Head of Zambia Evidence Lab - Zambia Lusaka

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Salary is competitive depending on experience and subject to local market conditions 

The International Growth Centre (IGC) works with policymakers in developing countries to promote inclusive and sustainable growth through path-breaking research.  The IGC combines a set of programme teams across Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East with a network of world-leading researchers backed by a global hub at the London School of Economics in partnership with the University of Oxford. IGC partner countries currently include Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Jordan, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia. The IGC is majority funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). 

Since November 2024, IGC has supported the establishment of the Zambia Evidence Lab (ZEL) within the Ministry of Finance and National Planning. ZEL’s mission is to transform how public institutions use data across sectors such as health, taxation, education, and mining—improving data quality, enabling system interoperability, and building analytical capacity. This involves cleaning, standardising, and documenting datasets for cross-departmental use, while employing methods that ensure outputs are both rigorous and policy-relevant, from descriptive analytics and econometric evaluation to interactive dashboards and AI tools (e.g. natural language processing, predictive modelling, automation). All outputs are co-produced with civil servants to ensure insights are practical and driven by policy demand. ZEL also pioneers the integration of traditional administrative and survey data with non-traditional sources—such as geospatial imagery and telecom records—to enable more holistic, data-driven policymaking. 

Reporting to the IGC Senior Country Manager for Zambia, the Head of ZEL will lead a team of six economists and data specialists to shape and deliver the Lab’s strategy. Based in Lusaka, they will oversee the production of data-driven policy outputs—including cost-benefit analyses, econometric studies, diagnostics, visualisations, and dashboards—ensuring analytical rigour and policy relevance throughout. The Head will manage senior relationships across government and partner institutions, and, working with IGC’s AI Advisors, scale the use of AI to strengthen government processes and evidence-based decision-making. 

The successful candidate will possess an innovative, forward-thinking mindset that can translate leading research and technological advances into implementable policy initiatives. They will have some combination of the following experiences and qualifications: 

• Master's degree in economics or a related field.
• Strong skills in quantitative analysis, particularly with non-experimental observational data.
• A strong track record of engaging with policymakers.
• Leadership experience, including managing teams. 

For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification 

To apply for this post, please click on the 'Apply' button above. 

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Should you have any queries about the role, please email:

Shahrukh Wani at s.rukh@lse.ac.uk 

To find out more about the position and International Growth Centre, please go to: 

https://www.theigc.org/about/careers/ 

The closing date for receipt of applications is 15^th October 2025 (23.59 UK time).

Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

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