Policy and Research Associate

About the Trust

The University of Chicago Trust (the Trust) is a charitable trust in India, established in 2008 by an alumnus of The University of Chicago. The objectives of the UChicago Trust are to provide opportunities for grants to support agriculture, water, or educational programs, research programs, and activities for the betterment of India.

The Development Innovation Lab - India (DIL-India)

DIL-India, based at the Trust in India, is dedicated to using the tools of economics to develop innovations with the potential to benefit millions of people. Our work is across sectors like health, education, agriculture, climate change, road safety, and others. We do so by collaborating with government agencies, firms, and non-profits in India to identify, test, and scale evidence-based solutions. 

DIL-India has a fast-growing portfolio of policy relevant research. For example, in 2025, DIL-India supported the Government of India to deliver cutting- edge AI-based monsoon onset forecasts to almost 40 million farmers across the country. DIL-India plans to build on this work, aiming to reach more people and expand to other types of weather forecasts that have the potential to improve livelihoods and impact well-being .

Position Description

DIL-India is seeking a full-time Policy and Research Associate to support partnerships between DIL-India and national and state government offices to address key policy challenges using evidence-based research. The candidate will maintain policy engagements at the state level, advance the work of Principal Investigators (PIs), explore new research projects with partners, and conduct scoping exercises.
The ideal candidate possesses strong technical knowledge of development economics or agricultural and environmental policy related to weather forecasts, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and the ability to work efficiently across many projects and teams. This position is well-suited for someone interested in a career at the intersection of research and policy. 

This position will be based in one of the following project locations (Delhi, Bhubaneshwar or other locations within India)

Responsibilities

  • Support principal investigators, research professionals and other senior leaders in maintaining strong relationships with government agencies, participating partner organizations, and other relevant stakeholders
  • Engage with relevant officials on different aspects of the partnership, and to facilitate data access and data management between the involved parties
  • Develop and disseminate necessary project materials, presentations, policy briefs and collaterals targeting a wide range of actors such as policymakers and academic researchers
  • Oversight for the implementation of projects in association with partner organizations
  • Responsible for the day-to-day research and implementation monitoring activities, from planning to implementation, and monitoring quality, interview stakeholders, etc.
  • Regular travel to field to monitor and assess the progress in field work, including engagement of the field staff during surveys and quality checks (if needed)
  • Assisting with data collection, cleaning, preliminary data analysis, and preparation of documents and presentations for dissemination
  • Any other related tasks on an as needed basis, including (but not limited to) desk/literature survey and support in preparation of meetings and presentations for developing new partnerships, as assigned by their supervisor.

Required Qualifications

Education:

  • A master’s degree in economics, Public Policy, Environment Policy or Science or another related field with at least one year of work experience. 
  • Will consider a bachelor’s degree in a related field with at least two years of work experience.

Competencies

  • Demonstrated background in policy or other related academic background, similar knowledge, and competencies will also be considered.
  • Strong interest and understanding of the development sector
  • Ability to manage high-level relationships with partner organizations
  • Knowledge of data analysis software (Stata, R) Familiarity  data management, cleaning, and analysis skills
  • Prior experience collaborating with government stakeholders
  • Knowledge of impact evaluation methods
  • Excellent time management and organizational skills along with strong quantitative skills
  • Flexible, self-motivating, able to manage multiple tasks efficiently, and a team player
  • Adaptable to dynamic and unstructured stakeholder scenarios. Able to drive work in an organized manner within multi-stakeholder engagements. 
  • Fluent in English 
  • Fluent in either Hindi, Odia or other local languages a plus  
  • Strong communication skills in English and writing, including effective business communications, drafting policy briefs and delivering presentations.

Working Conditions

  • Extensive travel, based in state capitals (active project locations), with travel to other states and project sites as per the requirements of the assignment(s).  
Applicant must be legally authorized to work in India

Application Documents

  • Resume/CV (required)
  • Cover Letter (required)
  • References Contact Information (3 required)

Apply Online