Recruitment: Public policy and political economy analyst

Intellidex is recruiting an experienced researcher/economist to join our dynamic research team in a mid-level position. The appropriate person will support Intellidex’s political economy research and help drive our policy and reform advisory business to produce reports and insights for a broad range of clients in South Africa and globally (including banks, asset managers, development finance institutions, foreign governments and corporate entities) as well as for public consumption. The research produced in this role will often be in the public domain and contribute to South Africa’s policy conversation.

The work will be extremely varied across sectors and issues, requiring the candidate to be able to track and analyse many topics at once and mange their time and ongoing research around such a shifting agenda. The candidate will be required to look at any issue that affects investors, banks and companies from a growth or doing business environment perspective including but not limited to: the Operation Vulindlela reform agenda, service delivery at municipality level, spectrum and digital reforms, DTIC policies including BEE and competition commission work, SOE-related policy issues and infrastructure. A particular focus will be on climate change issues across all sectors. 

The ideal candidate must have: 

• An ability to think strategically about ‘what next’ in the South African political economy 
• A very keen interest in South African current affairs, especially the intersection of policy and politics 
• An ability to work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines 
• Be a self-starter 
• Excellent writing skills and numeracy with some statistics and/or maths training 
• Five years’ experience in a consultancy or think tank or economics research environment, or in a bank or similar entity looking at related issues 
• A masters degree in economics (or similar discipline related to public policy – though this is flexible depending on work experience) 
• A portfolio of reports that have been produced on important policy and political economy issues facing South Africa 

And preferably: 

• Prior experience working on policy advisory 
• Prior experience working with or interacting with government as a stakeholder or advising such stakeholders, possibly experience working in government affairs or public sector relations 
• Experience working with large datasets and Excel macros 
• Experience with statistics software 
• Experience in writing for investors and for the media 

The role will involve a mixture of ongoing research to develop appropriate policy insights and recommendations for clients in both the public and private sectors, writing reports and contributing to periodical publications that Intellidex produces. It will involve meetings with clients and maintaining a network of relationships to obtain insight into current policy debates. Tracking a multitude of stakeholders and their views is a key part of the job, including understanding and working with parliament, Nedlac and similar bodies.

Intellidex offers a unique environment that draws together top academic skills, financial markets research and insight on South Africa’s policy development. We work with financial institutions and companies as well as domestic and international policymakers to improve outcomes for all South Africans. Intellidex is well-recognised for its high-quality research and you will become a core part of a highly skilled team, providing significant learning opportunities to advance your career.

Performance will be judged by the delivery of high-quality research projects and reports, as well as engagement with clients and other audiences. We expect the person in this role will over time become a thought leader nationally on the issues they are studying and an active contributor to the South African policy conversation.  and other audiences. We have offices in Sandton, where this position will be based, London and Boston. The position will report to the global head of capital markets research.

We have offices in Sandton, where this position will be based, London and Boston. The position will report to the global head of capital markets research. 

We offer a small company environment in which you will have considerable latitude to shape your role. Remuneration will be a mixture of basic (in the mid-level researcher range) and performance-based pay.

Our standards are high. You will be working with MBAs, CFA charterholders and PhDs on our team to ensure that Intellidex delivers high levels of client satisfaction and responds dynamically to new business opportunities. 

If you are interested in the position, please send a covering letter in which you address the requirements listed above, using the form below. There is no deadline for applications, but the role will be filled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. 

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