Vacancies

About AfriCatalyst

AfriCatalyst is an independent international development advisory firm committed to building impactful partnerships between global and local actors. The organization designs innovative, evidence-based solutions to address Africa’s most pressing economic development challenges. Grounded in rigorous research and strategic collaboration, AfriCatalyst combines international expertise with deep local knowledge to deliver effective and sustainable results.

About the AfriCatalyst Institute for Sustainable Development

The AfriCatalyst Institute for Sustainable Development (ACI-SD) is a Pan-African center of excellence with the mission to help prepare a new generation of African policymakers through capacity development, policy-oriented research, and peer learning. Its modern facilities, set up in Dakar, will help train thousands of African leaders, while offering a platform for development actors to engage in peer-learning and foundational thinking on issues facing Africa.
As a training institute and research center, the Institute promotes peer learning, supports evidence-based policymaking, and contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Position Overview

The Deputy Research Coordinator will support the delivery of AfriCatalyst and its Instute’s research and analytical agenda under the guidance of the Research Coordinator. The position combines economic analysis, policy-oriented research, and research coordination to generate evidence that informs decision-making across African economies.

The role contributes to the execution of flagship research programs, supports advisory and policy dialogue engagements, and helps link research with training and peer learning.

 

Key responsibilities

Quantitative Analysis and Data Support

• Conduct descriptive and econometric analyses related to debt sustainability, climate finance, sovereign risk, public finance, decarbonization, and related sectors

• Collect, clean, and structure datasets from national and international sources

• Support the development of macro-fiscal and sectoral models

• Contribute to the establishment of reproducible analytical workflows and ensure data integrity and compliance with governance standards

Research and Data Analysis

• Contribute to the drafting of policy briefs, country briefs, technical reports, and analytical articles

• Prepare tables, charts, appendices, and briefing notes

• Conduct structured literature reviews and draft summary notes highlighting policy implications

• Contribute to the development of knowledge products for the general public and institutional research findings

Economic Monitoring and Strategic Intelligence

• Monitor macroeconomic trends, developments in sovereign risk, financial arrangements, and political signals in priority countries

• Draft concise analytical notes and structured press reviews

• Identify emerging risks and opportunities for analysis in line with institutional priorities

Technical Support and Knowledge Management

• Prepare briefing materials and supporting documents for high-level meetings

• Manage structured, version-controlled research repositories and datasets

• Facilitate coordination among departments and maintain tracking tables for research results and analytical data

Support to the Business Development Department

• Conduct targeted contextual research, market studies, and analyses to support concept notes, proposals, and donor engagement strategies

• Produce rapid analytical notes and data summaries to support opportunity identification, positioning, and strategic decision-making as part of business development efforts

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in economics, development economics, public policy, finance, econometrics, climate finance, or related field.

• 2–5 years in economic research, finance, sovereign risk, macroeconomic analysis, or research institution.

• Strong knowledge of statistics and econometrics, including regression analysis, forecasting, data cleaning, and visualization.

• Proficiency in Excel and statistical/programming tools such as Stata, R, Python, MATLAB, or EViews.

• Experience conducting literature reviews and producing clear policy briefs, technical reports, country analyses, briefing notes, charts, and presentations.

• Excellent written and spoken English and French.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ongoing PhD or advanced research training in Economics or a related field.

• Exposure to government institutions, international organizations, or development partners.

• Interest in macroeconomics, debt sustainability, fiscal policy, sovereign risk, financial systems, climate policy, and/or decarbonization.

• Experience working with national and international datasets, maintaining data quality, and documenting methodologies.

• Demonstrated interest in translating research into policy advice and practical recommendations.

• Strong attention to detail, analytical judgment, organization, discretion, ability to work under tight deadlines, and comfort collaborating across departments.