Senior Livelihoods Researcher - GiveWell

GiveWell’s mission is to help people in need as much as we can by researching the most cost‑effective ways to save and improve lives, sharing our work openly, and directing donations to the programs we believe will do the most good. Our work, which focuses on global health and well-being, is funded by tens of thousands of donors who rely on our research to inform their giving. We’ve grown from directing $1.5 million in 2010 to directing more than $400 million in 2025. We anticipate our total grantmaking is likely to approach or even exceed $1 billion this year, and we are working toward a future that could be several times that scale.

Note: Applications for this role close on November 26, 2026.

Summary

GiveWell is seeking a Senior Livelihoods Researcher to help us identify and fund the most cost-effective ways to improve living standards among the global poor. You will have an outsized influence on our funding decisions and help us improve lives on a global scale.

Our livelihoods team is organized around thematic verticals, which includes cash transfers, broader social protection programs, education programs, and support for small and medium-sized businesses in low-income countries. Across the portfolio, we try to maximize the social return on our investment, which we measure as the increase in relative consumption per dollar. We value consumption gains more highly among poorer populations, which has meant most of our grantmaking to date has focused on programs supporting deprived populations within low-income countries (mostly in sub-Saharan Africa).

As a Senior Livelihoods Researcher, you’ll create and lead ambitious research agendas related to our portfolios of work and answer complex questions that will inform GiveWell’s grantmaking decisions. The researchers on our team combine rigorous evidence review, cost-effectiveness modeling, and thoughtful judgment.

The Role

You will join a small grantmaking team to contribute to our ambitious research agenda on livelihoods. You’ll sift through questions to hone in on those that matter most, communicate externally about your work, and advise other researchers on the team.

Your work will combine empirical evidence review, critical synthesis, cost-effectiveness modeling, discussions with subject matter experts, contextual understanding, and your own judgment. Research questions you might explore include:

• What effect do rural trailbridges have on the consumption of nearby communities?
• What are the long-run effects of unconditional cash transfers and ultra-poor graduation programs on recipients?
• What would happen to prices and markets if cash transfer and ultra-poor graduation programs were taken to scale?
• How should GiveWell value interventions that aim to reduce consumption variance (as opposed to increasing the average)?
• Why have several countries in sub-Saharan Africa seen large scale-ups in donor-funded livelihoods programs over the last 30 years, but very little movement in poverty headcount rates and median consumption per capita?

Team Structure

Our research department of over 60 people is organized into eight teams:

• Domain Teams (Water, Nutrition, Malaria, Vaccines, Livelihoods): Focus on specific grantmaking areas.
• New Areas Team: Explores interventions in domains new to GiveWell.
• Cross-Cutting Team: Handles methodological issues, research quality, and big-picture concerns.
• Commons Team: Provides generalized research support (landscaping, vetting, publishing).

Team Values

• Truth-seeking: We focus centrally on finding and sharing truth, posting our mistakes publicly, and maintaining a culture of free-flowing feedback.
• Independence: We focus 100% on cost-effective opportunities and never ask researchers to trade off honesty or hide real beliefs.
• Efficiency: We drop research questions quickly if they are unlikely to change our bottom-line recommendations.
• High Impact: A lean research team directs close to $1 billion in funding, maximizing individual impact.
• Collegiality & Rigor: We maintain a high-performing culture built on skills-based assessment and top-tier talent.

Qualifications & Mindset

Requirements

• A quantitatively oriented advanced degree (e.g., economics, statistics, public policy, or related fields).
• Substantial professional experience in the livelihoods landscape (academic research, program implementation, or funding).

Mindset & Traits

• Energized by GiveWell’s mission, methods, and quantitative approach to impact.
• Abnormally curious, willing to interrogate assumptions, and open to feedback on your own research.
• Consistently surfaces and evaluates the value judgments and mental models underlying your work.
• Communicates confidence levels clearly and rigorously.
• Exceptional problem solver capable of managing wicked problems with nuance.

Position Details & Benefits

• Compensation: Location-based tier system:
  • NYC / SF Bay Area: $308,000
  • All other U.S. locations: $280,000
  • International: Equivalent to non-SF/NYC US salary based on historical exchange rates in local currency.
• Benefits:
  • 100% employer-covered health, dental, vision, and life insurance premiums (US staff and dependents).
  • 4 weeks paid time off (PTO) + 16 weeks fully paid parental leave.
  • Home office equipment allowance or coworking space membership.
  • 5% automatic employer retirement contribution to 403(b) (for US staff).
• Eligible Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany (must already hold work authorization or qualify for US visa sponsorship).
• Work Flexibility & Travel: Remote-first work culture with flexible hours. Occasional travel required for international site visits and conferences (1-2 per year) plus quarterly org retreats.