Senior Research Analyst

About LEAF

LEAF is building a thriving business ecosystem for African entrepreneurs and global investors. We create world-class content, thought leadership, and platforms that connect innovation with investment, drive impactful collaborations, and catalyse economic growth across Africa.

Role overview

The Senior Research Analyst will strengthen LEAF's research quality, analytical depth, methodology discipline, and review process. This is a senior contributor and quality-strengthening role within an existing research structure. The person must be able to analyse complex issues, improve research outputs, guide younger analysts, review work critically, and help LEAF produce sharper, more credible reports and briefs.

Key responsibilities

• Lead or support the development of serious research outputs, including reports, briefs, policy notes, economic outlooks, market intelligence papers, and analytical memos.
• Review and improve drafts from analysts, researchers, and contributors for structure, logic, evidence, methodology, and analytical quality.
• Strengthen research design, topic framing, source selection, data use, and report architecture.
• Identify gaps in arguments, weak evidence, poor methodology, unsupported claims, and shallow conclusions.
• Mentor or guide researchers where required, especially on analytical structure, evidence discipline, and report quality.
• Support the current research structure with maturity, collaboration, and low political friction.
• Help convert broad research ideas into clear outlines, workplans, source maps, and credible final outputs.
• Contribute to LEAF's ability to produce high-standard African business, economic, investment, policy, and entrepreneurship intelligence.

Qualifications and experience

• Minimum 4–7 years of strong relevant experience in research, policy analysis, economic analysis, market intelligence, development research, investment research, business analysis, data-led reporting, or related analytical work.
• Demonstrated ability to produce, review, or improve serious analytical outputs.
• Strong understanding of African markets, policy, economics, entrepreneurship, investment, development, or public-sector issues.
• Ability to work with data, credible sources, report structures, methodologies, and long-form analysis.
• Experience reviewing or guiding other researchers' work is strongly preferred.
• A strong analytical sample is required.

Preferred attributes

• Strong analytical judgement and intellectual maturity.
• Ability to improve other people's work without creating unnecessary tension.
• Evidence-driven and careful with claims, sources, and conclusions.
• Comfortable working in a high-standard, fast-moving institution.
• Can operate as a senior support structure, not a title-driven political actor.

This role is not for

• Applicants without serious analytical experience.
• Candidates who only write academic theory but cannot produce applied insight.
• People who cannot review, challenge, and improve weak research work.
• Candidates who need constant supervision before they can think structurally.
• Applicants mainly seeking title power rather than research responsibility.

Success in the role looks like

• LEAF's research outputs become more rigorous, better structured, and more credible.
• Research drafts require fewer senior-level corrections before approval.
• Analysts receive useful guidance that raises their standard over time.
• Reports and briefs show stronger methodology, evidence discipline, and judgement.
• The research function becomes less fragile because there is deeper analytical support.

Compensation

Monthly net salary: ₦450,000.

Assessment

Shortlisted candidates should be ready to complete a timed practical assessment. The assessment will test judgement, clarity, structure, evidence discipline, and role-specific execution.