About this role
Research at IIX has until now sat within Government Relations. IIX is establishing Research as a standalone department reporting directly to the CEO. The Director will take over IIX’s existing research portfolio - policy analysis, market studies, and the evidence base behind IIX’s engagement with governments, multilaterals, and corporates — and build it into a department with its own agenda, standards, team, and budget.
The department’s work spans two connected disciplines. Policy research informs and shapes regulation, capital markets development, sustainable finance frameworks, and gender and climate policy in the markets where IIX operates. Market research sizes, maps, and diagnoses capital markets, sustainable and blended finance flows, and investment opportunities across emerging markets, for use by IIX, its partners, and its clients.
The primary audiences are governments and regulators, multilateral and bilateral development institutions, and corporates. The research must be rigorous and independent enough to carry weight with a finance ministry or a development finance institution’s board, and practical enough to move a policy, a transaction, or an investment decision.
The role works closely with Government Relations, which continues to own IIX’s government relationships, and with IIX’s Data Platform team, which holds the impact and financial data infrastructure the department draws on. The mandate is IIX-wide: it covers IIX’s current footprint and leads the build-out of research capability into new markets as IIX expands into them.
Key Responsibilities
Department Build & Transition
- Lead the transition of research work, staff, and live commitments from Government Relations into the new department without disrupting ongoing government and multilateral engagements
- Define the department's operating model: scope, a process for taking in and prioritizing research requests, and working interfaces with Government Relations, Business Development, Advisory, Communications, and the Data Platform team
- Own the department's budget and build a sustainable funding model, drawing on commissioned research, research grants and technical assistance funding from multilaterals and foundations, and paid market research for corporates and investors
Policy Research
- Set the policy research agenda across sustainable finance, capital markets development, climate and blended finance, gender-lens investing, and financial inclusion
- Produce policy papers, regulatory analysis, and briefings that inform decisions by finance ministries, central banks, and securities regulators — including on thematic bond frameworks, sustainable finance taxonomies, and blended finance structures
- Support IIX's government and multilateral engagements with evidence: country diagnostics, policy options analysis, and submissions to public consultations
- Track policy and regulatory developments across IIX's markets and in global and regional forums (e.g., G20, COP, ASEAN, and UN processes), and translate them into clear implications for IIX and its partners
Market Research
- Lead market sizing, landscape, and opportunity analysis for capital markets, sustainable and thematic bond markets, MSME finance, and impact investment in emerging markets
- Produce market studies that support IIX's product development, bond issuances, fundraising, and new-market entry, including investor demand and pipeline analysis
- Scope and deliver commissioned market research for corporates, multilaterals, and investors against clearly defined client questions
- Partner with IIX's Data Platform team to source, structure, and validate the impact and financial data underlying all research outputs
Research Quality & Publications
- Own methodological rigor and data integrity across all research outputs, including a peer-review process and clear standards for sourcing and disclosure
- Set the publication calendar and lead flagship publications, working with Communications on dissemination to policy, investor, and corporate audiences
- Build research partnerships with universities, think tanks, multilateral research units, and local research institutions in IIX's markets
Team Building & Leadership
- Build the department's team, starting with staff transferring from Government Relations: define roles, hire, and manage a team of Analysts, Associates, and external research partners as the department scales
- Set performance standards, career pathways, and PREM-aligned development plans for the team
Stakeholder & External Representation
- Act as the external face of IIX's research to governments, regulators, multilaterals, corporates, and media
- Present research at policy forums, conferences, and technical working groups, and brief senior officials and executives directly
- Partner with Government Relations, Business Development, and Fundraising to embed research in government, client, and donor engagements
What we're looking for
Experience & Skills
- 15+ years in policy research, market research, economic analysis, or strategy within sustainable finance, capital markets, development finance, or ESG, with substantial time focused on emerging markets
- A track record of research that has been used by governments, regulators, or multilaterals — policy papers, regulatory input, country diagnostics, or technical assistance deliverables — not only internal or academic work
- Direct market research experience: market sizing, landscape, and demand analysis for financial markets or investment products
- Working knowledge of capital markets and sustainable finance instruments (green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked bonds; blended finance structures) and the regulatory environments around them
- Strong quantitative and analytical background; fluent in primary and secondary research methodology, including interviews and surveys in low-data environments
- Experience building or leading a research team and managing a research budget
- Ability to write for, and brief, senior government officials, multilateral staff, and corporate executives
- Comfortable operating across multiple emerging markets simultaneously, including standing up research in a market before IIX has an established presence there
Preferred/Desired Qualifications
- Prior experience at a multilateral development bank or UN agency, central bank, securities regulator, finance ministry, or policy think tank
- An existing network among governments, multilaterals, DFIs, and corporates in the Asia-Pacific region and/or Africa
- Familiarity with gender-lens investing, blended finance, or the Orange Bond/Orange Movement ecosystem
- Experience securing research funding or delivering commissioned research for government, multilateral, or corporate clients
- An advanced degree in economics, public policy, finance, or a related field
- Experience working in a small, cross-functional team in the Asia-Pacific region
THE PREM FRAMEWORK
Every IIX team member is a PREM professional. We look for these qualities in everyone we hire:
P
Passionate
Mission-driven & purpose-led
R
Resilient
Thrives under pressure & ambiguity
E
Equitable
Champions fairness & inclusion
M
Maverick
Bold, entrepreneurial thinker
WHY IIX
- Lead a global movement advancing gender equality and climate action — with a mandate to build it into a lasting, independent institution.
- Build a legacy platform targeting 100 million lives by 2030.
- Operate at the nexus of finance, development, and advocacy.
- Work with world-leading institutions — from DFIs and governments to UN agencies and Fortune 500s.
At IIX, we seek individuals who are:
- Passionate — committed to gender equality and climate action.
- Resilient — able to navigate challenges in frontier markets.
- Equitable — dedicated to measurable social and financial outcomes.
- Entrepreneurial — bold, innovative, and able to build something new.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply, please submit your CV and cover letter. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Applications are treated with strict confidentiality.
IIX is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve.