and communicate findings from rigorous quantitative research are preferred.
4. Communication: Attention to detail and advanced writing and presentation skills in English and Indonesian. Ability to communicate results in a visually attractive manner and identify clear policy lessons from academic papers in ways that policymakers understand. This requires clear, precise, non-technical writing, and confident, effective spoken communication and presentation style. Strong skills in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
5. People management and time management skills: Ability to supervise staff and manage projects independently. Ability to multitask and successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision. A willingness to work hard, be self-motivated, and learn will be essential for doing well in this position.
6. Willingness to travel: Position may require travel throughout the region to meet with senior policymakers in government agencies, NGOs, foundations and international development organizations as well as follow-up work to promote research projects and other policy and capacity building initiatives.
7. Language skills: High-level of proficiency (fluent or native) in both Indonesian and English

How to Apply

Please send an email to jpalseajobs@povertyactionlab.org and jobs@poverty-action.org following these instructions exactly, by March 31^st, 2023.

1. Use the following as the email subject line: “J-PAL SEA, Policy Manager.” Please do not include any other text in the body of the e-mail. Adding extra text will interfere with the processing of your application
2. Attach PDF copies of your CV, academic transcripts, and a cover letter no longer than 500 words. The cover letter should discuss how you meet the aforementioned position requirements, emphasizing relevant skills and experience, as well as why you are interested in working with J-PAL SEA

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Interested candidates are advised to apply at the earliest. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted. Short-listed applicants will be asked to complete a policy analysis and a written exercise and may subsequently be called in for a virtual interview.