CGD Research Analyst Job 2026 in London: £46,725–£51,187 Global Development Research Role

The Center for Global Development is recruiting a Research Analyst in London to support its work with the Smart Buys Alliance, an international collaboration focused on identifying and promoting highly cost-effective development interventions.

This full-time, mid-level position combines empirical research, quantitative analysis, policy writing, project coordination and event support. The successful candidate will help examine how bilateral donors, development agencies and governments use evidence on cost-effectiveness when making funding and policy decisions.

The Research Analyst will be based in London and is expected to work from CGD’s office at least three days each week. The position offers an annual salary of £46,725–£51,187, together with additional benefits.

The role is expected to begin as soon as possible and will initially continue until 29 February 2028. An extension may be possible, depending on the availability of funding.

Applications close on 6 August 2026 at 5:00 PM British Summer Time.

CGD Research Analyst Job 2026 Overview

Key details of the opportunity include:

• Position: Research Analyst
• Organisation: Center for Global Development
• Project: Smart Buys Alliance
• Location: London, United Kingdom
• Employment type: Full-time
• Career level: Mid-level
• Salary: £46,725–£51,187 per year, plus benefits
• Start date: As soon as possible
• Contract duration: Fixed term until 29 February 2028
• Extension: Subject to funding availability
• Posting date: 23 July 2026
• Application deadline: 6 August 2026 at 5:00 PM BST
• Office requirement: At least three days per week
• Work-authorisation requirement: Right to live and work in the United Kingdom

About the Center for Global Development

The Center for Global Development, commonly known as CGD, is an independent, non-partisan and nonprofit policy research organisation with offices in Washington, DC, and London.

CGD conducts empirical research on policies, institutions and financial decisions that affect low- and middle-income countries. Its work examines how governments, international organisations, corporations, development agencies and financial institutions can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable development.

The organisation combines research with engagement across the global policy community. Rather than producing analysis solely for academic audiences, CGD seeks to translate research findings into practical recommendations that can influence development policy, financing and implementation.

Its work often sits at the intersection of:

• Development economics
• Public policy
• International finance
• Aid effectiveness
• Global institutions
• Poverty reduction
• Evidence-based decision-making
• Development cooperation

The Research Analyst will support this wider mission by contributing to work on how development organisations identify, assess and use evidence about cost-effective interventions.

About the Smart Buys Alliance

The Smart Buys Alliance connects development agencies, philanthropic organisations and research institutions seeking to increase investment in effective development interventions.

The alliance promotes the use of evidence when governments and donors decide how to allocate limited development resources. Its work is particularly concerned with identifying interventions that can produce substantial positive outcomes relative to their costs.

The alliance operates through three principal areas of work.

Developing On-Demand Smart Buy Lists

The Smart Buys Alliance supports the development of lists identifying development interventions with strong evidence of cost-effectiveness.

These resources are intended to help funders and policymakers compare options and direct resources toward programmes that are likely to deliver significant results.

Supporting Implementation and Evidence Building

Identifying an effective intervention is only one part of the process. The alliance also supports implementation and encourages donors to coordinate their efforts to strengthen the evidence base.

This may involve examining how interventions perform in different settings, identifying implementation constraints and understanding whether the results of one programme can be reproduced elsewhere.

Convening a Community of Practice

The alliance brings together policymakers, researchers, funders and development practitioners to exchange evidence, experience and practical lessons.

The Smart Buys Alliance is a collaboration involving:

• Center for Effective Global Action
• Cooperation Globale
• Center for Global Development
• Global Poverty Research Lab
• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
• Participating donor agencies and partners

The Research Analyst will support CGD’s contribution to this partnership.

Purpose of the Research Analyst Position

The Research Analyst will provide analytical, operational and administrative support to CGD’s Smart Buys Alliance work.

The role is intended to help the project deliver accurate, timely and policy-relevant research outputs. It is not limited to data analysis: the selected candidate will also contribute to writing, coordination, stakeholder engagement and the organisation of policy events.

The Research Analyst will report to Michelle Rao, Fellow at CGD Europe, and work closely with members of the broader research team.

The role requires someone who can move comfortably between detailed analytical work and practical project coordination. On one day, the Analyst may be cleaning a dataset or reviewing causal-inference evidence; on another, they may be revising a policy report, coordinating a roundtable or arranging travel for project partners.

Research and Analytical Responsibilities

Analysing Donor Use of Cost-Effectiveness Evidence

A major component of the role will involve examining how donor agencies engage with and use evidence about cost-effective development interventions.

The Research Analyst may help investigate questions such as:

• How do donor agencies define cost-effectiveness?
• What evidence do they use when selecting interventions?
• How consistently is evidence incorporated into funding decisions?
• What organisational factors encourage or prevent evidence use?
• How can the use of cost-effectiveness evidence be monitored?
• How might donor practices change over time?

Work in this area may include:

• Literature reviews
• Data collection
• Data extraction
• Dataset construction
• Data cleaning
• Quantitative analysis
• Textual analysis
• Review of policy and organisational documents

Textual Analysis Using Large Language Models

The position may involve using large language models to support the analysis of textual data.

This could include examining development strategies, policy documents, donor reports or other materials to identify patterns in how organisations discuss and apply evidence.

Candidates with prior experience using large language models for evidence synthesis or textual analysis will have an advantage. However, this experience is identified as beneficial rather than mandatory.

Applicants should understand that the role requires analytical judgement. Tools may assist with large volumes of text, but conclusions must still be transparent, credible and suitable for policy research.

Research on Evidence Use in Development Policy

The Research Analyst will support wider research on how evidence informs international development policy.

This may include:

• Original data analysis
• Quantitative research
• Cost-effectiveness analysis
• Heterogeneity analysis
• Causal-inference methods
• Evidence synthesis
• Interpretation of empirical findings
• Preparation of charts and visualisations

Heterogeneity analysis may be used to examine whether an intervention produces different effects across populations, countries or implementation settings.

Cost-effectiveness analysis may involve comparing the costs and outcomes of different interventions to assess which approaches offer greater value.

Drafting Research Outputs

The Research Analyst will contribute to drafting and revising:

• Academic or policy papers
• Research reports
• Policy briefs
• Blogs
• Monitoring products
• Analytical summaries
• Supporting materials for stakeholders

The selected candidate must be able to communicate technical findings clearly without flattening the nuance out of them. Policy audiences generally need clarity, not a statistical fog bank.

The Analyst will work under the guidance of the Research Fellow and in collaboration with the wider research team.

Monitoring Evidence-Use Initiatives

The role also involves tracking initiatives intended to increase the use of evidence by:

• Development organisations
• Bilateral agencies
• Governments
• Donor institutions
• Research organisations

This may require maintaining structured records, following institutional developments and synthesising information from multiple organisations or processes.

Convenings and Policy-Engagement Responsibilities

Research is only useful when it reaches the people making decisions. The Research Analyst will therefore contribute to workshops, roundtables and other policy-engagement activities.

Planning Events

The successful candidate will support the planning and organisation of:

• Workshops
• Roundtable discussions
• Research launches
• Partner meetings
• Policy events
• Stakeholder consultations

Responsibilities may include preparing timelines, maintaining participant lists, coordinating invitations and ensuring that logistical arrangements are completed.

Meeting Coordination

The role requires coordinating meetings among participants based in different countries and time zones.

The Research Analyst may need to:

• Identify suitable time-zone options
• Liaise with participants
• Manage calendars
• Confirm attendance
• Circulate meeting materials
• Maintain schedules
• Follow up on agreed actions

Strong attention to detail is important because international coordination has a peculiar ability to turn one missing calendar invitation into a minor diplomatic incident.

Travel Arrangements

The Research Analyst will support travel planning for partners and participants attending Smart Buys Alliance events.

This may include coordinating itineraries, gathering traveller information and communicating logistical arrangements.

Required Academic Qualifications

Applicants must hold a master’s degree in one of the following areas:

• Economics
• Public policy
• International development
• Development economics
• A closely related discipline

The position requires advanced analytical training, particularly because the successful candidate will work with empirical research, quantitative methods and policy evidence.

Required Professional Experience

Candidates must have at least four years of professional experience in economic or public-policy analysis related to international development.

Relevant experience may have been gained in:

• Policy research organisations
• Universities
• International organisations
• Government institutions
• Development agencies
• Think tanks
• Consulting organisations
• NGOs
• Philanthropic foundations

Applicants should demonstrate meaningful responsibility for analytical work rather than only general exposure to development projects.

Research and Quantitative Skills

Candidates must have strong research and quantitative analytical skills.

They should have experience designing and conducting empirical research in an academic or professional environment.

Expected capabilities include:

• Structuring research questions
• Reviewing relevant literature
• Working with quantitative datasets
• Cleaning and validating data
• Applying appropriate analytical methods
• Interpreting findings
• Communicating limitations
• Producing credible research outputs

Knowledge of causal-inference methods is required.

This may include familiarity with methods used to estimate the effects of programmes or policies and distinguish causal relationships from simple correlations.

Required and Desirable Software Skills

Applicants should be able to conduct quantitative analysis and produce visualisations using:

• R
• Stata

Experience with the following is an advantage:

• Python
• Git
• Large language models
• Textual-analysis tools
• Evidence-synthesis methods

Candidates should explain how they have used relevant tools in actual research rather than merely listing software names in their CV.

Writing and Communication Skills

Excellent written communication is required.

The successful applicant must be able to summarise complicated empirical findings clearly and concisely for policy audiences.

Strong candidates will demonstrate the ability to:

• Write logically structured research outputs
• Explain quantitative findings in accessible language
• Distinguish evidence from interpretation
• Tailor writing to different audiences
• Revise work in response to feedback
• Maintain accuracy while remaining concise

Applicants must submit a writing sample, making the quality and relevance of that document particularly important.

Organisational and Coordination Experience

Candidates should have experience supporting:

• Committees
• Working groups
• Research partnerships
• Multi-stakeholder processes
• Cross-institutional initiatives

Experience in professional communications, social-media management or event coordination is also relevant.

The role requires a person who can manage research responsibilities alongside operational tasks without allowing either side of the job to drift into chaos.

Applicants should therefore demonstrate:

• High attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines
• Strong calendar and scheduling skills
• Experience maintaining shared documents
• Clear and reliable communication
• Ability to coordinate across institutions
• Confidence working across time zones

Collaboration and Working Style

The Research Analyst will work with colleagues and partners from several institutions.

CGD is seeking someone with a collaborative and team-oriented working style who can contribute effectively across organisational boundaries.

The successful candidate should be able to:

• Work independently when necessary
• Seek guidance appropriately
• Share information with colleagues
• Respond constructively to feedback
• Coordinate with external partners
• Adapt to changing project priorities
• Maintain professional relationships across institutions

Salary and Benefits

The annual salary range is:

£46,725–£51,187

The appointment also includes excellent benefits, although the vacancy information provided does not list the individual benefit components.

The exact salary offered within the range will likely depend on the successful candidate’s experience and qualifications.

Contract Duration and Start Date

The successful candidate is expected to begin as soon as possible.

The position is fixed term and will run until:

29 February 2028

An extension may be possible if additional funding becomes available. Applicants should not assume that an extension is guaranteed.

London-Based Hybrid Working Arrangement

The position is based in London.

The successful candidate must live within commutable distance of CGD’s offices in the SW1 area and attend the office at least three days per week.

The position should therefore not be treated as a fully remote opportunity.

Applicants should consider the practical implications of commuting to central London before applying.

Right-to-Work Requirement

Candidates must already have, or be able to obtain, the legal right to live and work in the United Kingdom.

The vacancy does not state that visa sponsorship will be provided.

Applicants requiring sponsorship should confirm the organisation’s policy before relying on this position as a route to UK work authorisation.

Application Requirements

Interested candidates must submit:

1. A current CV
2. A cover letter
3. A writing sample

Preparing the CV

The CV should clearly demonstrate:

• Relevant academic qualifications
• At least four years of applicable experience
• Quantitative research responsibilities
• Experience with R and Stata
• Knowledge of causal-inference methods
• Policy-writing experience
• Coordination or event-management responsibilities

Preparing the Cover Letter

The cover letter should explain how the applicant meets the position’s requirements.

Candidates should provide specific examples of:

• Empirical research they have conducted
• Development-policy questions they have analysed
• Datasets they have cleaned or managed
• Quantitative methods they have applied
• Research they have translated for policy audiences
• Multi-stakeholder processes they have supported
• Competing deadlines they have successfully managed

Selecting a Writing Sample

The writing sample should demonstrate the ability to communicate research clearly.

A strong sample may include:

• A policy brief
• A research report
• An analytical blog
• An academic paper section
• A development-policy publication

Applicants should choose a sample that reflects their own contribution and is relevant to the role.

Manual Application Review

CGD states that applications will be reviewed manually.

No artificial-intelligence system or automated filter will be used to screen applicants.

Candidates should still tailor their materials carefully, but they do not need to construct their CV around an imaginary robot guarding the door with a keyword clipboard.

Equal Opportunity Statement

CGD Europe is an equal-opportunity employer committed to a collaborative, diverse and inclusive workplace.

Applicants will be considered without discrimination based on characteristics including:

• Race
• Colour
• Creed
• National origin
• Ancestry
• Gender
• Gender identity or expression
• Parental status
• Veteran status
• Marital status
• Disability
• Religious affiliation
• Political affiliation
• Age
• Sexual orientation

Selection will be based on the requirements of the position and the applicant’s qualifications and experience.

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by:

6 August 2026 at 5:00 PM BST

Candidates should submit before the closing time to avoid last-minute technical problems.

International applicants should note that the deadline is stated in British Summer Time.

APPLY HERE

Conclusion

The CGD Research Analyst position offers an experienced international-development researcher the opportunity to contribute to influential work on cost-effectiveness and evidence use in development policy.

The role combines quantitative research, policy writing, large-scale textual analysis, coordination and stakeholder engagement. It is especially suited to candidates who can move confidently between data, ideas and the practical machinery of international collaboration.

Applicants need a relevant master’s degree, at least four years of professional experience, strong quantitative skills and experience using R and Stata. Knowledge of causal inference is required, while experience with Python, Git, evidence synthesis or large language models would strengthen an application.

The position is based in London, offers a salary of £46,725–£51,187, and will continue until 29 February 2028, with a possible extension depending on funding.

Qualified candidates must submit their CV, cover letter and writing sample by 6 August 2026 at 5:00 PM BST.

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