Rural Development Economist

JOB ADVERTISEMENT

Job Title: Rural Development Economist 

Organization: Luxembourg Development Agency

Duty Station: Kigali, Rwanda

Application Deadline: 26th November 2025

Start Date: 02nd February 2026

Contract type: Limited, full-time

Contract length: 22 months

Submit: LuxDev Human It System 

1. Background

The Government of Luxembourg contributes to the Pro-Poor Development Basket Fund (PPD-Basket) in Rwanda with a focus on strengthening the quality, climate resilience, and inclusiveness of local infrastructure investments. The PPD-Basket, managed by the Local Administrative Entities Development Agency (LODA) under the Ministry of Local Government, pools resources from multiple development partners, including Luxembourg, KfW and AFD, to finance prioritised pro-poor rural infrastructure aligned with District Development Strategies (DDS) and national priorities.

2. DEPARTMENT / WORKPLACE

RWA/029 LuxDev / Rwanda – Based in Kigali with regular travel to Project Districts

WORK ORGANISATION

Project: RWA/029 PPD Basket

Place of work: Kigali, with occasional travels abroad

Contract duration: 22 months 

POSITION ON ORGANISATIONAL CHART

Reporting to the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) With functional supervision from the Project Officer. Supervises none directly but collaborates with district-level Economic Officers, M&E specialists, Finance Advisor, And External Partners (NISR, Academic Institutions).

JOB PURPOSE

The purpose of the Rural Development Economist role is to support the CTA by co-leading the development and piloting of the economic contribution methodology under Result 3, ensuring institutional ownership and integration of economic and financial perspectives into O&M models and district budgeting practices developed under Result 2. Success criteria: validated methodology adopted by at least two districts and one national statistical or academic partner; clear evidence of integration into district budgets and O&M plans.

DUTIES AND MAIN TASKS

• Co-lead the development and piloting of the methodology for evaluating the economic contribution of rural infrastructure under Result 3.
• Collect, clean and analyse socio-economic data relevant to project outcomes.
• Liaise with NISR MININFRA, MINECOFIN, and academic partners to ensure institutional ownership of methodologies.
• Integrate economic and financial perspectives into O&M models and district budgeting practices under Result 2.
• Produce deliverables (methodology manual, technical notes, policy briefs, case studies and learning products).
• Contribute to designing Result 3 indicators, monitoring frameworks and ensuring QA/QC of all economic analysis inputs.

COMMUNICATIONS

In-house contacts

• Has regular contact with CTA, Project Officer, M&E Specialist, Finance Advisor, District Project Teams – frequent contact for coordination, data sharing and reporting and project staff to coordinate methodology development and data analysis.
• Has frequent contact with district-level officers to support budgeting practices and model integration.

External contacts

• Has regular contact with NISR, Ministry counterparts (LODA, MINALOC, MININFRA, MINECOFIN), district administrations – regular contact for data access, validation and policy discussion, and academic partners to ensure institutional ownership and validation of methodologies.
• Has occasional contact with international experts and stakeholders for consultation and knowledge exchange.

Education and/or work experience

• Advanced degree (PHD or equivalent acquired through experience) in Economics, Development Economics, Public Policy, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in economic analysis, public sector budgeting or development projects; at least 2 years working in Rwanda or East Africa preferred.
• Prior experience collaborating with national statistical offices, ministries or academic institutions.
• Experience with donor-funded projects and familiarity with results-based management and reporting.

How to apply:

Please apply via our website: https://careers.luxdev.lu/job-invite/2003/ 

Deadline: 26th November 2025 at 11:59 pm