Senior Economist

Key information

Salary: £46,000 per year.

Contract type: This is a full-time position and a one-year fixed term contract, with the possibility of extension depending on funding.

Benefits: Flexible working hours; 8% employer pension contribution; 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays; and a commitment to staff training and development.

Hours: 32 hours Monday-Thursday. Future Economy Scotland is a 4-day week accredited organisation, and the organisation is closed on a Friday.

Location: Anywhere in Scotland. Employees currently work from home, although occasional meetings in Edinburgh and Glasgow will be required Should you prefer to work from an office, we are open to resourcing a co-working space, budget permitting.

Reporting to: Co-Director.

About the organisation

Future Economy Scotland is a non-partisan think tank that aims to create a new economy that is democratic, sustainable and just. We believe that Scotland cannot overcome the intertwined challenges it faces by making minor tweaks to the status quo, or by simply ameliorating the worst excesses of a broken model. Instead, we must embrace bold new ideas to transform the economy. Our mission is to develop transformative policies that aim to decarbonise, democratise and decommodify Scotland’s economy. Future Economy Scotland has organisational values that aim to underpin our work.

These values are:

Solidarity: understanding different but often interconnected struggles;

Generosity: operating in a movement-generous way that amplifies the voices of others; and

Respect: rooting the way we work in care, compassion and sustainability.

We are an accredited Living Wage employer, and have been accredited as a Gold Standard 4 day week employer by the 4 Day Week campaign. Future Economy Scotland is not aligned to any political party and does not have a stance on Scotland’s constitutional future.

Role summary

Future Economy Scotland is looking for a Senior Economist to help deliver the organisation’s ambitious programme of high-quality and impactful research. The organisation is currently delivering a multi-year research project focused on accelerating the delivery of a just transition to net zero in Scotland by 2045. Areas of research the successful candidate will work on will include (but not be limited to) renewable energy, industrial strategy, labour market transitions, land reform, and fiscal policy. The role will also involve identifying impactful opportunities to intervene in Scotland’s policy debate, and producing rapid-response analysis of new statistical releases

The role is an opportunity to join a small, dynamic and purpose-driven team focused on driving progressive change across Scotland. It will involve working closely with the Co-Directors in a fast paced environment, ensuring that the organisation maintains its reputation for producing high-quality, impactful research. It will also involve frequent interaction with senior stakeholders in government, civil society, the media and the wider policy-making world. We are committed to developing the skills and profile of team members, including through providing training and development opportunities.

Role responsibilities

Lead on the design, management and delivery of large and complex research projects, utilising rigorous quantitative and qualitative research methods

Working with economic datasets to undertake high-quality economic analysis

Identifying the policy implications of research findings and developing ambitious but credible policy proposals for the Scottish Government

Writing research reports to final draft quality, ensuring research is rigorous and evidence-based while being accessible to non-expert audiences

Disseminating research through blogs, policy briefs and presentations

Identifying strategic opportunities to intervene in Scotland’s policy debate, and producing rapid-response analysis to key political developments and statistical releases

Providing robust quality assurance of research outputs and reviewing reports, data analysis and blogs

Engaging with key stakeholders in civil society to inform research

Communicating the work of the organisation in print and broadcast media

Contributing to the development of new fundraising proposals for research projects 

Organisational responsibilities

Undertake the duties in the job description in line with the operational policies of Future Economy Scotland

Maintain good relationships with team members and wider stakeholders

Represent the organisation in an appropriate and professional manner at all times when engaging with external stakeholders

Contribute to the development of the organisation through working in accordance with its wider objectives, organisational culture and values

Work out of usual hours if necessary, with a time-off-in-lieu policy

Actively contribute to Future Economy Scotland’s commitments to creating a culture of anti-oppression, equity and inclusion 

Person specification

Essential experience

A strong commitment to Future Economy Scotland’s mission and values.

Experience in a similar or related role (this does not need to have been at a think tank or in the third sector).

Experience of designing, managing and delivering impactful economic research projects.

A strong understanding of economics and economic policy, including the limitations of orthodox economic thinking and the merits of alternative approaches.

Strong quantitative research skills. Candidates do not need to have advanced econometric or modelling skills, but should be competent working with common economic datasets (e.g. labour market statistics, macroeconomic data, etc), undertaking creative economic analysis, and producing informative charts.

Experience turning research findings into credible, well-evidenced and rigorous policy recommendations

Strong understanding of Scotland’s devolved policy landscape, and the policy challenges associated with delivering a just transition in Scotland.

Strong writing skills and a track record of writing impactful research reports, and the ability to communicate complex ideas clearly to a lay audience. 

The ability to work effectively in a small team and an excellent interpersonal communicator.

A commitment to anti-oppression in the workplace

Nice to have but not essential

A strong degree or equivalent level qualification in economics, or in a subject with knowledge and skills applicable and transferable to economics

Experience of raising philanthropic funding for research projects

Experience using econometrics software (e.g. Stata or R) or undertaking other types of economic modelling

Expert knowledge in one or more of the following policy areas: energy, industrial strategy, labour market transitions, and fiscal policy

Data visualisation skills