Research Associate

Role Overview

This Junior Researcher position supports the Education Unit within the Airbel Impact Lab, focusing on the practical side of research: preparing, cleaning, and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data from multiple education projects. Day to day, you will turn raw datasets into credible findings and help shape them into clear, readable reports for colleagues, practitioners, and policymakers. Your work matters because it directly underpins efforts to understand and improve education interventions in humanitarian settings, giving the team reliable evidence to guide program decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Clean, organize, and manage quantitative and qualitative datasets across several education research projects, checking for errors and maintaining data integrity throughout the research lifecycle.
• Perform data analysis using appropriate statistical or qualitative methods, and help interpret results in ways that are meaningful for program teams and external audiences.
• Support implementation research studies that examine whether education interventions are delivered as planned, with attention to quality, fidelity, and cost-effectiveness considerations.
• Assist with randomized controlled trials aimed at measuring the impact of interventions on children’s foundational learning and wellbeing.
• Contribute to the wider education research agenda by preparing working materials, literature summaries, and analytical inputs under the guidance of senior researchers.
• Draft reports, briefs, and blog posts that translate technical findings into accessible language for practitioner and policy audiences.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the Education, Research, and R&D teams to ensure research activities are well coordinated and aligned with organizational priorities.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Education, Economics, Statistics, or a closely related field.
• Solid understanding of quantitative research methods, including inferential statistics, as well as familiarity with qualitative approaches; exposure to implementation research and causal inference is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in data cleaning, management, and analysis, with working proficiency in at least one statistical tool such as Stata, R, or Python.
• Familiarity with qualitative data methods like thematic or content analysis is desirable.
• Up to three years of relevant experience in research, data analysis, or a related field; internships, academic research, and volunteer roles will be considered.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to present research findings clearly for non-specialist readers; prior experience drafting reports, summaries, or briefs is an asset.
• Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to juggle competing priorities, work well under pressure, and adapt in a fast-paced team environment.
• Fluency in English is required; proficiency in French or Arabic is preferred.