Job Identification: 241001

Location: Yaounde, Cameroon (Hybrid/Online)

Posting Date: 07/10/2024, 15:32 PM

Apply Before: 15/11/2024, 00:00 AM

Job Schedule: Part time

Organization: Centre for Economic Freedom and Resilience (CEFRES)

Category: Think Tank

Contract Duration: 1 Year (renewable)

Education & Work Experience: Master’s Degree – 5 year(s) experience OR PhD in Economics- 3 year(s) experience

Required Languages: Fluency in English and French is required

Work Start Date: January 2025

Job Description

Background

The Centre for Economic Freedom and Resilience (CEFRES) is a prominent think tank in Cameroon dedicated to providing evidence-based insights to strengthen economic resilience and reduce poverty across the country. We believe that economic freedom in Cameroon can lead to sustainable, inclusive development and reduce the country’s vulnerability to various economic shocks.

Our vision is of a Cameroonian and African economy capable of withstanding any crisis that may affect it, underpinned by the ideals of economic freedom. We firmly subscribe to the idea that all citizens should have equal opportunities to realize their full potential in order to strengthen their country’s resilience to various shocks. CEFRES focuses on research, policy advocacy, and educational initiatives to promote sustainable economic growth, improve institutional quality, and enhance societal resilience.

Our work is instrumental in shaping policies that support inclusive growth and economic resilience. To achieve our goals, we at CEFRES are committed to

• Promote ideas and policies that favor individual freedom and free markets.
• Provide high-quality analysis and research on political and economic issues.
• Support policy reforms that promote individual freedom and free markets.
• Provide a platform for leaders and decision-makers to share ideas and experiences.
• Support member think tanks in their work to promote individual freedom and free markets.

The core programs of CEFRES include

1. SME Resilience Program. This program is designed to help SMEs build a strong foundation to meet challenges and seize opportunities.
2. Institutional Resilience Program. This program is designed for decision and policy makers. The main objective of the program is to ensure that institutions in Africa can effectively respond to and recover from disruptions while maintaining their core functions.
3. Corporate Strategic Leadership Program. This program is designed to enable private sector leaders to effectively lead their organizations to long-term success. It is designed to encourage them to create a strong framework for economic empowerment and strategic leadership that fosters positive change and resilience in communities.
4. End Poverty Program, which aims to help young community leaders from various sectors contribute to poverty reduction and promote the freedom economy in their communities through a comprehensive and multidimensional approach. The primary beneficiaries of this program are low-income families, the unemployed and underemployed, rural communities, women and minority groups.

 In order to achieve the objectives set for these programs, CEFRES is recruiting four (4) program specialists.

Duties and Responsibilities

A Program Specialist will have the following duties and responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of one of our core programs (SME Resilience Program, Institutional Resilience Program, Corporate Strategic Leadership Program, and End Poverty Program).
• Design and implement a strategic plan for program management and sustainability.
• Conduct research to identify economic development opportunities.
• Analyze economic data and prepare reports to support decision making.
• Collaborate with government officials, business leaders, and community members to develop strategies for economic growth and resilience to shocks.
• Provide technical and analytical support in the areas of economic policy, macroeconomic analysis, and socio-economic data analysis.
• Coordinate with various departments to ensure proper implementation of programs.
• Monitor progress of the program and make necessary adjustments to ensure they remain on schedule and within budget.
• Evaluate program performance and make recommendations for improvement.
• Support program expansion by establishing and managing relationships with donors and partners.

Functions/ Key results expected

• Review relevant economic news and literature on economic development issues and socio-economic trends, including the participation of women and vulnerable populations.
• Collect and analyze national and local economic data, including gender disaggregated data.
• Analyze macroeconomic performance at the governorate and municipal levels and develop evidence-based policy recommendations.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative economic sector research
• Develop a comprehensive dashboard of social, macroeconomic and financial indicators and identify economic vulnerabilities.

Institutional Arrangement

• Program Specialists will work under the direct supervision of the Director of Programs and Fundraising.

Competencies

Core Values

• Integrity
• Commitment
• Creativity
• Professionalism
• Innovation
• Open to Change

Core Competencies:

• Creative problem solving
• Effective communication
• Inclusive collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by example

Functional Competencies

• Ability to interpret complex data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.
• Ability to clearly explain complex economic concepts and findings to non-specialists, both in writing and orally.
• Evaluating economic problems and solutions, considering both abstract and concrete aspects.
• Conducting thorough research to support economic theories and policy recommendations.
• Strong numerical skills for performing calculations and interpreting data presented in various forms.
• Using information and communications technology to analyze and present data effectively.
• Good knowledge of the private and public sectors in Central African countries.
• Proficiency in applying statistical and mathematical methods to test hypotheses and forecast future trends.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Minimum requirement is a Master’s degree in economics, development studies or social sciences.

Experience:

• At least five (5) years (with Master’s degree) or three (3) years (with a PhD) of relevant experience in providing technical and analytical support in the field of economics, sustainable development, development research or other related fields is required.

Required Skills:

• Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies, NGO implementing partners, and/or donors.
• Experience of working with or in think tanks
• Experience in handling of web-based management systems and advanced programmes for statistical/econometrical analysis of data.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Research and policy-level analysis support.
• Usage of computers and office software packages

Desired Skills:

• Excellent knowledge of the economy of the Central African region in general and of Cameroon in particular.
• Experience working with think thanks, government, academia, civil society, or international organizations on economic development topics.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex economic concepts to diverse audiences. 
• Proven experience in economic research and analysis, with a focus on development issues.
• Advanced degree in Economics, Development Economics, or a related field.
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to fundraising and develop strategies.
• Familiarity with software tools like R, Stata, Python, SAS, MATLAB, SQL, Tableau, and Excel for data analysis and visualization.

Required Language(s):

• Fluency in English and French is required.

Disclaimer

Non-discrimination

The Centre for Economic Freedom and Resilience has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of power. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and policies. CEFRES is an equal opportunity think tank and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or any other status.

Scam warning

No fees are associated with applying, processing, training, interviews, testing, or any other aspect of the application or hiring process with the Centre for Economic Freedom and Resilience. Kindly ignore any request for payment that you may receive. It should be noted that names, symbols, and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. For this reason, you should proceed with extreme caution when disclosing sensitive information online.

Application

• All interested candidates must submit a cover letter, two letters of recommendation and a detailed resume to the following email address: info@cefres.orgon or before November 15, 2024.
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the next steps in the recruitment process.
• All applications must include the following information in the subject line of the email: Application for Program Specialist Position_Name of the Program.