Senior Livelihoods Researcher

GiveWell

3d • Remote

About The Position

GiveWell is seeking a Senior Livelihoods Researcher to help identify and fund the most cost-effective ways to improve living standards among the global poor. This role offers an outsized influence on funding decisions and the opportunity to improve lives on a global scale. The livelihoods team focuses on thematic verticals including cash transfers, broader social protection programs, education programs, and support for small and medium-sized businesses in low-income countries. The team aims to maximize social return on investment, measured as the increase in relative consumption per dollar, with a particular value placed on consumption gains among poorer populations. The Senior Livelihoods Researcher will create and lead ambitious research agendas, answer complex questions to inform grantmaking, and combine rigorous evidence review, cost-effectiveness modeling, and thoughtful judgment. The role involves shaping a research agenda with rigor and creativity, synthesizing empirical evidence, conducting cost-effectiveness modeling, consulting with subject matter experts, understanding broader contexts, and applying personal judgment. Potential research questions include the effects of rural trailbridges, long-term impacts of cash transfers and ultra-poor graduation programs, market impacts of scaling these programs, valuing interventions that reduce consumption variance, and understanding reasons for slow poverty reduction despite large-scale livelihoods programs in sub-Saharan Africa.

Requirements

• A quantitatively oriented advanced degree (e.g., in economics, statistics, public policy or related fields)
• Substantial professional experience in the livelihoods landscape (broadly defined). This could include experience in academic research and/or in program implementation or funding.
• GiveWell’s mission and methods are personally energizing—you like our approach to research and you find personal meaning in our story of impact.
• You’re abnormally curious—you ask lots of questions, and you’re willing to interrogate others’ work. Your curiosity also extends to your own work—you aren’t defensive when your research comes under scrutiny.
• You routinely think about and surface the value judgments, background knowledge, and strategic commitments that undergird your work. You understand the potential effects of mistaken mental models, so you strive to improve yours and your team’s.
• You dislike it when people express strong confidence in views that don’t seem to rely on commensurate evidence. You carefully and legibly communicate about your confidence levels.
• You appreciate the value of an excellent reputation and strong relationships. You can moderate your directness and intensity when you’re communicating with external folks.
• You love a gnarly problem. You figure out the most important questions to answer, go deep on the details where they matter (and move on where they don’t), and reassess your mental models based on what you’ve learned.

Responsibilities

• Create and lead ambitious research agendas related to our portfolios of work.
• Answer complex questions that will inform GiveWell’s grantmaking decisions.
• Combine rigorous evidence review, cost-effectiveness modeling, and thoughtful judgment.
• Sift through countless questions and hone in on those that matter most.
• Communicate externally about your work.
• Advise other researchers on the team.
• Shape a research agenda that brings rigor and creativity to the thorniest questions the GiveWell livelihoods team faces.
• Combine empirical evidence review and critical synthesis, cost-effectiveness modeling, discussions with subject matter experts, understanding of the broader context, and your own judgment.
• Constantly assess whether you and the team are working on the most important things.

Benefits

• Fully funded health, dental, vision, and life insurance (we cover 100% of premiums 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
• Relocation expenses for candidates who wish to move to any of our physical office locations
• Visa sponsorship for those needing to work in the United States
• Support and encouragement for flexible working, including flexible hours, working remotely, and working from the office

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior