[Hiring] Research Associate @Good Business Lab

Role Description

We are seeking an analytically driven and proactive Research Associate with advanced proficiency in R and STATA to bridge the gap between rigorous academic research and real-world business impact. In this role, you will provide critical support in processing and managing large-scale datasets while developing automated workflows and conducting econometric analyses to drive strategic decision-making. Working alongside leading scholars Anant Nyshadham (University of Michigan) and Achyuta Adhvaryu (UC San Diego), you will play a key role in designing research studies and generating evidence-based insights to help organizations improve performance while strengthening workers' well-being.

At Good Business Lab (GBL), you will thrive in an evidence-based ecosystem, applying cutting-edge methods to address complex challenges in worker well-being alongside a multidisciplinary team of economists and labor industry experts. This role offers the unique opportunity to contribute to high-level communication outputs, such as academic papers, policy briefs, and presentations, translating intricate data findings into actionable knowledge for global stakeholders. This is an exceptional opportunity for a bilingual (English C1/Spanish) professional passionate about development economics and impact evaluations to join a multicultural team. If you are a highly organized researcher who enjoys working independently on innovative projects that prove worker well-being is a measurable business advantage, we would love to hear from you.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field.
• A Master’s degree (in progress or completed) in Economics is strongly preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in R and STATA is required (Python is a plus).
• Proven track record of managing large-scale longitudinal or administrative datasets.
• Expert in causal inference, econometric modeling, and impact evaluation, including the design and analysis of RCTs and quasi-experimental studies.
• Experience in Industrial Organization or Development Economics—specifically regarding labor markets and Colombian education/vocational systems—is highly valued.
• Familiarity with the GEIH and other national information systems is a plus.
• Bilingual (English C1 / Spanish) with the ability to translate complex data into high-quality technical documentation and actionable reports.
• A proactive, independent researcher who excels in multidisciplinary teams.
• Prioritize methodological integrity and ethical standards (including AI use).

Requirements

• Contribute to the design, implementation, and analysis of experimental and quasi-experimental projects.
• Apply sophisticated econometric modeling to address complex questions in development economics and industrial organization.
• Contribute innovative methodological improvements to enhance the rigor of GBL’s research portfolio.
• Architect automated, reproducible workflows in R and STATA for data cleaning, variable generation, and anomaly detection.
• Perform comprehensive technical audits and diagnostic checks to ensure the absolute reliability of large-scale datasets.
• Develop structured tracking systems and real-time dashboards (utilizing Excel) to monitor fieldwork progress and survey quality.
• Create technical outputs that allow the implementation team to make agile, data-driven adjustments during data collection.
• Translate complex statistical outputs into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences.
• Support academic papers, policy briefs, and technical reports.
• Present findings to global stakeholders, ensuring that rigorous evidence is accessible and persuasive.

Benefits

• Be part of projects that have a real-world impact while collaborating with renowned academics from Harvard, Michigan, and UC San Diego.
• Work in a collaborative, mission-driven culture focused on improving worker well-being and advancing research in development economics.
• Gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools and methodologies in applied economics, big data, and machine learning.
• Contribute to research that combines academic rigor with practical application to make meaningful social change.

Company Description

Good Business Lab is an independent, non-profit labor innovation company. We use rigorous academic research to prove that worker well-being programs have business impacts. We develop market-ready, scalable interventions that benefit both workers and businesses. Our goal is to disrupt the traditional notion of business and show that worker well-being can be a good business practice.