The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) is looking to hire a humble and creative Economic Adviser to join our Sustainable Economy team. The successful candidate will help us make a difference on the most important issues for Australia’s economy: carbon transition, inequality, economic development, long-term structural challenges, and wellbeing.

About you and the role

We want to bring novel data-driven insights to long-term problems. You will be working to build a more fair and sustainable economy. Our team enjoys frequent interaction with senior government policymakers, media, and the wider policy world. This is an exciting opportunity to make a genuine contribution to policy development and innovation in Australia.

First-hand experience of policymaking is desirable but certainly not essential. We are most interested in your creativity of thought, and an ability to grapple with complex concepts and communicate them well.

We support flexible work and will consider either full-time or part-time for the right candidate. Remote work may also be possible.

Here is a taste of what you’ll do:

• conduct original economic analysis on topics related to the Sustainable Economy Program, such as decarbonisation, regional economic development, household incomes, fiscal policy, or wellbeing

• support network building, communicating effectively with external stakeholders

• work collaboratively with colleagues across CPD

• support policy engagement activities, such as roundtables and other convening events

• keep up-to-date with the latest policy developments relevant to the research program

• contribute to wider project planning and strategy across the team

• occasional interstate travel (including overnight travel)

Your skills

You'll be the right person for the job if:

• you have a thoughtful approach to economic analysis and an ability to communicate new insights about the Australian economy

• you can write concisely and clearly

• you have the ability to take the initiative when faced with a blank page; developing new projects, methodologies, and ideas

• you understand the general economic and social policy context in Australia

• you're able to work at pace on several different projects at once

• you have some experience using statistical software packages to manage data (R or Stata)

We are also hiring a Senior Economic Adviser.

About CPD

The Centre for Policy Development is one of Australia's top independent policy institutes. You will be joining a smart and energetic team that is courageous with our contribution, but humble in the way we engage. We are committed to listening, learning and growing together.

We build constructive, respectful working relationships — internally and externally — and we take equity and inclusion seriously. We recognise the best solutions are developed when diverse voices contribute; this is particularly important given our research tackles the big structural inequalities in Australia. In line with these values we are especially keen to hear from Indigenous and female applicants (see ‘How to apply’ below).

Benefits include training and professional development, paid parental leave, flexible work arrangements and study leave. 

How to apply

Applications close at 9:30am AEST on Monday 6 June 2022 and we aim to hold interviews in June. You can start an application at any time and come back to it before submitting.

The Centre for Policy Development is genuinely committed to bringing more diverse voices into Australia’s economic policy discussion. We are offering pre-application 1:1 chats to Indigenous and female applicants who want to learn more about our organisation and this position. Please contact admin@cpd.org.au by Friday 27 May if you would like to set up a time to chat.

Before a final list of candidates is interviewed, long-listed candidates will be asked to perform a pre-interview task that will involve using R or Stata to analyse a dataset. As thanks for the candidates' time, we will make a $150 payment after completion of the pre-interview task (either to the candidate, or to a charity of their choosing).