Economist

Job description

Role purpose:

To be a Disability Gamechanger.

To conduct economic research and ensure Scope continues to be an expert voice on the economic case for increasing equality of disabled people. To support the development and delivery of economic research to inform and support Scope’s policy and influencing programme to improve disabled people’s living standards and support Scope’s strategy.

Main responsibilities and accountabilities: 

• Design, deliver and disseminate economic and quantitative research projects to inform Scope’s strategic direction, further influencing objectives, and to support ongoing product and service development.
• Ensure research is inclusive and develop innovative strategies to involve disabled people in Scope’s research programme (as advisors, participants and researchers).
• Support on economic analysis for key strategic areas, e.g. employment of disabled people and cost of living.
• Statistical analysis of national datasets for ad-hoc queries and longer-term projects
• Write and edit research publications including reports and briefings.
• Support dissemination of statistical information and research findings both internally and externally to a variety of audiences
• Support the development and maintenance of the knowledge management system
• Work with design and communications teams to identify key messages and audiences.
• Play an active role in campaign working groups and in the delivery of other major projects across Strategy, Impact and Social Change department (SISC) and across Scope as required
• To work seamlessly across department or team boundaries in a collaborative and constructive manner to implement Scope’s strategic direction.
• To work with academics, research institutions, officials and peers within economic research to further Scope’s influencing strategies and build Scope’s research profile and reputation
• To work within Scope’s policies and procedures at all times

Key contacts

Internal contacts

• Staff and volunteers across Scope 
• SISC Senior Leadership Team
• Executive Leadership Team. 

External contacts

• Disabled people and their families
• Disabled People’s Organisations
• Voluntary sector researchers
• Government officials
• Think tanks and academics
• Journalists.

Person specification 

Grade specific competencies 

• Demonstrates a facilitative working style able to broker internal and external relationships to ensure effective business solutions and resolve conflict where necessary 
• Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills in order to be able to communicate with stakeholders in a clear, meaningful and effective way
• Ability to be flexible, respond positively to change, and work effectively under pressure and deal with conflicting priorities 
• Evidence of excellent IT skills particularly Microsoft Office 

Essential role based competencies and experience

• A degree or postgraduate degree in Economics or a social science degree with a significant statistics component. 
• At least 2 years’ experience working as an Economist or in a quantitative researcher role.
• Evidence of successful research that influences to inform policy or practice
• Experience of successfully undertaking economic and quantitative analysis, such as cost benefit analysis and / or regression analysis. 
• Experience of using analytical software packages, such as SPSS, STATA or R.

Desirable

• Demonstrable understanding of the social model of disability and clarity about the contribution of research to achieving social change
• Experience of undertaking labour market analysis.
• Experience of working with national datasets such as the Labour Force Survey, the Living Costs and Food Survey and Understanding Society.
• Experience of successfully undertaking research with disabled people and their families, or other marginalised groups, and an understanding of related policy issues. 
• Able to think creatively and develop research to underpin influencing priorities
• An understanding of the political context within which research is developed and how evidence and experience informs social change.