Big Win Philanthropy partners with visionary African governmental leaders to address some of the biggest human capital challenges their countries face. Over the next five years, we have set ourselves the target of meaningfully contributing to the substantial improvement of 23 million lives. As an evidence-based, impact-focused organization, research is critical to our work.

We are recruiting a second Research Fellow to support our Program Directors and governmental partners by providing top quality comparative research that will help shape programs, guide development strategies, and catalyze communities of practice. The Research Fellowship represents an incredible opportunity for an experienced researcher with a graduate degree in econometrics, public health, data science, or related fields to advance their career in public service or international development.

Location: Based in London with travel to sub-Saharan Africa

Hours: Full time

Salary: Based on experience

Main accountabilities

• Work with the Program teams to develop reliable, actionable research on human capital challenges facing our government partners in Africa.
• Research and identify vendors and consultants who can provide technical support on pressing developmental matters; help grade and review responses to Requests for Proposals.
• Conduct desktop reviews for country scoping missions; Research and prepare briefings on partners, policies, demographics, and governance matters so that our Program teams are prepared, informed, and in a position to contribute.
• Review and summarize best practices from across the African continent.
• Critically review existing monitoring and evaluation frameworks and performance management dashboards as part of our investment process.
• Help evaluate program proposals and concept notes by researching assumptions and theories of change.
• Track data and reporting from relevant governments, peer organizations and multilaterals.
• Provide program support to Program Directors as needed, including with scheduling, in-country trips, workshops, and due diligence. • Assist in the drafting of reports, slide presentations, and investment memos.

Candidate profile

Experience

• Graduate degree in international development, public health, econometrics, data science, or another field related to Big Win’s work.
• Demonstrated familiarity with and/or experience working in sub-Saharan Africa.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Excellent research and analytical writing skills.
• Strong data science background.
• Ability to synthesize comparative research clearly.
• Exemplary work ethic with a drive for concrete results in a complex environment.
• An eye for detail and an understanding of the high standards required by Big Win and its partners.
• Substantive knowledge in a field related to international development or human capital development is appreciated.
• Fluency in French and/or widely spoken African languages is desirable.

Personal qualities and attitudes

• Team player with excellent people skills and highly developed communication and presentation skills.
• Purpose driven and ability to maintain focus on the big picture, even when researching technical questions.
• Full alignment with the Big Win ethos of supporting the ambition of policy champions at national level without prescribing external agendas.
• Willingness to follow direction from Program Directors, including as strategies, initiatives, or areas of focus shift.
• Discipline to complete research projects independently when other team members are travelling or engaging with partners.
• Ability to collaborate well with external partners.

Interested applicants should email a cover letter describing the applicant’s interest and relevant experience, together with a full current CV, to humanresources@bigwin.org. Please include “Research Fellow” in the subject line.