About the job

Job summary

The Competition and Markets Authority is undergoing an exciting expansion with the establishment of new offices and a Microeconomics Unit in Darlington. We are seeking Economic Researchers to join our growing team.

The Microeconomics Unit leads the CMA’s economic research programme, set out in its Economic Research Strategy. The Unit provides analysis and expertise on the issues of UK competition, consumer rights, supply-side reforms, innovation and productivity. The ambition is for the Unit to become a microeconomic sibling for the Bank of England’s well-established public macroeconomic role.

Job description

What you will do

You will be responsible for carrying out and supervising quantitative analysis across a variety of research projects. This will include identifying key open research questions, designing and conducting analysis, drawing conclusions and presenting them to colleagues and decision makers.

Projects that you may work on in the Microeconomics Unit include:

• Assessing how well competition is working in the UK, through the regular State of Competition report.
• Empirical research into live issues in competition policy and structural reforms aimed at improving UK productivity – such as the nature and extent of employer market power in labour markets.
• Quantifying benefits the CMA generates for consumers in the annual Positive Impact report and looking for ways to improve how we measure the CMA’s impact.
• The CMA’s ongoing programme of ex-post studies into past competition policy interventions.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Working with the Assistant Directors of Economics and Econometrics to determine the key areas for investigation and the quantitative analysis required to assess them.
• Planning and managing the delivery of quantitative economic analysis across several long-term and short-term research projects.
• Contributing to the management and intellectual development of the team of professional economists and the CMA’s Darlington office.

We are looking for keen, enthusiastic economists with experience of carrying out theoretical or empirical microeconomic analysis, with a preference for experience in industrial organisation, corporate finance, trade or the economics of innovation and productivity.

CMA prides itself on being a great place to work and strives to ensure that staff have the opportunity to grow and expand their skills portfolio. As well as being a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating place to work, you will have an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself while doing so.

To find out more about this opportunity and about working for the CMA, please see below and click on the APPLY button.

Further details on the CMA can be found on the CMA’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter pages.

Application closing date: 11.55pm on Monday 15th January 2024.

Person specification

Key responsibilities will include the following:

• Working with the Microeconomics Unit’s Assistant Directors, determine important open research questions of interest to the CMA and wider government, and the appropriate analysis required to address them. Develop the scope of projects; identify and gather appropriate data; and conduct analysis that contributes to the overall state of knowledge on issues of competition, innovation and productivity.
• Plan and manage the delivery of quantitative economic analysis across several long-term and short-term research projects. Provide a detailed specification of analysis to be undertaken and identify the resources required to deliver it; agree timetables for delivery and decide on the allocation of work within the team; monitor progress and review the work plan as the project develops; and ensure that analysis is delivered on time.
• Ensure that analysis is delivered to a high standard. Critically assess and interpret the evidence available and the weight that can be attached to it; identify risks related to analytical approaches and propose mitigations for them; present analysis clearly and accurately both orally and in writing; and review and provide constructive feedback on work produced by colleagues.
• Communicate effectively and establish effective relationships within the research team, with others across the CMA (including senior management) and external stakeholders (including academics and the rest of government). Ensure that managers are kept abreast of relevant analysis and their attention is drawn to important issues.
• Contribute to the development of the CMA’s economic and analytical capability, through knowledge sharing, providing peer review of others’ work and representing the CMA at public events including conferences.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £55,133, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £14,885 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and an online application form. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The selection process will comprise of the sift (CV & application review) and an interview. Arrangements for the interview will be enclosed in the invitation sent when you schedule your interview slot.

Interviews will he held at the CMA office in Darlington. If you are unable to attend in-person, a virtual interview via MS Teams can be made available on request, however we would like to signal a preference for an in-person interview in Darlington where possible.

An initial sift based on lead criteria 1 and 2 may be held if a large number of applications are received. If your application then progresses to a full sift, all elements of the essential criteria listed under Person Specification of the role profile will then be considered.

Please note that it is essential that your personal statement is aligned to provide evidence that you have the knowledge and recent practical experience for each of the following selection criteria in your application:

1) Post-graduate degree ideally, or at least a 2:1 undergraduate degree in economics with a focus on microeconomics or quantitative methods (lead criteria).

2) Proven experience of carrying out microeconomic analysis – either theoretical or empirical. Preferably with a background in industrial organisation, corporate finance, trade or the economics of innovation and productivity (lead criteria).

3) Experience of the design, development, management and timely delivery of analytical projects to tight deadlines.

4) Proven ability to communicate and present technical and complex economic analysis to non-technical audiences, both orally and in writing.

5) Experience of forming and developing influencing relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external.

6) Ability to manage others’ work and support their development, and to contribute to the development of the CMA’s economics capability.

The sifting dates are Tuesday 16th January – Monday 22nd January 2024.

If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an interview. 
You will be notified via email to log-in to your Civil Service Account to book your interview slot. You will then be sent an email with full details of your arrangements for interview.

Interviews will be held from Tuesday 30th January 2024.

You will be asked to complete a written task ahead of the interview, and then give a short presentation on the same topic at the beginning of the interview. You will then start your Panel interview. The panel interview will be approximately 45 minutes - 1 hour in length where you will be asked questions based on Behaviours, Technical skills and Experience outlined in the role profile.

If you have any inquiries relating to your application, you can email recruitment@cma.gov.uk.

Reasonable adjustments:

In order for a person with disabilities not to be put at a disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should 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 interview, or if you are deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.