Data Associate (Macroeconomics/Country-Risk)
Stears
Lagos, Nigeria
fulltime
Posted 3 weeks ago
Job Description
About us
We are the most comprehensive financial data and research platform for Africa.
For global funds investing in Africa, Stears is the data and insights provider that enables quick, accurate decisions during the investment process. Stears users get access to industry, company, transaction, and macro data as well as constantly updated reports by researchers. Unlike other providers, Stears goes beyond just data to provide insights and context based on knowledge of local markets and delivers it all in an easy-to-use data platform. You can find more info about Stears here.
We are seeking a Data Associate with a strong foundation in macroeconomics and country-risk analysis who enjoys learning, being challenged, and working in a high-performing team where they are supported, given responsibility, and held to high standards. This role is part of the Intelligence Team at Stears.
The Role
Why this role matters
Macroeconomic and country-risk data across African markets is frequently fragmented, delayed, or inconsistently structured. Global investors, multinational corporates, and financial institutions rely on Stears to provide clean, timely, and authoritative macroeconomic indicators, forecasts, and risk ratings across African economies.
Closing the macroeconomic data gap is central to Stears’ mission. Our platform powers institutional decision-making across currency volatility, inflation trends, growth outlooks, fiscal health, and political risk.
In this role, you will own the end-to-end data pipelines for macroeconomic and country-risk indicators across our coverage markets. Combining largely automated, AI-driven data extraction with high-rigour analytical oversight, you will ensure our macroeconomic forecasts, indices, and risk models remain pristine, accurate, and actionable.
What you’ll own
- Macro Data Collection & Pipelines: Direct ownership of largely automated macroeconomic and country risk data collection pipelines.
- Country Risk Analytics Oversight: Regular monitoring and evaluation of macroeconomic forecasts, indices, risk models, and country assessments across African economies.
- Data Rigour & Issue Resolution: Systematic quality control to catch, investigate, and fix missing, delayed, or erroneous macroeconomic data.
- Coverage & Capability Building: Scoping new macroeconomic indicators, data sources, and building capabilities to produce and refine company forecast models over time.
Within your first 6–12 months, you will be accountable for the following outcomes:
- Complete & Sourced Datasets: Macroeconomic and country risk indicators across covered African markets are up-to-date, accurate, properly sourced, and live on the platform.
- Automated Data Operations: Automated data collection pipelines run smoothly with high uptime and minimal requirement for manual fallback.
- Forecast & Index Tracking: Macro forecasts, indices, and dashboards systematically reviewed, with tracking deviations proactively identified and flagged.
- Up-to-Date Risk Assessments: Country risk assessments across currency, inflation, output, fiscal, and political risk reviewed and updated on schedule.
- Resilient Workflows: Data collection, pipeline monitoring, and analytical workflows fully documented and integrated with the wider Intelligence and Data Engineering teams.
Who you will work with
- You will report to the Data Operations Lead within the Intelligence Team.
- You will collaborate closely with the Senior Economist and the Head of Research who define overall macroeconomic methodologies and risk framework guidelines.
- You will work side-by-side with the Engineering team who build and maintain automated extraction pipelines, AI engines, and internal databases.
How this role will evolve
At Stears, roles are not static. We operate in a fast-changing environment where AI, automation, and market needs continually reshape how we work. We hire people who can thrive in this evolution.
Over time, your role may evolve to include:
- Deepening ownership of proprietary forecasting models (e.g., inflation, exchange rate, GDP forecasts) using Stears’ internal tools and quantitative methodologies.
- Expanding scope into technical workflow design, shaping AI schemas, prompt engineering, and automated validation rules for macro data pipelines.
- Leading thematic or cross-country macroeconomic benchmarking projects for institutional clients.
We are looking for adaptability and curiosity, not just today’s technical fit.
Responsibilities
Country risk data collection and quality
- Directly own automated collection: Oversee the largely automated collection of macroeconomic and country risk data.
- Monitor processes: Monitor and review automated collection processes, with technical support from data scientists where needed.
- Resolve data issues: Investigate missing, incomplete, or incorrect data and resolve issues, using manual collection only as a fallback.
- Expand data coverage: Identify gaps in coverage and add new indicators, sources, and datasets to broaden platform intelligence.
Country risk analytics oversight
- Oversee analytical outputs: Oversee the regular updating of forecasts, indices, dashboards, and other analytical outputs.
- Evaluate forecasts: Check whether forecasts are tracking as expected and flag where assumptions, methods, or outputs may need to be reviewed.
- Maintain assessments: Review and update country risk assessments across currency, inflation, output, fiscal, and political risk.
- Build forecasting capability: Over time, build the capability to produce, develop, and improve forecasts using the company’s methodologies and tools.
Macroeconomic profile processing & AI review
- Run AI-assisted workflows: Configure, direct, and review AI-driven data extraction models for macroeconomic indicators and policy intelligence.
- Enrich & validate data: Check model-generated figures and economic claims against primary sources (central banks, statistical bureaus, international financial institutions) and correct discrepancies.
- Maintain core platform assets: Ensure country macroeconomic dashboards, indicators, and time-series records remain structured, clean, and current.
Workflow optimization & coverage expansion
- Improve research pipelines: Provide structured feedback on schemas, extraction prompts, and pipeline errors to data engineering teams to continuously raise ingestion accuracy.
- Scope expansion: Assess new macroeconomic indicators, higher-frequency data feeds, and new country coverage in response to customer demand.
- Documentation & SOPs: Document all data collection methodologies, sources, and operational procedures so workflows remain resilient and scalable.
Perks
Meaningful perks matter to us. They make employees better and contribute to making Stears a great place to work. If you join us, you can be assured that you’ll enjoy a wide range of generous perks, rewards and office benefits, including:
- Competitive salaries at junior, intermediate and senior levels
- Unlimited access to the Stears platform
- Hybrid work mode
- Comprehensive Health Insurance coverage
- Company Laptop provided/MacBook Laptop provided
- Paid time off - 25 days excluding public holidays and sick days (Pro-rated)
- Compassionate Leave
- Parental Leave
- Unlimited Sick Leave
- Special emphasis on learning and development
- Regular social activities, including annual off-site team bonding
- A well-stocked fridge, lots of snacks and breakfast in office
- Stears branded merchandise and swag
- Access to an expert Intelligence & Analytics team - Stears Intelligence team includes some of the brightest knowledge experts in Africa, covering a wide range of sectors, all with a passion for delivering the highest quality of intelligence and analytics on the African continent.
The Stears Experience - These are the top reasons our analysts and associates report having the best experience of their careers at Stears:
- Experience personal growth while building mastery in investments and financial data through challenging projects and rewarding experiences.
- Work at a technology-first financial data company that is committed to using technology to solve Africa’s financial data challenges. Get the opportunity to develop in-demand technical skills and apply them to real-world problems.
- Gain a high level of autonomy and responsibility early in your career in our high-trust startup environment, with a relatively flat organisational hierarchy.
- Do something meaningful by being part of a team making African data more widely available.
Diversity
Stears is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants regardless of colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, gender identity or expression, veteran status, actual or presumed belonging to an ethnic group, or any other legally protected status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. Requirements
Role Requirements
Required skills & qualifications: These are the minimum requirements for the role
- 2–4 years in a data, analytical, or research role: economic research, macro research, quantitative data analysis, risk management, or financial markets.
- Strong understanding of core macroeconomic indicators, national accounts, central banking policy, balance of payments, inflation dynamics, and country risk frameworks.
- Ability to write clear, structured, and precise analytical notes and documentation for institutional readers.
- High comfort working with macroeconomic time-series data, complex spreadsheets, and structured database SOPs.
- Genuine curiosity about AI-assisted research: comfortable directing, reviewing, and correcting output from large language models (LLMs). Prior expertise is a plus, not a requirement; we will train you.
- Fast learning across unfamiliar industries. You will regularly cover sectors that are new to you.
Preferred skills & qualifications: These skills & qualifications are not necessary, but will be highly valued
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Economics, Econometrics, Quantitative Finance, Statistics, or a related quantitative discipline.
- Direct experience covering or analyzing African economies and regional economic communities (e.g., ECOWAS, EAC, SACU).
- Technical proficiency with SQL, Python, or R for data manipulation and quantitative analysis.
- Experience with macroeconomic forecasting, index construction, or risk rating scoring models.
- Prior experience working alongside software/data engineering teams in an agile environment.
What It Takes To Thrive at Stears
At Stears, we operate in a dynamic and rapidly evolving landscape. That means constant change, complexity, and a degree of unpredictability: it’s the nature of building the most trusted financial data platform in Africa. We’re looking for individuals who thrive in this environment, who are comfortable with ambiguity and eager to adapt. If you prefer a highly structured environment, Stears might not be the best fit, and that’s okay.
Before you apply, we’d like you to consider if you:
- Are deeply passionate about understanding and driving positive change in the financial information ecosystem in Africa.
- Can embrace rapid professional growth and actively seek opportunities to learn and develop.
- Can navigate a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift quickly to meet evolving market needs.
- Can demonstrate resilience and resourcefulness in the face of uncertainty, and see change as an opportunity for growth.
- Can bring strong analytical skills and well-informed perspectives to the table.
- Can collaborate effectively with diverse teams, valuing different viewpoints to achieve shared goals.
- Can work responsibly, efficiently and effectively in a digital-first and often remote environment.
Must have skills
Research
Writing
Econometrics
Macroeconomics
Data Analysis
Research
Writing
Econometrics
Macroeconomics
Data Analysis
Required Skills
Data AnalysisPythonR LanguageResearch and AnalysisSQLWriting
About the Company
Stears
Internet Software & Services
11 - 50 Founded 2017
Stears is an intelligence company aiming to define a new standard for access to quality analysis and data in Africa. By providing fluid access to data and insight, we are digitising the data market in Africa.
Stears Data, our financial data business, provides financial, economic and corporate data and analytics to African market professionals.
Stears Business, our media business, provides business news analysis and insight through its network of professionals in banking, consulting, law, academia, government and civic society. Our Writer’s Network includes writers based in Nigeria, Canada, United States and the United Kingdom.
Born in the London School of Economics, Stears was founded by a team of Nigerian economists, lawyers and engineers dedicated to financial data, media and technology.
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Company
Stears
Internet Software & Services
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