Senior Specialist / Senior Specialistess Prevention, Research and Innovation: Behavioural Science and Impact Evaluation

Basel Institute on Governance

The Basel Institute on Governance is a hands-on center of competence dedicated to promoting good governance and countering corruption for a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world. Established in 2003 in Basel, Switzerland, the Basel Institute collaborates with partners worldwide to advance knowledge, practice, and policy on anti-corruption, asset recovery, and business integrity. With field operations across the globe, it boasts a diverse team of approximately 150 staff members representing 32 nationalities. The Basel Institute is an Associated Institute of the University of Basel.

Job Description

We are seeking a behavioral scientist with exceptional quantitative skills to join our Prevention, Research and Innovation (PRI) team. This position sits at the intersection of research and practice, where the successful candidate will work collaboratively to design experiments and pilot anti-corruption interventions in the field. Additionally, the role involves leading the design of rigorous impact evaluation approaches—such as randomized controlled trials—and conducting comprehensive statistical analyses of the resulting data to construct robust evidence of effective strategies in preventing and reducing corruption.

This intellectually demanding and stimulating position holds excellent prospects for both academic publication and real-world impact. You will be part of an interdisciplinary team and will engage with international partners. Significant international travel will be required for data collection and intervention design. The ideal candidate will combine deep expertise in experimental methods and causal inference with strong data management skills, a broad understanding of the social sciences (preferably including corruption studies), and a keen interest in testing development interventions for impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with PRI team colleagues and external partners to design behavioral experiments and pilot anti-corruption interventions in both field and lab settings.
• Lead the development of rigorous impact evaluation approaches, including experimental methods (e.g., randomized controlled trials) and, when randomization is not feasible, quasi-experimental designs.
• Execute thorough statistical analyses of experimental and survey data, employing appropriate econometric and causal inference techniques to determine impact, effect sizes, and direction of causality with a high degree of statistical rigor.
• Design and implement behavioral experiments and surveys, which includes instrument development, sampling strategies, and power calculations.
• Oversee the team's databases and data infrastructure, ensuring the establishment and adherence to data management plans, compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and effective data security and risk management.
• Develop procedures, protocols, and rules for experiments while supporting the ethics approval processes.
• Program and maintain technical infrastructure for experiments and surveys (e.g., oTree, z-Tree, Qualtrics) and provide organizational support for executing experiments in the field.
• Contribute to writing and publishing research outputs, including peer-reviewed articles, working papers, policy briefs, and donor reports.
• Effectively communicate findings to both technical and non-technical audiences, including practitioners, partner organizations, and donors.
• Engage actively with stakeholders, implementing partners, and team members throughout the research cycle.
• Support broader activities related to research, acquisition, project design, and implementation within the PRI team.

Qualifications and Skills

• Graduate degree in behavioral science, experimental or behavioral economics, psychology, political science, statistics, or a related quantitative discipline; a PhD or equivalent professional research experience is an advantage.
• Demonstrated expertise in the design and implementation of experimental impact evaluations.
• Excellent statistical and econometric skills, including causal inference methods, with proven ability to analyze experimental and observational data (proficiency in R or Stata required).
• Experience in designing and implementing behavioral experiments and surveys, with familiarity in standard experimental games, behavioral theories, and preference measures.
• Strong data management skills, including experience with data management plans, GDPR, and research data risk management.
• Experience programming experiments and surveys on platforms such as oTree, z-Tree (unleashed), and/or Qualtrics.
• Exceptional written and spoken English, with a strong track record (or potential) for publication in peer-reviewed outlets.
• Strong interpersonal skills, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to engage with new areas of research.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally, including to challenging environments.

Offer

We provide a stimulating and rewarding working environment characterized by a proactive, dynamic, and international team spirit. The role offers an intellectually engaging and varied workload, providing ample scope for initiative and innovation. The salary is competitive.

Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.