Assistant Economist - Darlington

Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Darlington - United Kingdom
S: £33,119 - £37,209 pa

Location: Darlington
Salary: £33,119 - £37,209 pa
Hours: Full time / Part time / Flexible
Contract: Permanent

The Competition and Markets Authority is undergoing an exciting expansion and has increased its presence with the establishment of new offices and a Microeconomics Unit in Darlington. The unit is based at the Darlington Economic Campus, alongside a range of government departments (such as HMT, DIT, BEIS, ONS, DLUHC and DoE). We are seeking recent or prospective graduates to join our growing team as Assistant Economists.

The new Microeconomics Unit leads the CMA's economic research programme. Set up in response to the government-commissioned Penrose review, the Unit will provide analysis and expertise on the issues of UK competition, consumer rights, supply-side reforms, innovation and productivity. The ambition is for the Unit to become a micro-economic sibling for the Bank of England's well-established public macro-economic role.

As an Assistant Economist you will be responsible for carrying out economic analysis and research, under the supervision of more senior economists. This includes identifying key issues, designing and conducting analysis, drawing conclusions and presenting them to colleagues and decision makers.

Projects that you may work on in the Microeconomics Unit include:

- The regular State of UK Competition report
- Research into live issues in competition policy, and structural reforms aimed at improving UK productivity
- The annual Positive Impact report and looking for ways to improve how we measure the CMA's impact
- The CMA's ongoing programme of ex post studies into past competition policy interventions

You will join a committed community of economists, working in a collaborative, collegiate atmosphere. We are a very diverse team; our economists have a range of backgrounds and nationalities. You will work in agile, dedicated teams undertaking economic analysis and research on key issues in microeconomics. You will be provided with structured training opportunities covering both technical, economic skills and more general training; you will also be expected to contribute to the intellectual development of the team of professional economists.

You will be ideally placed to identify and benefit from opportunities for career progression within the Microeconomics Unit and across the organisation and you will discover a working environment where there is real emphasis on working together and developing each other to deliver to high standards.

Our structured training programme, as well as the wider Civil Service training programme, provides a range of opportunities for continuous improvement and learning to develop your economic expertise, including training courses, lunchtime seminars and discussion groups on economics topics. We will also support and encourage you to develop your wider skills – including communication, drafting, management skills and project management.

In return, the CMA is a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so. All CMA staff enjoy generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest-free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme, and flexible working options.

We welcome applications from candidates that have or are in their final year working towards a 2:1 undergraduate degree (on track to graduate with the required qualification by September 2023) with a strong microeconomics component or a postgraduate economics qualification.

To find out more about this opportunity and working for the CMA please click the apply button.

Please visit our economist LinkedIn page:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/competition-and-markets-authority/life/economists/

Please also have a read of our blog to learn more about being an Economist at the CMA:
https://competitionandmarkets.blog.gov.uk/2019/05/02/working-as-an-economist-at-the-cma/

Closing date for completed applications: 11.55pm on Monday 6th February 2023.

The CMA, like many other organisations, operate a hybrid working model with a mix of office and home working. We believe this supports us to deliver our best work while allowing the flexibility to maintain balanced and healthy lives. Our staff work at least 50% of their time from their office location.

The CMA are an accredited Disability Confident Employer, and we are an equal opportunities employer, welcoming suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles

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