[Hiring] Senior Livelihoods Researcher @GiveWell

Role Description

GiveWell is seeking a Senior Livelihoods Researcher to help us identify and fund the most cost-effective ways to improve living standards among the global poor. You will have an outsized influence on our funding decisions and help us improve lives on a global scale.

Our livelihoods team is organized around thematic verticals, which includes:

• Cash transfers
• Broader social protection programs
• Education programs
• Support for small and medium sized businesses in low-income countries

As a Senior Livelihoods Researcher, you’ll create and lead ambitious research agendas related to our portfolios of work and answer complex questions that will inform GiveWell’s grantmaking decisions. Your work will combine:

• Empirical evidence review
• Critical synthesis
• Cost-effectiveness modeling
• Discussions with subject matter experts
• Understanding of the broader context
• Your own judgment

In the course of your work, you might approach questions like these:

• What effect do rural trailbridges have on the consumption of nearby communities?
• What are long-run effects of unconditional cash transfers and ultra poor graduation programs on recipients?
• What would happen to prices and markets if we took cash transfer and ultra poor graduation programs to scale?
• How should GiveWell value interventions which try to reduce the variance of consumption (as opposed to increasing the average)?
• Why have several countries in sub-Saharan Africa seen large scale-ups in donor-funded livelihoods programs over the last 30 years but very little movement in poverty headcount rates and median consumption per capita?

Qualifications

• A quantitatively oriented advanced degree (e.g., in economics, statistics, public policy or related fields)
• Substantial professional experience in the livelihoods landscape (broadly defined), which could include experience in academic research and/or in program implementation or funding.
• Soft qualities that contribute to success on our team, such as curiosity, ability to communicate confidence levels, and appreciation for strong relationships.

Requirements

• GiveWell’s mission and methods are personally energizing.
• You’re abnormally curious and willing to interrogate others’ work.
• You routinely think about and surface value judgments and strategic commitments.
• You dislike strong confidence in views that lack evidence.
• You love tackling complex problems and reassessing your mental models.
• You constantly assess whether you and the team are working on the most important things.

Benefits

• Fully funded health, dental, vision, and life insurance (100% of premiums covered within the US for you and any dependents)
• Four weeks of paid time off per year
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave
• Ergonomic home workstations or coworking space memberships
• 403(b) retirement plan

Company Description

GiveWell is dedicated to finding and funding outstanding giving opportunities in global health and development, sharing the full details of our analysis with everyone for free. Since 2007, we’ve directed over $2.6 billion to cost-effective programs and interventions.