There Is a €50,821 Research Role in Ireland Open Right Now.
Every week I find real, live European roles that American professionals are qualified for and have never heard of. This week's find is one of the best I have seen — a senior research position in Dublin, Ireland, paying €50,821 per year, with hybrid working, a three-year contract, and a deadline of 24 June 2026.
If you have a background in economics, social policy, public policy, or quantitative research — read this post before you scroll past.
The Role: ESRI Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Economics
The Economic and Social Research Institute — known as the ESRI — is one of Ireland's most respected independent research organisations. Founded in 1960, it produces policy research that directly shapes how Ireland and the European Union design tax systems, social protection, and economic policy.
They are currently hiring a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join their Taxation, Welfare and Pensions team. This is not a junior role — it sits at the intersection of academic research and direct policy influence, including work on the European Commission's EUROMOD microsimulation model used across 27 EU member states.
Key details at a glance:
Location: Dublin, Ireland — hybrid working (minimum one day per week in office)
Contract: Three-year fixed-term, full time, 35 hours per week
Salary: €50,821 per year starting
Deadline: 24 June 2026 at 5:00 PM
Language: English — Ireland is an English-speaking country
What the Role Actually Involves
The Taxation, Welfare and Pensions team at ESRI works on some of the most consequential economic policy questions in Ireland and Europe — childcare affordability, carbon taxation, gender inequality in labour markets, pension auto-enrolment, and retirement income adequacy.
Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:
Maintaining and developing the ESRI's SWITCH microsimulation model and Ireland's contribution to the EU EUROMOD model
Conducting quantitative economic and social policy research
Leading and contributing to academic journal articles and policy reports
Providing technical modelling support to Irish government departments
Presenting research at national and international conferences
Who Can Apply — and What You Need
This role does not require Irish citizenship or an EU passport. The ESRI actively welcomes applications from international candidates. As a US citizen you are eligible to apply — and Ireland's employment permit system has clear pathways for roles at this level.
Required qualifications:
A PhD in Economics, Social Policy, or a closely related discipline — or near completion
Strong quantitative and econometric skills
Demonstrated experience using Stata
Interest in taxation, welfare, pensions and social policy
Knowledge of labour economics and public economics
Excellent academic writing and communication skills
Additional advantages:
Programming experience — Python in particular
Experience with microsimulation modelling
Familiarity with policy-focused research environments
Why Ireland Is One of the Best Entry Points to Europe for Americans
Ireland is consistently one of the most accessible European countries for American professionals — and not just because English is the official language.
Ireland has a critical skills employment permit scheme that covers roles in research, technology, finance and policy. The permit is employer-sponsored, which means for a role like this one — a named position at a known institution — the pathway is clear. Dublin has a large, established American expat community, a strong international job market, and a cost of living that — while higher than some European cities — is structured around international salary levels.
For American academics and researchers specifically, Ireland also offers something rare — a research environment where your work directly influences policy, not just the academic literature. The ESRI is not a university department producing papers that no one reads. It is an institution whose outputs sit on ministers' desks.
The Thing That Will Kill Your Application Before Anyone Reads It
I need to say something directly to every American qualified for this role who is considering applying.
Your American CV will work against you. Not because your experience is wrong — it is not. Because the way American CVs are structured signals immediately to European hiring panels that you do not understand this market.
Specifically:
The objective statement at the top — European academic CVs do not have these. Remove it entirely.
Your full US home address — European CVs list city and country only. A full US street address raises questions about your timeline and commitment before you have had a chance to make your case.
The length and structure — American academic CVs and European ones have completely different conventions. What reads as thorough and comprehensive in the US reads as padded and unfocused in Ireland and the UK.
The language — phrases like 'leveraged synergies' and 'results-driven' are red flags to European hiring managers. Clear, direct, specific language is what works.
None of these are reasons not to apply. They are reasons to rebuild your CV before you do.
What to Do If This Role Is Right for You
You have 16 days from the date of this post. That is enough time to build a strong application if you move quickly.
Step one: Read the full job description and confirm you meet the required qualifications. Do not self-eliminate based on the nice-to-have criteria — those are preferences, not requirements.
Step two: Rebuild your CV for the European academic market. Format, structure, length, language — all of it rebuilt from scratch for an Irish research institution, not a US university department.
Step three: Write your cover letter for ESRI specifically — their mission, their team, their models. Not a generic expression of interest.
Step four: Submit before 24 June 2026 at 5:00 PM.
Need Help Making This Application Work?
I am Jen Huss — a job strategist with 16 years in career strategy, based in Utrecht, Netherlands. I specialise in getting Americans hired in Europe. Every week I track live European roles and help American professionals build the applications that actually land.
The Work Package covers everything you need for this application — CV rewrite built for the European academic market, cover letter written for ESRI specifically, LinkedIn overhauled for European recruiter search, and a job placement strategy. €450.
If you want the whole move — the career, the visa, the income strategy, the full roadmap from California to Dublin — that is the Career Relocation Package. €2,500.
Both are available at recoverytotravel.nl. Compass Call — €150, 60 minutes, total direction — is the fastest way to start.
Apply for This Role
Organization: Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)
Location: Dublin, Ireland — Hybrid
Salary: €50,821 per year
Contract: Three-year fixed term, full time
Deadline: 24 June 2026 at 5:00 PM
Apply here: https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationInit.aspx?cid=1261&ProjectId=143915
About the author: Jen Huss is a job strategist and Founder of Recovery to Travel, based in Utrecht, Netherlands. She specializes in getting Americans hired in Europe. Find her at recoverytotravel.nl or @recovery.totravel.
