Senior Analyst

HS2 Ltd
London - United Kingdom
S: Competitive

The Economic and Commercial Analysis (ECA) Team is the primary source of evidence, analysis, and modelling expertise for HS2 Ltd, supporting the scheme through key decision stages. The two senior economist roles will join ECA to provide expert leadership on economic research and analysis relating to High-Speed Rail and its transformational impacts on the UK economy. You will use your skills to interrogate and analyse data and models, produce advice to stakeholders, and play an important role in ensuring decision making at HS2 Ltd is based on sound evidence.

About the role:
• Lead challenging analytical projects, delivering high quality analysis and providing the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd with evidence-based advice to the agreed scope and deadlines
• For the economic analysis roles, lead appraisal of the value-for-money of the HS2 scheme and analysis of the transformational impacts of HS2 on regional and national economies
• Proactively build and maintain working relationships with colleagues across HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport; agreeing the analytical requirements to ensure decision-making at all levels is informed by high-quality evidence; and demonstrating a breadth of knowledge and experience to operate effectively among senior decision makers
• Communicate project findings to key stakeholders, including non-analysts, ensuring that communication styles are adapted to suit the audience, providing appropriate response to challenge from stakeholders.  Proactively seek opportunities for the evidence to impact investment decisions
• Draw conclusions on outputs from transport and economic models and analysis, presenting compelling evidence and the case for change to senior stakeholders, and giving well-judged advice on a range of high-profile investment decisions even where the evidence may be incomplete or ambiguous
• Take on responsibility for a specific analytical tool/ workstream, identifying innovative approaches and techniques to improve the quality of our analysis
• The post holder may be responsible for management of external contracts with substantial budgets, including procurement and financial management
• Actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

About You:
• Data analysis - Ability to perform analysis through the application of analytical tools, models and techniques, and the synthesis of evidence from a range of sources as appropriate to produce analytical advice
• Problem solving - Ability to analyse and interpret data from various sources, identifying and securing appropriate stakeholder inputs, to provide analytical advice to support policy decisions, ensuring that risks and implications are identified
• Project management - Ability to work with a range of internal and external stakeholders to develop clear work programmes from high level requirements, and the ability to prioritise and deliver complex analysis on time and to a high quality
• Communication skills - Ability to communicate complex analytical information in a way that is easily understood by stakeholders and producing effective presentation and briefing that facilitates decisions making, adapting communication style to suit the audience
• Produce effective presentations and briefings that facilitate the use of analysis to aid decision-making
• Knowledge or background in analytical areas relevant to Economic Analysis, for example: public sector appraisal (Green Book, Magenta Book, Transport Analysis Guidance).
• Knowledge of specific analytical tools/methodologies e.g. economic analysis, statistics, and knowledge of Excel and the ability to interrogate a range of input data, and identify trends or patterns using Excel based models
• Experience of developing and providing economic analysis in a team-based or project environment, notably a government department, partner body or commercial/ consultancy environment
• Experience of managing and interrogating complex datasets and appraisal models, notably in relation to economic models
• Experience of building and managing working relationships with stakeholders communicating complex evidence with clarity and authority to influence decisions and promote the value of analysis in decision-making
• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary analytical team, and quality-assuring analysis conducted by peers, or developing quality-assurance plans for their own workstreams
• Experience of scoping an analytical project and managing a team to deliver high quality models and analysis.

You are expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect.

We operate broad pay scales for all our roles to enable us to fulfil our commitments to inclusivity and career development. Final package is dependent on individual knowledge, skills and experience. In addition, we offer a range of competitive benefits - check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. Please attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application and include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert.

About Us
High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK's new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain's major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff - living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety-critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our 'Safe at Heart' programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

Closing date: 2 February 2022.

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