Executive Director - J-PAL Africa

J-PAL Africa seeks an outstanding professional to be based in Cape Town to lead the organization as Executive Director, providing strategic leadership and day-to-day management of all office operations and finances to advance its mission of reducing poverty through evidence-informed-policy on the continent. This senior position will be based at the Southern Africa Labor and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) in the University of Cape Town, School of Economics, which is the host for the Africa regional office of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). 

J-PAL is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. J-PAL affiliated researchers and offices conduct randomised impact evaluations to answer critical questions in the fight against poverty. We collaborate with NGO, government, and private sector partners to translate research into action, informing scale-ups of programs and policies that have reached more than 800 million people since 2003. 

This role provides an unparalleled opportunity to lead and manage the day-to-day operations of J-PAL Africa, one of the most influential organizations in the evidence-to-policy space on the continent. As a member of J-PAL’s worldwide Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team, the Executive Director also provides critical inputs into J-PAL’s worldwide strategy and management. 

Responsibilities include (please review the full job description for full details of responsibilities): 

The main responsibility of this senior executive position is to lead J-PAL Africa by ensuring its work across Africa is delivered to the highest international standards. This involves overseeing the Research, Policy, Education & Training, Finance & Operations functions. The role includes working with J-PAL’s global network of researchers and offices and contributing to international thinking about evidence-informed policymaking.

Some specific responsibilities include: 

• Work closely with all stakeholders, especially the Scientific Directors of J-PAL Africa who provide close guidance and oversight on the Africa strategy of the office; the Global Executive Director who supervises and coordinates with all regional Executive Directors on the strategy and operations of J-PAL worldwide; and with the Senior Management Team of the Africa office to manage the day-to-day operations of the office to ensure the strategy is implemented effectively, timely and with fidelity. 
• In collaboration with the Associate Director of HR, Finance and Operations, support the day-to-day and operations management of the office. Dive deep into finances of the center and its different verticals, create robust internal and external financial reporting and management structures. Proactively identify and resolve problems to help the team achieve its goals. 
• Support the Associate Director of Research, manage high level contact and coordination with Principal Investigators (PIs) to contribute to the design and planning of prospective research projects and in the implementation of J-PAL Africa’s research projects in South Africa and beyond to ensure high quality randomised evaluations are conducted in the field 
• In collaboration with the Associate Director of Education & Training, identify opportunities to conduct training courses or conduct other forms of capacity building that support the research and policy goals of J-PAL Africa.
• In collaboration with the Associate Director of Policy, support and actively participate in J-PAL Africa’s policy outreach and funding activities across numerous countries in Sub Saharan Africa, including developing strong partnerships with global policymakers, practitioners and funders at the highest level to initiate and deliver new projects. 
• Help recruit, manage, and retain outstanding and highly motivated and committed team members at all levels, including J-PAL Africa’s Senior Management Team. 
• Ensure J-PAL Africa is in a sound financial position through proactive fundraising by building and cultivating relationships with diverse and increasing numbers of donors, foundations and other development organizations, and strong planning and management of grants and finances. 
• Represent J-PAL Africa at high level external events and in meetings with senior members of various governments, NGOs, and other development organizations; and at donor convenings, academic conferences, policymaker engagements and training courses. 
• Build relationships with the other seven J-PAL regional offices and , especially in MENA (Cairo) and Europe (Paris), global network of top researchers from universities around the world, and with colleagues at SALDRU and UCT. 

Requirements for the position: 

• A Masters (or higher) in Public Policy, Economics, or another similar social science including graduate-level (Honours and up) courses in econometrics/ statistics, microeconomics, or development economics 
• Interest in and understanding of Development Economics, particularly randomised evaluations of social policies/ programs 
• 10 years of relevant work experience with at least 5 years of relevant experience in research management, operations, policy outreach, or a combination of these. At least some of this experience should have been gained in sub-Saharan Africa. 
• Proven track record of managing day-to-day operations of a large organization, and supporting teams across different work streams in achieving results, especially in detailed oversight of operations, HR, and financial management and reporting. 
• Experience writing and managing budgets, fundraising, and managing grants and donor relationships
• Demonstrated ability to understand and communicate findings from rigorous quantitative research in external events, and training courses run by J-PAL. 
• Experience in managing policy outreach, including strategically identifying and mobilizing appropriate policymakers and developing and maintaining these relationships 
• Self-motivated and able to take direction, formulate a plan of action, and mobilize teams to execute while maintaining high-quality work 
• Advanced writing and oral presentation skills in English. 
• Position is based at UCT in Cape Town and is not eligible for fully remote work in a another city 

The following will be advantageous: 

• Ability to speak fluently in French 

The annual cost of employment for 2025, including benefits, is between R 1,329, 295 and R 1,563,876.