Fellow/Senior Fellow, Market Shaping Accelerator

Invest Impactly; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental insurance

6 weeks paid time off

Fully paid federal holidays

Employer-paid life insurance

Onsite fitness center

Tuition reimbursement

CGD sponsors U.S. work authorization

Job summary

Center for Global Development (CGD) seeks a Fellow or Senior Fellow to join the Market Shaping Accelerator (MSA) team in Washington, DC. The role welcomes economists finishing a PhD and those with post-PhD experience, focusing on policy-relevant research that shapes pull incentives and innovation policy.

The successful candidate will develop and implement a research program on market shaping, collaborate with donors and policymakers, and guide junior researchers.

Qualifications

• PhD in economics or equivalent
• Five years of post-PhD experience for Senior Fellow level
• Strong analytical training in microeconomics and applied modeling
• Ability to translate research into policy recommendations
• Excellent communication and project leadership skills

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a research agenda on market shaping mechanisms
• Mobilize funding for MSA work on policy and innovation
• Represent MSA externally through talks, writing, and convenings
• Publish reports, briefs, and timely policy commentary with quantitative findings
• Mentor junior researchers and supervise research assistants

Skills

Excellent oral and written comms

Independent work

Strong analytical skills

Policy-oriented

Translate research to policy

Education

PhD in economics

Five years of experience beyond PhD

Job description

About Center for Global Development

The Center for Global Development (CGD) is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit policy research organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with an additional office in London, UK. Founded by Rachel Glennerster, Michael Kremer, and Christopher Snyder, CGD focuses on the issues and institutions that are critical to inclusive development and the reduction of global poverty and inequality. Through rigorous empirical research and active engagement with the global policy community, CGD examines the intersections between the policy and financial priorities of low- and middle-income countries and the governments, institutions, and corporations that can serve as partners in delivering greater progress. The organization conducts high-quality economic and policy research to inform decision-makers and advance development outcomes globally. The Market Shaping Accelerator (MSA), housed at CGD, aims to catalyze the development of advance market commitments and other market shaping mechanisms to incentivize innovations addressing pressing global challenges. These focus areas include global health, pandemic preparedness, climate change, artificial intelligence safety, and drug repurposing. MSA identifies promising opportunities, develops high-impact proposals, and engages with policymakers and funders to drive innovation in areas of large social value but incommensurate commercial return in both low- and high-income country settings. CGD’s personnel are considered its most valuable asset in achieving its mission. The organization offers a range of positions in economics, policy, communications, and administration, occasionally providing post-doctoral fellowships and internships as space and funding are available. CGD is recognized as an equal opportunity employer that celebrates fostering a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive work environment.

About this Role

The Center for Global Development seeks a Fellow or Senior Fellow to join the Market Shaping Accelerator team in Washington, DC. This position is available at either the Fellow or Senior Fellow level, depending on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience. The organization welcomes applications from economists finishing a PhD as well as those with several years of post-PhD experience. The ideal candidate will possess expertise in economics and a strong interest in market shaping, pull incentives, and innovation policy. The successful applicant should have policy or research experience at the intersection of economic theory, industrial organization, market design, innovation policy, and related applied policy research. This position is particularly well-suited for candidates with a strong desire to apply research insights to the design of real-world pull mechanisms and advance innovation policy more broadly. The fellow or senior fellow will develop and implement a research agenda on how market shaping mechanisms can align private incentives with social value to accelerate innovation for global public goods. This work may include designing and evaluating pull mechanisms—such as advance market commitments, prizes, milestone payments, and other outcome-based funding models—in areas where commercial returns fall short of social benefits. These areas include global health, pandemic preparedness, climate, artificial intelligence risk and safety, and other high-value innovation priorities. The work involves policy design both domestically and internationally. The fellow or senior fellow will sit on the MSA team and lead this research agenda. They will be part of a wider group of CGD fellows, engaging external audiences and supervising research assistants on discrete tasks. The position requires the ability to work independently within a small, closely-knit organization while contributing to the development of new institutions and research initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead a research agenda that combines economic modeling, quantitative analysis, institutional knowledge, and practical policy design to inform market-shaping mechanisms and generate actionable recommendations
• Help mobilize funding for MSA’s work on market shaping and innovation policy
• Represent MSA externally through speaking engagements, blogging, and public and private convenings, and engage at a high level with key individuals and groups in the donor, policymaker, and technical/domain expert communities
• Publish reports, papers, policy briefs, and short, timely commentary that incorporate quantitative findings targeted to policymakers, philanthropic funders, the development community, and CGD’s public audience
• Provide analytical support to colleagues’ research, and supervise and mentor associate staff

Requirements

• PhD in economics, completed or expected before the start date, with training in economic theory, industrial organization, market design, innovation economics, or a related subfield
• Keen interest in policy impact and demonstrated ability to take a policy project from ideation through to execution
• Strong analytical training, including facility with microeconomic theory, applied modeling, quantitative analysis, and ability to build simple, transparent models that translate technical economic ideas into policy-related recommendations
• Judgment in identifying high-impact policy and economic questions, commitment to translating research into concrete policy outcomes, and pragmatic understanding of the objectives and constraints policymakers operate under
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including ability to translate complex findings for diverse audiences, and high-level organizational skills
• Ability to work independently within a small, closely-knit organization and to contribute to the development of new institutions
• Primary residence in Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia
• Ability to be in the office at least three days per week
• For Senior Fellow position: At least five years of relevant experience beyond the PhD, with a distinguished body of work in the program area
• For Senior Fellow position: Prominence in the area of market shaping/innovation policy and strong professional relationships across the relevant research, policy, and funding communities
• For Senior Fellow position: Track record of generating external financial support for research programs
• For Senior Fellow position: Experience managing complex research and policy projects and supervising or mentoring junior colleagues

Benefits

• Health and dental insurance with modest employee contribution
• 6 weeks paid time off per year
• Fully paid federal holidays
• Employer-paid life insurance
• Employer-paid short-term disability insurance
• Employer-paid long-term disability insurance
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Commuter benefits
• Retirement contribution of 15% after one year, up to legal limits
• Onsite fitness center
• Tuition reimbursement
• CGD will sponsor United States work authorization for this position