About us
Good Business Lab is an independent, non-profit labor innovation company. We use rigorous academic research to prove that worker wellbeing programs have business impacts. We develop market-ready, scalable products capable of providing dual benefits to workers and businesses. Our goal is to disrupt the traditional notion of business and show that worker wellbeing can be a part of core business strategy, or in other words, a good business practice.

The founders of the lab are Ach Adhvaryu – assistant professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan (www.achadhvaryu.com/), Anant Ahuja – head of Organization Development at Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd. and Anant Nyshadham – also an assistant professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan (www.anantnyshadham.com/).

We’ve been incubated at Shahi Exports – India’s biggest apparel export house, and have conducted several studies in their sixty-plus factories in the past six years. In one study we found that the net return to the firm from training women workers in life skills (such as financial literacy, communication, and problem-solving) is 250%, 8 months after program completion. This program, called P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement), co-created by Gap Inc., Shahi, ICRW, and Swasthi has been scaled at a global level to reach over 45,000 female garment workers in 12 countries. Some of our other partners include the Harvard Business School, University of Pennsylvania, and Humanity United.

Overview

Projects include but not limited to looking at the migration experience and mental health of workers and how this is affected by pairing them with experienced workers from their region (through a novel ‘buddy system’), how volunteering helps develop soft skills that affect employment outcomes among college students, unlocking female labor through rural training centers, and how an effective grievance redressal system for workers affects their job outcomes.

To ensure the smooth implementation of all projects, we are looking for a Research Manager, details of which are given below.

Location: Bangalore

Length of Commitment: at least one year

Start Date: ASAP (applications accepted on a rolling basis)

Remuneration: 13-20 lacs p.a

Who are you?
Ideally you have:

• Masters degree in Economics/Publics policy/Development (or Bachelors degree with 4+ years of relevant work experience).
• Ability to work in a team, manage multiple projects on the ground and be self-motivated.
• Experience in managing Randomized Controlled Trials required.
• Extensive experience conducting social science or economic field research (supervising data collection, teams of field workers, survey design and implementation, financial reporting, and data management)
• Knowledge of Stata (or any other statistical tool) is required.
• Strong quantitative, analytical and financial management skills required

What will you do?
Research Managers at GBL work closely with academic researchers, the research implementation team, data manager and other staff to help implement various projects. They typically manage up to 2-3 projects and mentor 3-5 Research Associates.

Primary Responsibilities (60-70% of the time):

• Mentor Research Associates and other staff
• Set priorities for projects in consultation with researchers
• Maintain clear communication between researchers and GBL staff and clarify expectations
• Anticipate challenges to research projects and work with researchers to address them
• Identify and mitigate risks to research projects
• Ensure that the project has sufficient material and human resources
• Ensure that projects follow GBL standards and protocols in consultation with Data and Field teams
• Ensure alignment between the research team and implementation partners
• Assist with the responsibilities of Research Associates (for example data cleaning, survey planning, surveyor hiring) as required

Primary Responsibilities (30-40% of the time):

• Assist with screening and hiring Research Associates
• Prepare reports for funding agencies
• Lead training session of Research Associates and other staff
• Help improve the procedures, policies, and culture of GBL
• Oversee administrative needs of the Medellín office
• Represent GBL at meetings with external stakeholders (by delivering presentations, for example)
• Contribute to GBL’s communications (blogs and articles) as requested
• Ensure compliance with Institutional Review Boards

What should you be comfortable with?

• A dynamic environment with competing priorities
• Working in a team with shared responsibilities
• Independently coordinating with coworkers to accomplish goals
• Being resourceful in new environments and scenarios
• Problem-solve in hi-pressure environments

Perks of working with us:

There are plenty of benefits at GBL, here are some examples:

• Flexible leave policy: Time away from work can be extremely helpful for maintaining a healthy work/life balance. GBL encourages managers and leadership to set the example by taking time off when needed and ensuring their team members do the same. We don’t have a strict limit on paid leaves, only suggested ( extremely liberal) averages.
• Flexible working hours: We recognize that a better work-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance, productivity, and reduce stress. The basis of our norms pertaining to this is a system of trust in each other and our common goals.
• Training and Development: GBL team members can set aside 10% of their work time / around 4 hours a week to improve their skills/knowledge on a subject that they think will help them perform their job better. There is a separate budget set out for this. We encourage all employees to focus both on technical and soft skills. We also facilitate employee mentorship programs.
• GBL Care Systems: As an organization, we are committed to ensuring the wellbeing of our team members and creating a thriving work environment- because that gives us, together, the best chance at achieving our shared mission and sparking joy at work. We do this by partnering with organizations such The Mindclan, Therapize among others for workshops and other wellbeing-related initiatives.
• Growth-oriented review policy: To foster collaboration, we have adopted regular reviews and check-ins among team members. We see a manager’s role beyond what is expected from them by conventional management thinkers. Apart from delivering high-quality work, managers are responsible for the holistic development of their team members. This can be achieved through practices inspired by coaching philosophy.

Additional benefits:

• Wellbeing budget: This includes an individual budget for each team member that they can claim reimbursement for things such as therapy, any physical-health related activity and home office setup. Additionally, there’s a separate budget for Managers for care packages or any other team activities. There’s also a budget for our People Operations team to organize team-wide activities or provide mental health services in collaboration with organizations like Therapize and Mindclan.
• Informal virtual and in-person hangs and activities!

Recent projects and blog posts
To acclimatize yourself with some of our work, you can read our blog posts on Medium, and also go through our LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

The process

We are glad you’re interested in applying for this role! After each step, we decide whether to invite you to the next one. The entire process can take upto 6-8 weeks.

Our interview process for this role has the following steps:

Our commitment to diversity:

GBL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, physical disability, or length of time spent unemployed. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We offer traditional monetary workplace benefits such as insurance and travel allowance. We are a young and growing company making us the ideal ground for team members to experiment, take on dynamic roles, and grow with us. We focus on happiness, output, and quality of work.

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know during the recruiting process.

Note: By clicking on the ‘apply for this job’ button, you confirm that you understand and accept GBL’s Privacy Policy. You also understand that GBL has zero-tolerance against sexual harassment/ exploitation /abuse/misconduct (“SEA”). You confirm and declare that you have never been convicted by any court of law and/or you have never been subjected to any sanctions or inquiry or proceedings (be it disciplinary, administrative, civil, or criminal) arising from an investigation in relation to sexual harassment/abuse/misconduct or left employment pending investigation and refused to cooperate in such an investigation.