Research Specialist - Labour

Position: The Research Specialist - Labour
Location: Bangalore (Hybrid)

The Research Specialist - Labour position offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced researcher to lead evidence generation around labour, especially in the context of digital gig work, as it relates to the future of work in the world of AI and global digitisation. This is a Senior Leadership position within the organisation. The organisation serves as an internal research think tank with the core aim of understanding what an ethical future of work looks like for low-income people. 

As we see AI being poised to take over even the most technical of jobs, we must also ask the important question: what does this mean for those who are un- or under-employed? To address this, it is key to unlock three things:

1. How are digital markets growing, and what are the potential employment opportunities within these areas?
2. What are the skills individuals need to develop to serve these markets?
3. How must the labour landscape transform to ensure digital work is ethical?

The Research Specialist - Labour will lead the development and management of a portfolio of research studies addressing the organisations core labour-focused research questions. This position offers the opportunity for a researcher to design, lead, and manage a variety of research studies and partnerships.

Key Responsibilities:

• Designing, maintaining, and overseeing the roadmap for Labour Research at the organisation.
• Building and managing a team of Research Fellows.
• Designing, leading, and conducting a variety of research studies addressing the organisation's core research questions around labour.
• Leading the communication of critical research evidence through publishing papers, presenting at conferences, and developing tools, frameworks, and Digital Public Goods.
• Working closely with the CIO to develop policy briefs and evidence communications products to deliver strategic input on the organisations scale, impact, and sales strategies with a focused lens on ethical labour value chains.
• Supporting the Co-Founders in fundraising activities and reporting related to the organisation.

Required Qualifications:

• A self-motivated individual who takes full ownership of tasks and doesnt require hand-holding. This role comes with a lot of responsibility and autonomy, so were keen on self-starters who are eager to learn and contribute.
• Minimum of 3 years experience in leading research studies (experience as either a Senior Researcher or Principal Investigator) focused on labour, informal economies, or gig work, with a focus on low-income and vulnerable communities. Previous experience at the nexus of gender and labour is preferred.
• Extensive social science qualitative and quantitative design and analysis experience required, with a strong preference for those with a specialisation in development economics or impact evaluation.
• Exceptional communication and presentation abilities, both written and verbal.
• Proficiency in GSuite, R/Python/STATA/Tableau, NVIVO/MaxQDA.
• A role model of the organisation's values with the ability to inspire action and motivate team members to act on organisational priorities in line with its values and ethos.