Apply Now
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Business area
Type of role
Economist
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Job summary
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.
Are you a talented economist seeking a career-defining opportunity to tackle climate change?
Are you an experienced environmental economist who would like to influence decisions?
If you’re ready to be a catalyst for change and drive forward the UK’s decarbonisation agenda join us as our Senior Carbon Economist, we’d love to hear from you!
Job description
The Carbon Centre of Excellence – one of the few specialist economic teams in the Civil Service dedicated to carbon appraisal – is looking for a Senior Carbon Economist. We are at the forefront of ‘net zero’ policy analysis, providing analytical leadership, tools, and advice to support the UK Government’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan.
Similar to comparator countries, the transport sector is UK’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The Department for Transport (DfT) is spearheading ambitious initiatives to significantly transform and decarbonise the sector, including promoting electric vehicles, supporting rail electrification, and funding sustainable modes of transport like cycling, walking, car sharing, and public transport.
Our Carbon Centre sits within the Transport Appraisal and Strategic Modelling division (TASM), the strategic nucleus of the Departments economic analysis. TASM has a strong reputation within the Government Economic Service for its economic appraisal expertise, providing a supportive environment for like-minded professionals.
Within TASM, the Appraisal Assurance and Advice (AAA) team, of which the Carbon Centre is a part, assures the analysis informing significant investment decisions across all transport modes. Its portfolio extends to capability building and a range of strategic projects aimed at enhancing appraisal within and beyond the Department. As a result, you will be ideally positioned to forge a career at the cutting edge of carbon economics.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Elevate carbon appraisal: Enhance the quality and consistency of carbon appraisals across a vast array of large transport investment decisions, spanning rail, roads, aviation, maritime, and active travel.
- Guide major projects: Provide expert advice during the early stages of strategic transport schemes across the DfT, including high-profile initiatives like High Speed 2 and the Northern Powerhouse Rail.
- Build capabilities: Develop departmental abilities to appraise carbon impacts in line with the Green Book. Leverage innovative tools like blogs, videos, and modular learning content to disseminate knowledge.
- Lead strategic projects: Take ownership of innovative projects to upgrade economic modelling and training provision, ensuring our team stays at the forefront of the carbon economics field.
- Nurture our professional network: Proactively build valuable connections with DfT colleagues, Arms-Length Bodies, other government departments, and academia at local, national, and international levels.
- Pioneer our carbon assurance function: Work with the Economics Centre of Excellence to ensure best practices in carbon measurement and valuation and maintain consistency across policies and projects.
For more information about the role and responsibilities please see the attached Role Profile.
Person specification
About you
To thrive in this role, you must have experience of applied environmental economics.
You will have strong analytical expertise and will produce high quality analysis to influence decision making.
You are someone who can communicate complex technical information to a wide range of stakeholders in non-technical terms, with impact.
This post is open to Government Economic Service members (GES), and applicants who aspire to join the profession.
Additional Information
A minimum of 40% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance.
This role will require occasional travel to other DfTc offices.
Please click here for the Government Economic Service Framework. Please refer to the role profile attached which outlines the specific areas of the Framework that could be assessed.
Qualifications
A 2.1 honours bachelors degree (or international equivalent) with at least 50 per cent of economics in the two final years (or equivalent); or
A Post Graduate Diploma (or equivalent) or a Masters degree in economics, including a substantial amount of taught macro and microeconomics.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Government Economic Service Framework Level 2 – Practitioner – Application of Knowledge – Applying economic theory and analysis
- Government Economic Service Framework Level 2 – Practitioner – Analysis of Data – Analysing data
- Government Economic Service Framework Level 2 – Practitioner – Effective Communication – Communicating analytical findings
Benefits
Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.
Find out more about what it’s like working at the Department for Transport
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a CV and Personal Statement. Please tailor your CV to suit the role. For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following:
- Knowledge of applied environmental economics.
- Strong analytical expertise to influence decision making.
Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.
The sift is due to take place week commencing 9th October 2023.
Interviews are likely to be held week commencing 30th October 2023.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include:
- An interview
This interview could be conducted online via Teams or face to face at one of our offices. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
Youre encouraged to become familiar with the role profile and the Government Economics Service (GES) Technical Framework, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.
For candidates who are not already a member of the profession a badging exercise will be carried out as part of the interview stage.
The Department for Transport alongside other Government Departments recruit using Success Profiles. This means for each role we consider what you will need to demonstrate in order to be successful. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
For further information on Success Profiles visit our Careers website.
Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.
Further Information
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.
Pre-employment Checking
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Allan Little
- Email : allan.little@dft.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here
