YES Economist - African Center for Economic Transformation

Job Summary

African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) is seeking a highly skilled Economist to support its Youth Employment and Skills (YES) agenda through rigorous research, policy analysis, and strategic advisory work focused on Sub-Saharan Africa. The role will lead and contribute to high-quality analytical and consulting engagements, applying advanced quantitative methods to generate actionable insights on labour markets, skills development, and economic transformation.

The Economist will manage delivery of research projects, translate complex analysis into policy-relevant recommendations, and support effective engagement of governments, partners, and stakeholders on research findings. The role also provides leadership continuity in the Heads absence and contributes to positioning ACET as a trusted voice on youth employment and economic policy.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Economist - YES will play a central role in advancing ACETs youth employment and skills agenda. Specifically, the role will:

• Lead high-quality research and rigorous economic analysis on issues, trends, and policy reforms related to youth employment, skills development, and structural transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Design and manage datasets, including data collection, cleaning, validation, and database development for ongoing research programs and bespoke consulting engagements.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data to produce policy-relevant insights, technical reports, briefs, and thought leadership pieces, while staying abreast of emerging global and regional economic trends particularly in labor markets and education policy.
• Serve as Project Lead on assigned initiatives, ensuring effective project management, coordination, quality assurance, and on-time, within-budget delivery.
• Provide strategic and analytical support to the YES Chapter of the Pan African Coalition for Transformation, contributing to evidence-based advocacy and programming.
• Provide analytical inputs to proposal development.
• Identify, document, and disseminate best practices, translating technical findings into actionable recommendations for policymakers, partners, and stakeholders.
• Develop high-impact client presentations and other audience-facing outputs tailored to governments, development partners, and private sector actors.
• Represent ACET as a technical spokesperson on economic and youth employment issues, including engagement with government counterparts, partners, and media where appropriate.
• Serve as Deputy Team Lead and assume leadership responsibilities during the Heads absence.
• Undertake any other responsibilities as assigned in furtherance of ACETs mission and strategic objectives.

Education/Experience

• A Masters degree in Economics, Statistics, or a closely related field, with a specialization in Labour Economics, Development Economics, Education Policy, or Macroeconomics, and a minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience; OR
• PhD in Economics, Statistics, or a closely related field, with similar specialization, and at least three (3) years of relevant, progressively responsible professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience as an Economist or Research Analyst, with a substantive focus on labour economics and/or education policy in an African context.
• Strong experience working with micro-level datasets, including household survey and labour force survey data; familiarity with nationally representative datasets in Sub-Saharan Africa is an advantage.
• Experience in statistical modelling and forecasting, will be an advantage.
• Demonstrated experience in project management and coordination, including planning, budgeting, stakeholder engagement, and delivery of research or policy projects within agreed timelines is a must.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to translate rigorous economic analysis into actionable policy advice and strategic recommendations.
• Proficiency in the use of analytical, statistical, and econometric software packages particularly STATA and/or R
• Able to demonstrate a sound understanding of macroeconomics, able to utilize conceptual frameworks to communicate complex ideas, and be comfortable in navigating around the different sectors of an economy.
• A self-starter who can work independently with minimal support, paying close attention to detail and bearing independent responsibility for data accuracy.
• Good leadership skills and ability to work and think through problems independently and with a team including multi-disciplinary teams.
• Effective project management skills, with experience managing timelines, deliverables, and budgets to ensure efficient and high-quality project execution.
• Ability to perform under pressure, manage competing priorities to deliver on time with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills, including the ability to distill technical concepts for non-technical audiences such as policymakers, students, and partners.
• Fluency in spoken and written English. Good command of French will be an advantage
• Strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively within diverse, multicultural teams.

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