How to apply for Economist

About Animal Ask

Animal Ask is a specialized research consultancy that helps animal advocacy organizations make better decisions by identifying the most promising opportunities for animals. Unlike generalist think tanks, Animal Ask focuses exclusively on cross-comparative research to prioritize high-impact reforms, making it a unique fit for economists who want to apply their skills to animal welfare. Working here means directly influencing strategy for groups that aim to reduce animal suffering at scale.

About the role

As an Economist at Animal Ask, you will conduct economic research to inform advocacy strategies, estimate the production cost impacts of welfare reforms in neglected regions, model market dynamics and shocks, and evaluate how regulations affect alternative proteins. Your work will directly shape which reforms advocacy groups pursue, making it a high-leverage role for someone who wants to use economics to create tangible change for animals. The position is fully remote and full-time.

A typical day

A typical day might involve coding in R to model the cost implications of a proposed welfare reform, then meeting with colleagues to discuss how the results could inform a client's strategy. You might also spend time reviewing literature on alternative protein markets or drafting a report section that translates complex economic findings into clear recommendations for advocates.

Who Animal Ask is looking for

• Strong quantitative skills, particularly in R programming and cost-effectiveness analysis, with the ability to apply them to novel animal welfare questions.
• Experience estimating economic impacts of policy or regulatory changes, ideally in agriculture or food systems, and comfort working with incomplete data.
• Familiarity with animal product markets, trade dynamics, and alternative protein industries, or a demonstrated ability to quickly learn new domains.
• A strategic thinker who can prioritize research questions based on potential impact and communicate findings clearly to non-economist advocates.

Tips for this application

• Highlight any experience with animal welfare, alternative proteins, or agricultural economics in your application—even if it's from coursework or personal projects—to show alignment with Animal Ask's mission.
• Demonstrate proficiency in R by including a link to a GitHub repository or a code sample that showcases your ability to model economic scenarios.
• In your cover letter, propose a specific research question you could tackle in the first few months, such as estimating the cost impact of a cage-free transition in a specific country.
• Mention any familiarity with cost-effectiveness analysis frameworks, like those used in effective altruism, as Animal Ask often evaluates interventions through this lens.
• Show that you can work remotely and independently by describing past projects where you managed your own research agenda and delivered results without close supervision.

What to cover in your cover letter

["Your motivation for using economics to improve animal welfare, with concrete examples of how you've applied economic thinking to social impact.", 'A specific example of a time you modeled market dynamics or estimated policy impacts, detailing the methods and data you used.', "Your technical toolkit, especially R, and how you've used it to conduct cost-effectiveness or policy analysis.", 'Your ability to prioritize research questions and communicate findings to non-technical stakeholders, as Animal Ask values actionable insights.']

Research before applying

• Read Animal Ask's published reports and blog posts to understand their research methodology and the types of questions they prioritize.
• Explore their website to learn about their clients and partners, such as The Humane League or Wild Animal Initiative, to see how your work would be applied.
• Familiarize yourself with key economic concepts in animal welfare, like elasticity of demand for animal products and the structure of global protein markets.
• Look into the effective altruism community's cost-effectiveness analyses for animal advocacy to understand the frameworks Animal Ask might use.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you estimate the economic impact of a ban on battery cages in a country with limited data? Walk us through your approach.
• Describe a time you modeled a market shock (e.g., disease outbreak, trade policy change) and how you validated your results.
• What factors would you consider when evaluating the cost-effectiveness of different animal welfare reforms? How would you rank them?
• How would you assess the potential impact of alternative protein regulations on market adoption? What data would you need?
• Tell us about a research project where you had to make simplifying assumptions. How did you ensure your conclusions were still robust?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't mention animal welfare or Animal Ask's specific mission—they want to see genuine passion for the cause.
• Overemphasizing academic economic theory without connecting it to practical, actionable research that advocacy groups can use.
• Failing to demonstrate R proficiency or providing only a list of skills without concrete examples of how you've applied them to real-world problems.