Senior Economist - Economic Policy Evaluation in Birmingham

Ecorys is a world‑class research‑based consultancy that helps our clients make a positive impact on society. We are leaders in research and evaluation, project management and communications providing the evidence and advice that our clients need to tackle the issues that affect communities around the world. Our 600 staff are justifiably proud of our innovative and thought‑provoking contributions to policy and programme delivery.

The role: We are seeking Senior Economists with a background in economics or economics policy to manage a portfolio of research and evaluation projects primarily for our UK government clients. Our clients include central and local government, arms‑length bodies along with a range of voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations and other funders. Depending on your knowledge and policy interests, you would lead projects in the areas of resilient economies (industrial transition and private sector development, research and innovation, digitalisation, trade) and climate, energy and environment.

What you will do: Senior Economists take responsibility for managing medium and large‑scale research and evaluation contracts, working with Project Directors and research teams on a range of research and evaluation projects. Our core clients are UK based and you will have the opportunity to get involved in European or international projects collaborating with colleagues across Ecorys. As an experienced economist or economic researcher, you must be confident in designing and implementing evaluations, including developing sampling approaches, contributing to analysis of survey and/or administrative datasets, and developing a range of outputs including reports and presentations. You will have a strong understanding of economic analysis and quantitative research approaches relevant to economic evaluations, value for money, cost‑benefit and mixed‑method impact evaluations. Providing effective project and client management, planning and monitoring delivery to agreed timescales, ensuring quality, and liaising with finance on budgeting and invoicing are key parts of the role. As a Senior Economist you will be working with directors and senior staff to grow our economics portfolio further. You will be proactive in contributing to business development and work winning by developing partnership working opportunities, collaborating with external partners, and developing strong client contacts. You will be helping to develop our work in economic policy evaluation, developing one or more specific areas of business development / market interest. You will lead on a range of client proposals and have the chance to collaborate with a community of like‑minded people across Ecorys globally.

Your Profile: You should hold a first degree in a relevant subject or equivalent experience (economics, economic geography, etc) and hold post‑graduate, professional or vocational qualification in a relevant subject. You must have significant and demonstrable experience in the development and delivery of evaluations for economic and environmental programmes in the UK. You will have proven ability to acquire new work and secure repeat business from clients including the preparation of high‑quality tenders and proposals through excellent writing skills with evidence of strong commercial awareness. You will need to show strong evidence of effective project management including excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage complex, larger scale projects. Strong, applied economics research skills are a requirement, including experience of designing, conducting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data. Proficiency in MS Office is required; experience with R, SPSS, or Stata is preferred. Experience of managing people, including having the capability to build and develop team knowledge and skills are desirable.

What we offer: London weighting: £3,500 per annum (for London‑based contracts) 25 days annual leave pro rata (plus bank holidays), increasing with service Flexible and hybrid working Company profit share scheme Pension, life assurance and wellbeing support, paid volunteering day Access to learning and development through the Ecorys Global Academy Opportunities for professional development and knowledge sharing. A collaborative, supportive, and inclusive work environment. A modern, well‑equipped office with a welcoming atmosphere. We offer a structured onboarding programme followed by continuous training tailored to your career goals. Through regular performance reviews and collaborative objective‑setting, we ensure you have the support needed to excel and progress. Our team of 100+ researchers is based across our offices in Birmingham, London, Leeds, and Brussels. Our team works in a hybrid way between our offices and from home. Due to the nature of research, this role requires a DBS check and some UK travel. We encourage interested and qualified candidates to review the attached job description and submit their CV and cover letter via our online application form. If you would prefer a copy of the job advert and job description in an accessible version, please contact recruitment@ecorys.com.