Job Description
About the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change (CSBC):
At the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, we bring together behavioural scientists, policy experts, and researchers to transform insights into action. We partner with governments, non profits, and corporations to embed behavioural science in programme design, creating solutions that work in practice and at scale. Established by Ashoka University with Gates Foundation support, we make development more people-centric through real-world applications of behavioural science. In recent years, CSBC researchers have contributed 25 peer-reviewed articles to top journals, advancing the nation’s behavioural evidence base and catalysing collaborations with leading institutions such as the University of Chicago, Yale School of Management, the University of Michigan, the Collegio Carlo Alberto, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.. For more information, please visit https://csbc.org.in/.
The Experiments and Evaluation (E&E) team supports the design and implementation of rigorous empirical evaluations informed by behavioural science. The team collaborates with programme, research, and government partners to develop evaluation questions; design experimental and quasi-experimental studies; and embed measurement and learning into ongoing programme implementation. E&E leads survey and tool design, oversees data quality and field protocols, and conducts analysis to generate actionable evidence that informs programme improvement, scale-up, and policy decisions.
Role and Responsibilities:
The Senior Research Specialist will manage the Experiments & Evaluation (E&E) team and oversee the delivery of rigorous empirical research across the Centre’s policy and academic portfolios. Reporting to the Director (Research), the role balances people management and operational oversight with hands-on technical contribution to selected quantitative research projects.
1. Team Management and Coordination
Manage the day-to-day functioning of the E&E team, including work planning, task allocation, and coordination with operations and finance teams.
Support team members in prioritising workloads and meeting timelines, flagging risks and dependencies to the Director (Research) as needed.
Provide ongoing mentorship, technical guidance, and feedback to junior colleagues.
Contribute to team capacity building through knowledge sharing.
2. Research Design
Lead and support the design of experimental and quasi-experimental studies grounded in behavioural science, in collaboration with Centre teams and external partners.
Own key components of study design, including protocol development, outcome measures, measurement tools, sample size calculations, and pre-analysis plans.
Manage ethics approvals and ongoing compliance for research studies.
3. Implementation
Lead planning and execution of research implementation, including coordination with internal teams, external partners, and field stakeholders.
Support contracting, budgeting, and deployment planning to ensure studies are delivered on time and in line with approved protocols.
Provide ongoing technical input during implementation and proactively address implementation challenges.
4. Data Management and Analysis
Oversee secure data storage, documentation, and archiving in line with data protection and research best practices.
Lead data cleaning, quality checks and analysis to support hypothesis testing and evidence generation.
Qualifications and Skills Required:
Qualifications
Master’s degree or higher in economics, psychology, public policy, behavioural science, statistics, or a related discipline.
7–10 years of experience designing and implementing experimental or quasi-experimental research, preferably in applied or field settings.
Technical Skills
Expertise in experimental and quasi-experimental research design, including sampling, power calculations, and survey design.
Experience developing, piloting, and programming measurement tools and surveys, including online surveys and virtual lab experiments (e.g., SurveyCTO, Qualtrics, oTree, zTree).
Proficiency in statistical analysis using Stata, R, Python, or similar tools.
Experience with data preparation, documentation, secure data management, and developing pre-analysis 2 plans.
Professional Skills
Ability to lead complex research projects and manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
Strong coordination and communication skills, including working with multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
Ability to clearly write and present research findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Strong management, organisational, and quantitative skills.
High attention to detail and sound judgment in managing research quality, ethics, and timelines.
Experience mentoring and providing technical guidance to junior staff, and giving and receiving constructive feedback.
Knowledge of Hindi is required, given fieldwork in Hindi-speaking states.
PLEASE NOTE:
To apply, email your CV to , ensuring the subject line reads as follows: \"Senior Research Specialist_E&E_CSBC_\". This will help us efficiently process your application.
Along with your CV, kindly provide the following information:
Last compensation received: We value your expertise and acknowledge the importance of fair compensation.
Expected salary: Share your aspirations for growth and remuneration.
Notice period: Inform us of the time required to transition from your current role, if applicable
