We are inviting applications for an Economist or Senior Economist (depending on experience) to work as part of our public finances team and across our wider research team leading new projects, carrying out quantitative analysis and providing a rigorous and challenging economic perspective to existing work.

Our research staff spend their time thinking, talking and writing about how to make government more effective. They conduct research in a range of forms exploring themes across our work programme. Using that research, they develop recommendations for how government could better organise itself, develop and deliver policy, and evaluate and regulate its own activities.

Our public finances team analyse fiscal policy – tax, spending, borrowing and debt – and economic policy and how decisions are made and implemented. They highlight how government can most effectively achieve its objectives in these areas, and where and how the approach of government – including ministers and officials – can be improved.  

As an Economist, you will:

• Conduct rigorous quantitative and qualitative research and analysis.

• Based on this rigorous research, develop compelling recommendations for improving the way that government operates.

• Write about our research findings and recommendations in a range of formats, including long-form reports and shorter comment pieces.

• Work with our events team to organise and deliver public events, roundtables, podcasts and other kinds of discussion, and present our findings and recommendations in these forums.

• Work with our partnerships team to help secure funding for elements of our work, including supporting the development of funding proposals and liaising with partners about funded projects.

• Discuss project findings in the media, including TV and radio, where appropriate.

As a Senior Economist, you will have more of a leading role in all of the above, leading projects or elements of projects with a significant economic component and managing them from beginning to end (including publications and events). You will also act as a task- and/or line-manager for more junior staff as required.

For full details, including a person specification, please read the job application pack on our website. We encourage all applicants to read the job pack before starting their application.

This role could suit people with a wide range of different professional backgrounds, including but not limited to experience in central or local government, non-departmental public bodies, consultancy, journalism, the voluntary sector, or another think tank or research organisation. If you are interested in applying but are not sure you have all the skills or experience we are looking for, please do so and give us the opportunity to consider you as a candidate.

The IfG is committed to supporting greater diversity and inclusion within our workforce, and to fostering an environment in which everyone feels welcome, supported and valued. We welcome applications from anyone who is interested in government and how to make it more effective, and particularly encourage applications from candidates who belong to groups currently underrepresented in the think-tank sector. This includes but is not limited to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, disabled candidates, and candidates from low-income backgrounds.