Senior Economist, Analytics

The Global Innovation Fund (www.globalinnovation.fund) is a non-profit fund with office in London and Washington DC. With a staff of 35, we invest in the development, rigorous testing and scaling of innovations targeted at improving the lives of the poorest people in developing countries. Through our grants and risk capital, we support breakthrough solutions to global development challenges from social enterprises, for-profit firms, non-profit organisations, researchers, and government agencies. The fund offers grants, loans (including convertible debt), and equity investments ranging from $100,000 to $15,000,000 to support a range of innovations with strong potential for social impact at a large scale. We define ‘innovation’ broadly to include new business models, policy practices, technologies, behavioral insights, or ways of delivering products and services that benefit the poor in developing countries. We support innovators at different phases of development, ranging from early start-up and pilot-testing to larger scale implementation. The innovations the fund supports can be located in any developing country and may focus on any sector relevant to international development. Analytics underpins GIF’s evidence-based operations. GIF is pioneering a new approach to development finance, in which monitoring, evaluation and learning are integral to the project cycle. The analytics team ensures that GIF has the evidence base to take smart risks in its investment decisions; that investees use information and feedback to improve their effectiveness; and that the development community benefits from learning about what works, what doesn’t, and why.

YOUR BACKGROUND AND PROFILE

We are looking for someone with solid experience in economic and social development in low and middle income countries, deep expertise in project evaluation and economic analysis, and the ability to both manage and participate in fluid task teams. You have a passion for development, exemplary skills in critical thinking, and a seemingly boundless capacity to assimilate and process information from diverse sources. Your on-the-ground life and work experience gives you insight into the challenges facing the developing world. You have excellent written and verbal communication skills. Your expertise and interpersonal skills win the respect and cooperation of internal and external clients.

YOUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

At GIF, analytics specialists work integrally as part of deal teams to do diligence on the economic and social impacts of prospective investments. They assess supporting evidence on performance and impact, contribute insights from economic analysis, apply GIF’s methodologies for forecasting impact, and help to shape strategies for tracking that impact. You will have multiple roles. You will supervise and review the work of junior members of the analytics team in supporting deals, with responsibility for quality control on impact assessments. You will yourself participate as a member of deal teams diligencing larger or more complex investments. You will also assist the Chief Analytics Officer in improving and disseminating GIF’s impact methodologies, and in drawing lessons from GIF’s work. You’ll work on private-sector, non-profit, and governmental investments, across all sectors and around the world. Your rigorous and objective assessments will be pivotal to GIF’s investment decisions. Your methodological and evaluative work will help to advance the effectiveness of development finance and impact investment more broadly. DUTIES

As an integral member of deal teams you will participate in the assessment of prospective investments – both directly, and as coach, resource person and reviewer for other analytics staff. You will contribute to the diligence of these investments with particular emphasis on assessing channels of economic and social impact. To do this, you will draw on internal analytics team expertise, external consultants, and commercial and open-source databases and literature. Applying GIF’s Practical Impact framework, you’ll

• assess existing evidence on an innovation’s impact; • assess the innovation’s addressable market; • and identify risks to the innovation’s achievement of scale.

You will also help to define strategies and methods for measuring the innovation’s impact and to define project objectives and indicators for reporting.

Other duties will include:

• Advising internal and external clients on impact evaluation methodology and monitoring and evaluation systems • Advising on and assisting in procurement of monitoring and evaluation services for investees • Ex-post evaluation of project performance • Assisting in the corporate-level monitoring and evaluation of GIF, including assessment of internal efficiency and external influence • Research and development in improving GIF’s impact assessment methodology and platform • Developing and applying tools for market intelligence on innovations • Synthesizing thematic lessons from and for GIF’s investees and for the development community at large

REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

• An understanding of development economics and applied microeconomics, from education or experience, equivalent to PhD level. • Significant on-the-ground developing-country experience in implementation or monitoring and evaluation of a development project or program; social enterprise or NGO; or in policy analysis and advice • Ability to conduct economic analysis of projects (benefit-cost analysis) • Expertise in monitoring and evaluation, including ability to review, critique, and propose theories of change, results frameworks, project objectives and indicators • Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative field monitoring of programs or projects. • Ability to assemble and supervise small task teams.

DESIRABLE SKILLS/EXPERIENCE

• Fluency in French, Portuguese, or languages of South and Southeast Asia. • Expertise in the design and analysis of randomized controlled trials, including power calculations • Experience in applying a gender lens to assessment of projects, programs, or investments • Familiarity with technology-assisted methods for monitoring and feedback • Ability to conduct financial analysis of an investment • Command of econometrics, including ability to perform statistical analyses in Stata and graphical analyses in Tableau • Data science expertise. CORE COMPETENCIES

• Driving for results • Establishing credibility and trust • Representing GIF internally and externally • Contributing to common goals ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This position will be based in the UK or the US (Washington DC) and requires the candidate to have appropriate work authorisation and relevant visas. Some travel between offices, and to investment sites, may be required.

Please note that salary is dependent on location and experience.

HOW TO APPLY 

Email jobs@globalinnovation.fund with the position you are applying for in the subject title. Please also include the following:

• A cover letter detailing why you want to work for the Global Innovation Fund • Your CV

The closing date for applications is 18 January 2019.

GIF offers a competitive salary based on qualifications and experience. The GIF is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment. Recruitment will be conducted on the basis of merit, against objective criteria that avoid discrimination.