Senior Economist

Public First; London; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consultancy firm in London seeks a Senior Economist to enhance its Economics, Modelling and Impact practice. This role focuses on economic impact assessment, requiring extensive experience in quantitative research and strong communication skills. The successful candidate will also engage with clients and help scale the team’s data practice. Starting salary is £60,000 with flexibility based on experience, and a hybrid work model promotes a family-friendly environment.

Benefits

Family-friendly work environment

Flexible working hours

International travel opportunities

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with quantitative research.
• Demonstrated interest in public policy.
• Interest in economic impact of AI.

Responsibilities

• Lead on economic impact assessment and modelling projects.
• Support impact measurement and policy design.
• Help with client engagement and project acquisition.

Skills

Quantitative research

Strong written communication

Client engagement

Project management

Tools

Python

R

Job description

Public First is a policy, research, opinion and strategy consultancy. We work with global companies, governments, start ups, institutions and foundations around the world to tackle major public policy and strategic challenges.

We are part think tank, part strategic consultancy, part polling company, and part communications agency. In other words, we bring together the different disciplines that make policy happen and work.

Our recent projects have included:

• Helping Google quantify their economic and social impact in over 20 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific and North America.
• Examining the future of British media and entertainment with Sky.
• Running the Hybrid Work Commission on the economic and policy impact of the shift towards more flexible working
• Measuring the economic impact of Uber in over 15 countries, including in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America.
• Exploring public attitudes to AI in the UK and US

We take an analytical approach to research, deploying economic modelling, data analysis, and opinion research to shape effective policy, create strategy and deliver communications with impact. We work with some of the world’s leading organisations on topics including tech, climate change, Industrial Strategy and education, exploring questions such as:

• What will the impact be of AI be on the economies of countries across the world?
• How will the rise of autonomous vehicles change mobility? What will the spillover impact be on local economies?
• How can we accelerate the development of infrastructure to support growth and sustainability across the UK?

We are currently looking to recruit a Senior Economist to help build and scale our Economics, Modelling and Impact practice.

THE ROLE

The role will be critical to our economic modelling and impact assessment work globally. In this role, you would:

• Lead on the design, implementation and write up on new economic impact assessment and modelling projects.
• Work to build our wider data practice, and support our work in impact measurement, policy design, polling and opinion research.
• Help bring in new clients and projects for the team.

The right candidate will have:

• Extensive experience with quantitative research (e.g. input-output modelling, contingent valuation etc).
• Strong written communication skills.
• Demonstrated interest in public policy.
• Experience with client engagement and project management.

While not essential, we are highly interested in candidates with any of the following particular experience or interests:

• Green Book compliant appraisal.
• The economic impact of AI on economic growth and the labour market.
• Coding in Python or R.

Senior Economist starting salaries will typically start from £60,000, with considerable flexibility depending on previous experience and skill.

We work in a mix of in the office and at home, with our main office based in Westminster. Many of us, including the founders, have young children and we work hard to be family friendly. International travel and work would be possible for future projects.

HOW TO APPLY

We value diversity and encourage applications from all groups. We work in a mix of in the office and at home, with our main office based in Westminster. Many of us, including the founders, have young children and we work hard to be family friendly. International travel and work would be possible for future projects.

This application will involve a short test prior to the interview which should take no longer than three hours. We will be interviewing on an ongoing basis, and looking for successful candidates to start as possible.

Please follow the instructions below, and submit the application no later than midnight on 23rd September 2025.

Successful candidates will be invited to attend a virtual interview.

The final candidates will then be invited to an in-person interview at our office in Westminster.