The Global Development Network (GDN) has announced two full-time, office-based vacancies at its headquarters in New Delhi, India, strengthening its capacity to deliver large-scale empirical research and organisational operations across its international development portfolio.

The positions include Junior Economist and Operations and HR Coordinator, both of which support GDN’s mission to advance high-quality, policy-oriented social science research in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Applications for both roles are open on a rolling basis, with a final deadline of 19 July 2026.

About the Global Development Network

Founded in 1999, the Global Development Network is a public international organisation dedicated to supporting rigorous, policy-relevant research aimed at improving development outcomes.

GDN operates from:

New Delhi, India (headquarters)
Clermont-Ferrand, France
Arlington, United States

The organisation works across the Global South, supporting researchers, institutions, and policy actors in addressing development challenges through evidence-based research.

Junior Economist Role Focuses on Empirical Research and Digital Networks

GDN is recruiting a Junior Economist to support a global research programme on the Economics of Open Transaction Networks (OTN), funded by the Gates Foundation.

The programme examines the development impact of open transaction systems and digital public infrastructure across multiple low- and middle-income countries.

The Junior Economist will work closely with senior economists, advisory committees, and national research teams to support data-driven analysis and cross-country research coordination.

Key Responsibilities

The role is structured around four main areas:

National research team support and quality control

Monitoring progress of country research teams
Reviewing methodologies, analyses, and final outputs
Coordinating technical feedback from senior economists and advisory groups
Ensuring alignment with programme standards

OTN implementation tracking and methodology development

Tracking real-world OTN implementations across countries
Coordinating data requirements with platform operators and stakeholders
Supporting development of methodological guidance materials
Assisting in technical workshops with national teams

Cross-country analysis and empirical research

Building analytical frameworks for comparative studies
Conducting empirical analysis of transaction and platform data
Contributing to research on digital public infrastructure and platform economics

Research and partnership support

Supporting GDN’s broader research portfolio and institutional partnerships
Contributing to proposals and concept notes
Assisting in delivery of research-related commitments

Candidate Profile

GDN is seeking candidates with strong academic and applied economics backgrounds.

Preferred qualifications include:

Master’s degree in Economics or related field, or recent PhD
Strong training in applied microeconomics or development economics
Experience in empirical research and data analysis

Technical skills:

Proficiency in R, Stata, or Python
Experience handling administrative or transaction-level datasets
Strong analytical writing and reporting skills

The role requires strong coordination abilities and the capacity to work in multicultural, collaborative research environments.

Operations and HR Coordinator Role Strengthens Organisational Systems

The second vacancy is for an Operations and HR Coordinator, a key role supporting internal systems, administrative efficiency, and human resource management across GDN’s global operations.

The position focuses on strengthening organisational coordination, HR processes, and operational tracking systems during a period of institutional growth.

Core Responsibilities

Administrative coordination

Managing day-to-day office administration and correspondence
Supporting executive scheduling and meeting preparation
Maintaining organisational records and governance documents
Coordinating logistics for meetings, workshops, and missions

Operational efficiency and coordination

Tracking institutional deliverables and deadlines
Monitoring implementation of management decisions
Supporting procurement and vendor management processes
Identifying and improving workflow systems

Human resources administration

Managing recruitment processes and candidate communication
Supporting onboarding and offboarding procedures
Maintaining employee records and contracts
Tracking HR timelines such as probation and performance cycles
Coordinating with payroll and external HR providers

Data integrity and knowledge management

Developing centralised digital repositories for organisational documents
Maintaining databases of partners, consultants, and stakeholders
Supporting knowledge management and institutional learning systems
Ensuring compliance with data protection and documentation standards

Candidate Profile

This role requires extensive operational and HR experience.

Minimum requirements include:

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration or related field (preferred)
At least 10 years of relevant administrative or operational experience
Strong organisational and coordination skills
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office tools
Strong written and verbal communication in English

The ideal candidate should demonstrate initiative, attention to detail, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex international environment.

Application Process for Both Roles

Applicants for both positions must submit:

An updated CV
A cover letter outlining qualifications and salary expectations
Contact details for at least three professional references

Applications must be submitted via GDN’s official application portal.

Key recruitment details:

Organisation: Global Development Network (GDN)
Location: New Delhi, India
Employment Type: Full-time, office-based
Application Deadline: 19 July 2026
Review Process: Rolling basis

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Strategic Importance of the Roles

These appointments reflect GDN’s continued expansion of its research and operational capabilities in global development policy and empirical economics.

The Junior Economist role strengthens GDN’s ability to generate high-quality data-driven insights on digital economies and transaction networks, while the Operations and HR Coordinator ensures institutional systems remain efficient, compliant, and scalable.

Together, these roles support GDN’s broader mission of improving development outcomes across low- and middle-income countries through evidence-based research and strong organisational governance.

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Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.