Intellidex is a leading emerging markets research and consulting house that is rapidly expanding. We are looking to hire a senior researcher to support our work on macroeconomic and structural reform-related policy research and advisory in South Africa.  

Intellidex’s Capital Markets and Political Economy practice provides ahead-of-the-market insights and advice to a range of offshore and onshore investors, local and foreign corporate c-suite and banks on South Africa’s opportunities and risks from a macroeconomic, reform and political perspective. It also works with policy makers and organised business to advance structural reforms in South Africa across a broad sweep of policy areas including energy, logistics, SOEs and infrastructure that compliment financial sector reform and innovation work, as well as our institutional client service elsewhere in the business. The group works particularly with issues at the complex intersection of politics, policy and funding.  

The right candidate will be fluent in these issues and will be given extensive exposure to senior decision makers in both the public and private sectors – offshore and onshore. You will also build a public profile over time. You will work across a large range of different complex research issues for a broad range of client types and delivery styles.  

You will take day-to-day responsibility for client delivery of highly regarded and widely read regular periodical research products (covering macro, political and structural reform policy related issues), ad hoc (often real-time/intraday) research requests from subscription clients and short- and long-term project work for clients – all under direction of the line Managing Director. 

There will be an opportunity to work on similar issues in other jurisdictions on the continent as our business increasingly expands there in the coming years though this will not be a focus to start with. The expertise you have – and build – in this role will allow you to be exposed to and contribute to a broad range of projects across the rest of the firm including with bank strategy, capital market development and social economy work.  

You will be expected to support your line Managing Director in the process of sales, onboarding clients and then project management and delivery. As a senior member of the team you will be expected to undertake some business development work of your own initiative, drawing on your own existing networks and develop such networks over time. 

The pay package for this role will be appropriate to attract someone with the background and experience outlined below. This will include base pay, benefits and bonus schemes.  

Essential requirements are (do not apply if you do not meet these requirements as your application will not be considered): 

• Over seven years of work experience, latterly with some responsibilities, in a macroeconomics, structural reform policy or related field – most likely for a bank, consulting company, think tank, business association, corporate, national government department, central bank or similar.  

• A strong understanding of and fluency in the influence of structural reform policy issues on the macroeconomy, and our clients (banks, corporates, financial markets and investors), though you do not necessarily need to be a subject matter expert in each policy area individually 
• A masters degree or higher in economics (with a focus on macroeconomics, macro-econometrics or similar) or an economic reform policy-related degree that has a strong quantitative component 
• Excellent writing ability with a style suited to our client base, with past evidence of reports, essays or articles 
• Excellent proficiency in excel  
• Excellent presentation, debating and similar skills 

• A working knowledge of in Eviews, Stata or similar econometrics software 
• A deep understanding of and well founded opinions about the current macroeconomic and policy issues in South Africa 
• A deep interest in the political economy of South Africa and its influences on the macroeconomy, policy and reform 
• A strong interest in regional and global macroeconomic issues 

Preferred requirements are: 

• Some area of structural reform policy specialism such as energy, logistics or similar 
• Some ability to code in a standard computer language (R, Python, etc) 

Intellidex offers a unique environment that draws together top academic skills, financial markets research and insight on South Africa’s financial sector, and increasingly other emerging markets. We work with investors, financial institutions and domestic and international policymakers to improve outcomes for South Africans and other emerging and frontier markets. Intellidex is widely recognised for high quality research and you will become a core, senior, part of a highly skilled team, providing significant learning opportunities to advance your career.  

We have offices in Sandton, where this position will be based (though we will consider Cape Town as a location), London and Boston. The position will report to the Managing Director leading political economy, capital markets and just energy transition work for the firm. 

We offer a small company environment in which you will have considerable latitude to step up and show your value. 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, and CV, using the form below. You will need to submit examples of written work later in the process if progressed. 

Please apply before 20 March 2023, though the role will be filled as soon as the right candidate is identified. We are looking for the successful application to start as soon as possible.