Research manager

Krutham; Sandton; Hybrid; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading think tank and consulting firm in Sandton is seeking a Research Manager to drive macroeconomic and structural reform research. The role requires over 7 years of relevant experience, strong writing skills, and stakeholder engagement abilities. The successful candidate will deliver high-quality reports, manage client relationships, and collaborate with decision-makers. Competitive compensation and a fast-paced work environment are offered, with opportunities for career development.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Career development opportunities

Flexible office locations

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in macroeconomics or related fields.
• Experience writing reports and proposals.
• Understanding of structural reform policy issues.
• Good presentation and debating skills.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality research reports and policy briefs.
• Engage with senior decision-makers in public and private sectors.
• Manage client relationships and project development.
• Track stakeholder views on current policy debates.

Skills

Macroeconomics expertise

Strong writing ability

Stakeholder engagement

Business development skills

Project management

Education

Master's degree in economics

Tools

Excel proficiency

Job description

Position summary

We are looking to hire an exceptional individual that can drive further growth in our business and deliver research projects and deep, fast paced insights to a broad array of clients across the areas of macroeconomics, structural reforms and politics.

Krutham 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 businesses 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 services elsewhere in the business. The group works particularly with issues at the complex intersection of politics, policy and finance.

The work will be extremely varied across sectors and issues, requiring the candidate to be able to track and analyse many topics at once and manage their time and ongoing research around such a shifting agenda. The candidate will be required to look at any issue that affects investors, banks and companies from a growth or doing business environment perspective including but not limited to: the Operation Vulindlela reform agenda, service delivery at municipality level, spectrum and digital reforms, DTIC policies including BEE and competition commission work, SOE-related policy issues and infrastructure. A particular focus will be on climate change issues across all sectors.

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 (often senior level executives and decision makers) and short- and long-term project work for clients – all under direction of the line Managing Director.

Company Overview

Krutham is a leading think tank and consulting firm focused on developing financial systems to better achieve social goals. We work for clients ranging from global investors to philanthropies, to research and develop innovative concepts which we then implement and manage. We believe in the power of financial systems to make the world a better place, and our job is to research, advise clients, and develop the mechanisms that enable change. We are looking to hire a Research Manager to support our work on macroeconomic and structural reform-related policy research and advisory in South Africa.

Key responsibilities

The role will involve a mixture of ongoing research to develop appropriate policy insights and recommendations for clients in both the public and private sectors, writing reports, fast paced briefing insights and contributing to periodical publications that Krutham produces. It will involve meetings with clients and maintaining a network of relationships to obtain insight into current policy debates. Tracking a multitude of stakeholders and their views is a key part of the job, including understanding and working with parliament, Nedlac and similar bodies.

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 significant business development work of your own initiative, drawing on your own existing networks and develop such networks over time. Business development incentives will be set to drive the growth of our business.

Collaborate and influence: Work alongside the research team to craft and deliver high-quality reports, policy briefs, monthly periodicals and presentations that influence and inform stakeholders.

Engage with decision makers: Engage directly with high-level decision-makers in both public and private sectors, delivering expert advice and insights on political economy and policy, and related sustainability issues.

Research proposals and project development: Identify and contribute to the development of new research proposals and projects, seeking opportunities to broaden the organisation's impact within the political economy and policy and sustainability sectors.

Stakeholder engagement advisory and support: Facilitate and enhance engagement with key stakeholders, providing strategic advice to ensure alignment with sustainability and impact investment goals.

Qualifications and experience

Do not apply if you do not meet these requirements as your application will be rejected.

Experience: Over seven years of work experience, latterly with some responsibilities in a macroeconomics, structural reform policy, public policy, development economics or related field – most likely for a bank, consulting company, think tank, business association, corporate, national government department, central bank or similar. You might previously have worked in a sovereign or country risk or similarly styled research position.

You will have 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

Experience project managing projects related to public policy and related areas, and working with private and public sector clients or stakeholders.

Experience writing proposals and undertaking business development. Existing networks with potential clients.

Education: A master’s degree or higher in economics (with a focus on macroeconomics, macro-econometrics, development economics or public policy 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 required, some experience modelling is an advantage

Excellent presentation, debating and similar skills

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

What We Offer

Competitive compensation, inclusive of base salary, benefits, and potential company wide bonus scheme payments as well as business development incentives

A fast paced, collaborative and intellectually stimulating work environment, blending academic rigor with practical financial market insights. Early and deep engagement with clients and stakeholders.

An expectation that you will build a profile with clients but also in the public square.

Career development opportunities within a team of highly skilled professionals, including MBAs, CFA charterholders, and PhDs.

Access to corporate decision makers and policy makers.

An opportunity to grow a well respected business practice, lead a set of engaged analysts and expert associates and hire more capacity to support that growth.

Flexible office locations, with the possibility of working in Sandton or Cape Town.