Research and Data Project Lead in Economics

This role, for someone with a strong background in economics, will focus on leading economics-related projects, particularly within our core topics of global poverty, inequality, economic growth, and government spending. This person will collaborate closely with our data scientists and help guide the strategic direction of our work in these areas. You will need a strong capability in project management, technical writing, and data analysis, along with a deep understanding of economic research and data.

This is a fantastic opportunity to dive into the questions that shape our quantitative understanding of the economic dimensions of the world’s largest problems. You’ll get to lead projects that unpack and explain the data on issues such as poverty, inequality, economic growth, labor markets, and public finance to a global audience. You’ll have the chance to have a substantial impact as our work is used and cited by media outlets worldwide, academic researchers, and organizations like the United Nations, World Bank, OECD, and national governments.

Key responsibilities

• Lead our research in economics, including the exploration, analysis, and visualization of economic data
• Produce high-quality technical articles to make complex economic concepts and data accessible to a diverse audience, including policymakers, academics, journalists, and the general public.
• Contribute to writing new Data Insights.
• Evaluate and scope new research ideas.
• Help set and prioritize our economic research agenda to guide long-term and short-term goals.
• Act as a primary liaison with key data providers

Required skills and experience 

• Strong background in economics, preferably with experience in a research-intensive role in academia, think tanks, international organizations, or government.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage research projects, including as part of a team.
• Experience writing clear and accurate articles for a general audience, focusing on economic data and methods.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively across a multidisciplinary team and maintain productive relationships with key research partners and colleagues.

Skills and experience that will set you apart 

• Experience creating engaging and informative data visualizations.
• Ability to contribute to strategic discussions and provide input on the future directions of our economic research.
• Experience analyzing and extracting meaningful insights from complex datasets using statistical programming languages (knowledge of Python is not required).

Personal characteristics we look for

• Capacity to analyze information critically.
• Ability to change your mind based on new evidence.
• High degree of initiative and ability to drive projects from concept to completion.
• Natural curiosity about economic issues and a strong desire to continually learn and understand broader challenges in global development.
• Excellent team collaboration skills 

Apply online at the Our World in Data website via the above ‘Apply’ button.

Advert information