The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title:       Country Economist

Organisation: International Growth Centre (IGC)

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Contract Salary: from £27,000 net of taxes depending on experience and local market conditions plus an annual retirement contribution supplement of 10% net salary.

About US:

The International Growth Centre (IGC) is an economic research centre based at the London School of Economics, operated in partnership with University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. The centre was launched in December 2008 and is funded by the Department for International Development.

Job Summary:  The IGC is currently seeking a Country Economist to be based in Kampala, Uganda. The country office has generously been hosted at the Bank of Uganda, since its inception in 2012.

IGC Country Economists are the bridge between senior policymakers and researchers, engage in research, and lead project management. They also undertake economic analysis, co-author policy research papers, and write policy briefs, often in conjunction with senior researchers.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with the country leadership team to implement the Country Programme strategy. This will involve monitoring that programme activities are in line with the overall country strategy and periodically review progress against the overall country strategy.
• Build and support relationships with local stakeholders, including government authorities, multilateral and bilateral partners including DFID, private sector stakeholders, civil society, universities, think tanks and media, with the aim, ex ante, of identifying policy demands of concern to policy makers and research gaps and, ex post, of maximising the impact of IGC research.
• Write analytical policy research papers (often with senior co-PIs), policy briefs, and blogs under the supervision of the country leadership team. These typically involve economic analysis using local data and advanced econometric techniques, embedded in a global literature framework and respond to policy maker demand. Contributing analysis of climate change and growth, including policies toward energy, cities and agriculture.
• Proactively develop new research projects to respond to demand for policy analysis and to fill knowledge and research gaps in line with the country strategy and to identify opportunities and vehicles for supporting policy formation by providing evidence and analysis. This will involve reviewing projects at entry as part of the country team review, identifying and contacting appropriate researchers and developing sources of relevant data, as well as working with the IGC Hub to ensure that research proposals are developed according to IGC Guidelines. There are opportunities for Country Economists to work on research projects alongside other researchers should interests and skills match.
• Facilitate research projects by establishing connections between researchers and policy makers and other key stakeholders, if necessary, carrying out economic analysis, providing assistance in mobilising requisite data, and engaging key policy interlocutors. It may also involve providing logistical support for visiting researchers.
• Engage in the management of research projects by ensuring, for example, that outputs are received on time and satisfy our quality expectations. This will involve reviewing outputs and working with the researchers to prepare these for sign-off by the country leadership team and IGC Hub. It will also require the country economist to provide the IGC Hub with regular updates on country/research projects.
• Identify opportunities for analytical support to policy and coordinate the dissemination of research outcomes, working with both the country leadership team and the IGC Hub. This implies contributing to high quality policy briefs, research papers, synthesis papers, newspaper articles and blogs for targeted groups of stakeholders. Further, this will involve the organisation of dissemination events, locally or regionally and the online dissemination of research outputs on the IGC website, both with support from the IGC Hub. Some country economists assume specific responsibilities as communications leads.
• Facilitate communication between Country Directors, Lead Academics and IGC Hub colleagues to ensure the integration of the country-relevant policy and the IGC research agenda, in the context of the evolving country situation.
• Produce regular reports on research and policy developments in the country programme to the country leadership team and the IGC Hub. This is an important part of contributing to the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the country programme and may involve activities such as tracking the impact from engagements on particular research projects and producing in-depth case studies in collaboration with the IGC Hub.
• Take joint responsibility with the IGC Hub for programme management, including drafting work plans, terms of reference documents, budget management, forecasting and ensuring value for money. Play a key role in facilitating other country programme activities, working in conjunction with IGC Hub counterparts to ensure efficient implementation.
• Make regular use of the IGC Salesforce CRM system, SPEAR, for project management and impact reporting. Oversight of data quality for assigned areas.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The ideal candidates must hold a post-graduate degree (MSc/MPA/MPP or PhD) in economics, development economics, trade and industrial organization, or a related discipline.
• Applicants should have strong economics and quantitative analysis skills (using STATA or R), including knowledge of both macro and micro economics, sophisticated understanding of policy issues in Uganda and the East African Community, and excellent communications and organisational skills.
• This requires a highly pro-active and organised approach, utilisation of advanced economic research skills and policy knowledge, and a passion and skill for informing policy.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join the International Growth Centre (IGC) should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 17^th September 2023

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