Principal Specialist Economist

Natural England
Nationwide - United Kingdom
S: £43,322

About Natural England
Do you have a passion for nature and the environment? Do you want to make a real difference and secure significant environmental gains in the present and the future? Do you enjoy working in a team? Can you see yourself advising communities and customers to maximise gains for the Natural Environment?

If this appeals to you, a career at Natural England offers rewarding opportunities to secure environmental improvements and play your part in creating a better future for people and nature.

We are looking to recruit a Principal Economist to lead our economics team at Natural England. In economics, our aim is to ensure the full value of the natural environment is included in decisions. We achieve this by undertaking high-quality economic analysis and applying it to real world decision-making, improving the environmental economics evidence base and the way it is applied and used. This role will involve applying your technical knowledge, experience, and critical thinking to complex and novel questions.

Based in the Chief Scientist's Directorate, we work closely with other disciplines, such as social science and natural capital specialists to provide practical, evidence-based, advice that makes a difference to decision-making. We therefore bridge the worlds of research, on-the-ground delivery, and decision-support.

Economists in Natural England work in a small, collaborative team, undertaking a variety of cross-cutting, high-profile projects. These include undertaking economic analysis to support Spending Review bids and develop Impact Assessments, producing Natural Capital Accounts, developing economic models to assess environmental projects, and developing tools to support organisations in factoring environmental considerations into strategic and site-based decision-making.

We work across the organisation, applying economics to a wide range of subject areas, including health and wellbeing, nature recovery, economic development, marine and green finance. We also work closely with other organisations, such as Defra and Other Government Departments, on new research to improve the valuation evidence base and to develop guidance on the inclusion of natural capital in economic analysis. Natural Capital has a high profile across Government and the private sector.

Our economists stay at the forefront of developments in environmental economics and have built a reputation for providing innovative, high-quality analytical advice.

The location is fully flexible across England, and we are open to home-working, being office-based or a mixture of the two.

We can accommodate flexible working patterns.

You will hold a graduate or postgraduate degree in economics or be able to demonstrate equivalent experience. A postgraduate qualification in a relevant area would be desirable. Applicants that do not hold a relevant degree should specify experience and outputs that demonstrate that they have an equivalent level of knowledge.

You will have significant work experience at a senior level within economics. This will include the production and quality assurance of formal cost-benefit analyses. Experience of Natural Capital Accounting and/or Green Finance would be advantageous.

Economics & environmental knowledge – have a deep knowledge of economics and a broad knowledge of a range of inter-related specialisms, e.g., natural capital. Have sufficient grasp and understanding of environmental/ecological economics to be able to apply this to all parts of Natural England's business. Be able to provide authoritative advice and new ideas to inform strategic decisions and significant new developments/concepts; maintain a strong and influential external profile.

Benefits
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension

To apply, please visit our website by clicking the Apply button

Closing date: 11:55pm on Friday 29 July 2022.

Job summary