Pratham Education Foundation (‘Pratham’) is an innovative learning organization with a mission of “every child in school and learning well”. Around 30 years ago, Pratham’s work began with pre-schools in the urban slums of Mumbai. Today, Pratham has grown both in scope and geographical coverage. Currently, Pratham has activities in 25 states and UTs and implements programs that include activities for preschool and elementary school age groups, dropout girls and women, as well as vocational skilling programs for youth. As one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the country, Pratham focuses on high-quality, low-cost, and replicable interventions to address gaps in the education system.
The mission to improve the quality of education in India and ensure that all children not only attend but also thrive in school is being accomplished by working in collaboration with the government, local communities, parents, teachers, volunteers, and civil society members. Our programs aim to supplement rather than replace governmental efforts. They are implemented on a large scale to not only reach as many children as possible, but also to enable an adoptable demonstration model for governments and other partners. For more details, refer to pratham.org
About ASER Centre
ASER Centre (www.asercentre.org) is the research wing of Pratham Education Foundation (pratham.org), which seeks to use simple yet rigorous methods to generate evidence on scale on the outcomes of social sector programs. It also aims to strengthen the link between evidence and action by building the capacity of individuals and institutions to design, conduct and understand assessments that focus on key outcome indicators. ASER Centre’s flagship program is the Annual Status of Education Report, which is one of the largest household surveys of children in India.
We are currently hiring for the following position at ASER Centre:
Job title |
Senior Research Associate – Qualitative |
Reports to |
Senior Project Lead |
Base location |
New Delhi (with frequent travel to states) |
Research Unit |
9 to 12 LPA (CTC) |
In addition to the ASER Survey, ASER Centre undertakes various research and evaluation projects. The Senior Research Associate will work on the qualitative research projects undertaken by the Research Unit at ASER Centre. The Associate will be responsible for the design, planning and implementation of qualitative components of these research studies in different locations across India.
The responsibilities for this role are as follows:
- Conduct literature reviews for ongoing research projects or education-related policy areas.
- Conduct secondary research on specified domains.
- Conceptualize and design the qualitative components in alignment with the overall structure and objectives of a research project.
- Develop and pilot qualitative data collection tools including protocols and guides for personal interviews and/or focus group discussions.
- Translate and transcribe interviews/FGDs.
- Iteratively code and analyse data as needed in discussion with the larger team.
- Prepare, proofread and edit report content.
- Design training material – both print and audio-visual.
- Translate training materials in Hindi and/or regional languages (as applicable).
- Coordinate with a larger team of researchers and field staff from ASER Centre/Pratham.
- Undertake logistical and administrative tasks for ongoing research projects.
- Travel extensively for fieldwork.
- Contribute to work undertaken by other Units as needed.
- Produce/contribute to written content like articles, blogs, research papers, etc.
- Build internal capacity and the capacity of other teams through training on qualitative methods or any other policy-related issue as required.
This role is for candidates who are interested in primary qualitative research. We are looking for candidates who are open and willing to learn, can take ownership and work under minimum supervision. A minimum 2-year commitment from the candidate is required.
Qualifications: Minimum postgraduate degree, preferably in Education, Sociology, or other relevant social science disciplines.
Work experience: Candidates must have at least 3 years of demonstrable experience in designing and conducting qualitative research and data collection.
Skills and requirements:
- Proficient in deriving insights from data.
- Candidates must be proficient in M.S. Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel).
- Knowledge of qualitative data software packages (eg Nvivo) is mandatory.
- Proficiency in written and spoken English and Hindi is mandatory. Fluency in other regional languages will be an added advantage.
- Able to multi-task, handle work pressure and deliver under tight schedules.
- Able to work well in teams and in diverse, multicultural contexts.
- Comfortable working in a fast-changing work environment; comfortable and open to extensive field travel, often at short notice.
- Familiar with rural contexts.
- Open to working in a rural setting with basic facilities.
- Email your CV and cover letter (not exceeding 500 words) as 1 document to firstname.lastname@example.org with the subject line – Application for Senior Research Associate – Qualitative (Research Unit). Applications that do not follow this protocol will be at a disadvantage.
- Candidates should also submit a written sample (not exceeding 1000 words) on any topic along with the cover letter.
- Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an initial interview. Successful candidates from the screening stage will be further required to complete an assignment and attend a final interview. The expected timeline to hear back on the application for the first round of screening will be 5-7 days. The entire process is expected to last a month.
- Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Serious candidates are encouraged to apply at the earliest.
Deadline for applying: 27 October 2024