Senior Development Economist/Finance Specialist
Staff or consultancy engagement · Remote and flexible working · Closing 24/07/2026 · Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Early application is strongly encouraged, as we may close the vacancy before the deadline for exceptional candidates.
About Bodhi
Bodhi Global Analysis is a woman-led international development research consultancy established in London in 2017, with subsidiaries in Nairobi (2018), Singapore (2023), Dar es Salaam (2025), and The Hague (2026). We specialise in formative and evaluative research through participatory approaches, serving UN agencies, bilateral donors, INGOs, multilateral development banks, and regional organisations across fragile and conflict-affected contexts. As an ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001 certified organisation, Bodhi maintains rigorous quality control across all operations.
About the Role
Bodhi is building its in-house economics and development finance capability, and we are looking for a senior economist to lead the economic, financial, and quantitative dimensions of our work. You will work across a broad pipeline of evaluations, value-for-money assessments, market and economic analyses, and studies commissioned by UN agencies, bilateral donors, and multilateral development banks.
This is a role for someone who analyses and evaluates development finance, rather than someone who structures or originates it. You will bring rigorous economic and quantitative skills, the ability to translate complex financial analysis into clear recommendations for decision-makers, and the seniority to engage government, donor, and financial-sector stakeholders directly. As a small firm, we offer less hierarchy and more responsibility earlier: you will work across multiple projects and countries rather than being siloed into one programme, and you will help shape how assignments are designed, costed, and delivered.
Areas of specialism
We are interested in economists with demonstrated depth in one or more of the following, which reflect recurring demand across our portfolio:
- Climate and blended/innovative finance: climate finance tracking and leveraging, NDC financing, multilateral climate funds (for example GCF, GEF, or the Adaptation Fund), and the greening of financial institutions
- Market systems development: market and value-chain diagnostics, systemic-constraint analysis, facilitation logic, and private-sector engagement
- Poverty and distributional analysis: multidimensional poverty measurement, small area estimation, and the costing of deprivation
- Public finance, costing, and value for money: cost of inaction, sector costing, value-for-money and 4Es analysis, and investment cases
- Financial inclusion and private-sector finance: SME finance, access-to-finance analysis, and financial-sector development
You are not expected to cover all of these. Tell us where your expertise genuinely lies.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the economic, financial, and quantitative components of evaluations, analyses, and studies
- Design and apply value-for-money and cost-effectiveness frameworks, including the 4Es
- Design and conduct quantitative analysis, including econometric methods such as difference-in-difference and propensity score matching, using Stata, R, or Python
- Lead or contribute to climate and development finance analysis, including the tracking and leveraging of finance flows
- Where relevant, conduct market systems diagnostics, identifying systemic constraints and translating them into practical, forward-looking recommendations
- Contribute economic framing to theories of change, evaluation matrices, and data collection tools
- Conduct senior key informant interviews with government officials, donors, financial-sector actors, and private-sector stakeholders
- Draft and quality-assure the analytical sections of inception, draft, and final reports, policy briefs, and investment cases
- Contribute to proposals and bids, including methodology design and financial proposals
- Support inception and validation workshops with clients and stakeholders
Qualifications and experience
Essential
- Master's degree in economics, finance, development economics, public policy with a strong quantitative component, or a closely related field
- A minimum of eight years' professional experience in applied economic analysis, evaluation, or development finance, with ten or more years preferred
- Demonstrated expertise in one or more of the areas of specialism listed above
- Strong quantitative skills, including econometric analysis, and proficiency in at least one statistical package (Stata, R, or Python)
- Experience designing or applying value-for-money or cost-effectiveness analysis
- A track record of producing clear, rigorous analytical writing in English for client or policy audiences
- Experience working with, or delivering research and evaluation for, UN agencies, bilateral donors, multilateral development banks, or INGOs
Desirable
- A PhD in economics, finance, or a related quantitative discipline, or peer-reviewed and published research
- Hands-on experience with climate finance, multilateral climate funds, or NDC financing
- Experience with market systems development diagnostics and facilitation design
- Experience with multidimensional poverty measurement or small area estimation
- Working proficiency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, or another UN language strongly preferred
- Experience in fragile and conflict-affected contexts
- Familiarity with OECD-DAC evaluation criteria, theory-based evaluation, contribution analysis, or outcome harvesting
Core competencies
- Advanced analytical and conceptual ability, with the capacity to distil complex economic and financial analysis into clear, actionable recommendations
- Attention to detail and a commitment to high-quality, objective work
- The ability to work independently and as part of a remote, multidisciplinary international team
- A commitment to research ethics, confidentiality, and safeguarding
What We Offer
- A senior role building Bodhi's economics and development finance capability across a broad and varied portfolio
- The opportunity to work across multiple projects, countries, and donors rather than a single programme, with direct involvement in how assignments are designed and delivered
- Collaboration with an experienced, multidisciplinary international research team
- Fully remote and flexible working
- A staff position for candidates based where Bodhi has a legal entity (the United Kingdom, Kenya, Singapore, Tanzania, or the Netherlands), or a consultancy engagement for candidates based elsewhere (applicants must be based in one of the following georgraphies; Europe, South East Asia, Southern Africa, West Africa, or East Africa)
How to Apply
To apply, please click on Apply, and follow the instructions. You will be invited to submit:
- A CV demonstrating relevant experience and depth in one or more areas of specialism
- A cover letter that (1) states clearly which area(s) of specialism you bring, (2) addresses your relevant experience and availability, and (3) states your country of residence
- A short writing sample demonstrating analytical and report-writing ability
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Early application is strongly encouraged, as we may close the vacancy before the deadline for exceptional candidates.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Bodhi is a women-owned enterprise committed to gender parity at all levels of the organisation. We particularly welcome applications from women economists and from candidates who bring lived experience from the regions where we work. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religious belief, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic background, or disability.
For more information about our organisation, please visit www.bodhiglobalanalysis.com.
Bodhi Global Analysis. ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001 certified. Signatories to the Women's Empowerment Principles.