Economic Advisor – Local & Regional Growth
Growing the economy, improving the prosperity of the UK and the living standards of working people in every part of the country is a core mission of this Government and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT).
Compared to other OECD countries, the UK has large and persistent spatial differences in productivity. Reducing these disparities will be a vital component in ensuring that every part of our country is better off. This role, within the Strategic Spatial Analysis (SSA) team in the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), is responsible for providing spatial analysis to inform policy decisions that can help achieve this aim.
We are seeking an Economist to join the SSA, which acts as the government’s think tank on spatial issues. It is responsible for producing spatial analysis and thought leadership, advocating for a place-based perspective within government and acting as a critical facilitator between teams.
Through its analysis, the team has actively shaped the local growth agenda since its inception and the post-holder will continue to answer the government’s key analytical questions and inform policy design.
Given the strategic nature of this role, this post is guaranteed to be interesting and wide-ranging. The post-holder will work closely with policy colleagues and analysts in DBT, and across Whitehall, including in MHCLG, as well as with external stakeholders.They will be expected to work flexibly to meet business priorities and develop a greater knowledge of spatial analysis, competences in analytical techniques, and written and oral communication skills.
We take the development of our people very seriously, equipping and enabling them to make an impact by ensuring high quality evidence and analysis is at the heart of the policy-making process. We are committed to good management and professional development of our staff.
This role will be responsible for developing analytical insights and building the strategic evidence base relating to local growth, as well as the broader role of ‘place’ in government policy. This includes producing analysis to inform the forthcoming Industrial Strategy.
With the help of a small team of analysts, the post-holder will have a key role to play in shaping a high-profile policy agenda. Key responsibilities include:
- Conducting analysis to identify clusters based on the sector priorities identified as part of DBT’s Industrial Strategy;
- Analysing high streets and growth hubs, evaluating their impact on small businesses, productivity, and regional development
- Supporting DBT’s area-based teams with data and place specific insights;
- Working with OECD stakeholders to learn global best practice and inform evidence-based policy;
- Combining, interpreting, assuring, and presenting analysis in range of formats (written briefing, ministerial submissions, evidence packs, presentations) and through various media to inform policy-makers and senior colleagues across-Whitehall;
- Engaging with academics and think-tanks to build the evidence base for local growth and strategically deploying the analysis to inform fiscal events and policy development;
- Line management of one junior analyst.
This role would suit someone looking to promote the importance of analysis in policy development through producing robust analytical insights and deploying them to a wide network of policy and analytical teams across Whitehall.