Job Summary:

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks a qualified candidate to serve as a Research Analyst I within the Development Strategies and Governance (DSG) Unit. This is a one-year, exempt, renewable appointment based in Washington D.C. The successful candidate will have experience in applied political economy analysis related to different dimensions of food systems, a track record of using mixed (qualitative and quantitative) research methods, and excellent English writing skills.

Essential Duties:

Specific duties include but are not limited to:

• Assist in conducting detailed literature reviews on political economy and governance aspects related to food security, food systems, agriculture and nutrition policy, conflict and fragility, and international development more broadly. 
• Assist with survey design, implementation, and analysis (inclusive of sampling and questionnaire design, training and oversight of enumerators, and cleaning and processing of data).  
• Assist with semi-structure interviews, focus groups, and case study design. 
• Assist with development of political economy toolkits for research on food systems. 
• Assist in preparation of working papers and research publications. 
• Assist in preparing synthesis pieces, blogs, and other types of public communication.
• Assist in preparing high-quality presentations for donors and the research community. 
• Assist with organizing seminars and other large-scale meetings with policymakers, researchers, and donors on governance and political economy issues.
• Assist in preparing datasets for public access.
• Assist with responses for internal/external data requests from researchers, donors, and government partners, and media. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree plus two years of relevant professional experience or Master’s degree in political science, government, public policy, economics, international development, or a closely related field. 
• Ability to perform quantitative data analysis, including econometrics.
• Ability to conduct rigorous qualitative analyses and familiarity with qualitative methods such as focus groups, interviews, process tracing, and paired comparisons.  
• Excellent writing skills and analytical mind. 
• Excellent STATA and Excel skills 
• Demonstrated ability to perform in-depth statistical analysis and report the results succinctly. 
• Experienced conducting literature reviews of academic publications, research reports, etc.
• Demonstrated fluency in written and spoken English.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work in a team-oriented, multi-cultural environment. 
• Demonstrated ability to multi-task as needed, consistently meet deadlines and manage time well.
• Demonstrated professional level of attention to detail and accuracy of work.
• Ability to work independently, with initiative and minimal supervision.
• Ability to travel.
• Familiarity with food security and development issues in Africa, Asia, and/or Latin America

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience conducting fieldwork in developing countries.   
• Strong background in applied policy analysis and the political economy of policy reform. 
• Skilled in programming in GIS 
• Working proficiency in French, Portuguese, and/or Spanish.

Physical Demand & Work Environment:

• Employee will sit in an upright position for a long period of time.
• Employee will lift between 0-10 pounds.
• Employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform activities such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing computer terminal; extensive reading.  

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) is an equal employment opportunity employer - F/M/Disability/Vet/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity