Senior Economist

Development Pathways Ltd
Sidcup - United Kingdom
S: Competitive Salary

Position: Senior Economist
Reporting to: Head of Social and Economic Analysis Team
Location: Sidcup, Greater London
Salary: Competitive salary commensurate with experience

Are you interested in using your research and analytical skills to provide evidence-based and progressive social policy that benefits the most vulnerable in society? Then make a difference by joining our dynamic and innovative Social and Economic Analysis Team.


About the Position
The Senior Economist will develop, implement and oversee high-quality and innovative research and analytical work on social and economic issues in low- and middle-income countries. She/he will collaborate closely with other staff members in the Social and Economic Analysis team, as well as other internal teams and external consultants, for the delivery of projects.

The successful candidate will become part of a team that loves working with data and applying economic tools and research methods to solve interesting challenges and provide our clients with the solutions and advice they need. We are also increasingly integrating qualitative methods into our work. Examples of our work include: poverty and inequality profiles; costing tools and micro-simulations of the impact of social protection schemes; multisectoral situation analyses of children, older people, and persons with disabilities; country baseline reports for the global Sustainable Development Goals; large-scale household surveys on food security in refugee settlements; and impact evaluation designs.

The Senior Economist will need a strong background in data analysis and research methods, in a field related to social and/or economic policy. The role requires a high level of flexibility, self-motivation and drive for results. The post is based in our new office in Sidcup and we also offer flexible working from home arrangements.

The position of Senior Economist will be expected to work at our office in Sidcup (Greater London) and will involve international travel, up to a maximum of three months per year. Please note that at present, all travel is suspended due to the current COVID-19 crisis, until further notice.


Main Responsibilities and Duties

• Deliver technical inputs for consultancy assignments:
- Design research methodologies and approaches;
- Run quantitative data analysis using censuses and surveys such as Labour Force Surveys, Household Income and Expenditure Surveys, Living Conditions Surveys, Demographic and Health Surveys;
- Conduct background research and literature reviews;
- Write technical reports and policy briefs;
- Develop training materials and facilitate workshops.

• Serve as technical lead for medium-sized research projects:
- Provide technical oversight for the development and delivery of selected assignments;
- Manage relationships with donors, UN agencies, governments, and other partners;
- Coordinate workstreams with team members and external consultants and quality assure deliverables;
- Collaborate with the Programme Management team to ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget.

• Support Development Pathways' growth:
- Lead the development of and/or contribute substantial inputs to expressions of interest and proposals for new opportunities;
- Build relations with a wide range of stakeholders to strengthen Development Pathways' international reputation, influence development policy, and identify opportunities for further business.
- Help to build a cadre of competent and trusted consultants whom Development Pathways can engage to work on various assignments.
- Build Pathways' reputation by authoring and/or contribute to Pathways' own publications ('Perspectives') and writing of blogs;
- Take on supervisory responsibilities by managing and mentoring junior team members.


Your Profile

We hire people from a range of backgrounds and experience, but some key things we look out for include:

• At least a Masters' degree in economics or a related discipline. Strong knowledge of one or more thematic or technical areas relevant for Development Pathways. Examples include poverty and welfare analysis, social protection, food security, gender, child well-being, public finance, monitoring and evaluation, causal inference, microsimulation and policy analysis, etc.

• Solid analytical skills with demonstrated ability to work with diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources. Attention to detail is a must.

• Proficiency in at least one statistical software or language (e.g. Stata, R) and experience in analysing household survey micro datasets. Willingness to learn new packages, statistical and visualisation techniques.

• Fluency in written and spoken English. Report writing is of high standard, requiring minimal quality assurance. Able to communicate complex technical ideas and arguments in ways which non-specialist audiences can readily understand.

• Capable of leading medium-sized projects, including working with donors and multilateral agencies, drafting technical proposals, managing project teams, understanding risk and financial management, and quality assuring deliverables.

• Self-motivated, with an ability to work on own initiative, to accept responsibility and to respond with confidence to complex and evolving problems.

• Willingness and ability to travel internationally, which may include overnight and weekends on occasion.


Terms of Employment and Benefits

This is a permanent and full-time post. Along with a competitive salary, the successful candidate would receive an attractive package of the following:
• Fulfilling work - working to make a difference to some of the world's most under-served communities.
• Flexible working – Development Pathways offers employees flexible work hours and remote work options.
• Generous time off – recharge with 30-holiday entitlement plus public/bank holidays.
• Excellent health and well-being provision – access to the company private health care scheme (after the satisfactory completion of the probationary period), company pension scheme and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Commitment to professional development opportunities – we encourage our staff to participate in professional learning and development.
• Provision of a company laptop and working at home benefit
• Life Assurance – entry into the company life insurance scheme

How to apply
While this post is open to those who have the right to reside and work in the UK, Development Pathways would be willing to provide visa sponsorship for an exceptional candidate applying for this position.
We invite interested candidates, who meet the requirements, to submit their applications, by including:
• A Curriculum Vitae (CV) specifying your qualifications, education and relevant work experience.
• A cover letter explaining why you are applying for the position and how your recent relevant experience and skills meet the requirements of this position of Senior Economist. Your statement must also include your salary expectations and availability.
• Please submit one sample of previous written work (for example, a research paper or policy brief).
• Also, please submit at least one sample of data analysis (for example, a Stata do-file, R script, Python code, or Excel workbook).
Applications should be sent to recruitment@developmentpathways.co.uk.
The closing date for this vacancy will be the 27th April 2021.
Development Pathways is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate and support diversity and are committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, family or parental status, or disability status.

Applicants should be aware of our privacy notice on our website.
Shortlisted candidates: you will be invited to participate in an interview and complete a series of assessments.
Due to the high number of applications expected, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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