International Budget Partnership looking for 2 Research Assistants

International Budget Partnership (IBP) collaborates with civil society organizations in countries around the world to use budget analysis and advocacy as a tool to improve governance and reduce poverty. Established in 1997, IBP is based in Washington D.C. IBP and its partners conduct research and advocate at national and international levels for improvements in budget transparency, participation and accountability.

The International Budget Partnership (IBP) is looking to fill two Research Assistant openings. These roles are responsible for providing qualitative and quantitative research and communications support on work performed by the OBI team, including the Open Budget Survey (OBS) and other reports and analyses on budget transparency. The Open Budget Survey is IBP’s flagship research program and offers the biennial measurement of transparency in over 100 countries globally.

Research Assistant (Non-Quantitative)

Main duties and responsibilities include:
1. Performs over-all support functions for the OBS research team in charge of a subset of countries covered by the Survey, including:

• Collecting, analyzing and fact-checking of government budget data; 
• Identifying and following up with peer reviewers; 
• Inputting information from researchers, peer and government reviewers into the Indaba platform; 
• Drafting and fact-checking country summaries; 
• Completing consistency checks and editing final versions of country summaries for the website; and 
• Drafting and proofreading project correspondence; and maintaining project files and the project deadline tracking system 

2. Supports the preparation of reports and analyses on budget transparency for governments, international donors, civil society organizations and the media – including background research, creating tables and graphs, and proofreading.

3. Supports OBI program events and trainings in methodology and dissemination

Qualifications:

• Verbal and spoken fluency in French and/or Spanish is required; 
• Bachelor’s degree in economics, international affairs, political science, and/or public policy, required; Master’s degree in similar disciplines, desirable; 
• Some work experience in a related field, desirable; 
• Strong verbal and written communications skills; able to write research reports according to the formats employed by the OBI program; 
• Familiar with basic quantitative data analysis techniques, may require substantive technical supervision; 
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to thrive in and contribute to a culture of collaboration and teamwork in a diverse work environment; 
• High level attention to detail, accuracy, quality and timeliness; 
• Demonstrates a high level of organization; able to prioritize tasks to meet multiple deadlines 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office package, required; familiarity with statistical analysis using STATA or other similar package, desirable 

Salary: Commensurate with experience, very competitive benefits.

To apply: Send a cover application letter and resume by email to applications@internationalbudget.org. Please put “Research Assistant NQ” in the subject area. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

Research Assistant (Quantitative)

Main duties and responsibilities include:

1. Performs over-all support functions for the OBS research team in charge of a subset of countries covered by the Survey, including:

• Collecting, analyzing and fact-checking of government budget data; 
• Identifying and following up with peer reviewers; 
• Inputting information from researchers, peer and government reviewers into the Indaba platform; 
• Drafting and fact-checking country summaries; 
• Completing consistency checks and editing final versions of country summaries for the website; and 
• Drafting and proofreading project correspondence; and maintaining project files and the project deadline tracking system 

2. Contributes significantly to the production of the Open Budget Survey report, including:

• Conducts quantitative analysis of data 
• Collect, categorize, document, and clean primary data and secondary data from various sources 

3. Support OBI team’s data needs, including quantitative analysis of internal and external data sets

4. Supports the preparation of reports and analyses on budget transparency for governments, international donors, civil society organizations and the media – including background research, creating tables and graphs, and proofreading

5. Supports OBI program events and trainings in methodology and dissemination

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, international affairs, political science, and/or public policy with strong quantitative skills, required; Master’s degree in similar disciplines, desirable 
• At least two years’ work experience in a related field, desirable 
• Strong verbal and written communications skills; able to write research reports according to the formats employed by the OBI program 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and STATA or similar statistical/data analysis software required 
• Experience in data processing, analysis (including econometrics), and management, including manipulation of large datasets 
• Quick turnaround research skills Demonstrates a high level of organization; able to prioritize tasks to meet multiple deadlines 
• Verbal and spoken fluency in French and/or Spanish, desirable 

Salary: Commensurate with experience, very competitive benefits.

To apply: Send a cover application letter and resume by email to applications@internationalbudget.org. Please put “Research Assistant Q” in the subject area. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.