About the job

Job summary

At a time when the UK economy faces unprecedented challenges including the rising cost of living, it is vital the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is able to provide high-quality economic analysis to inform effective interventions in markets, influence policies and protect both consumers and businesses. In order to meet this challenge, we are seeking skilled Assistant Directors of Economics to provide the leadership in our growing team of economists.

As Assistant Director of Economics, you will work in a collaborative and collegiate atmosphere to manage economic input into a diverse case load. This includes investigations into mergers and markets, competition and consumer enforcement cases, regulatory appeals, as well as the work of CMA’s Office of the Internal Market and Subsidy Advice Unit.

Job description

It is expected that the government will pass legislation this year, providing the CMA with the powers to implement a new pro-competitive digital markets regime. Consequently, you will be joining the CMA in at an exciting time when the first investigations under the UK’s new digital markets regime will be launched.

With the opportunity to work flexibly across the full range of projects, or to specialise in certain areas, you will play a strategic role in the direction of individual projects, determining the key areas for investigation, the economic analysis required and how to gather evidence and mitigate risk. You will lead a team of Economic Advisers and/or Assistant Economists, providing opportunities for staff to develop their skills through coaching and providing constructive feedback.

To be successful in this role, you must have experience, as professional economist, in applying microeconomic analysis to real world problems. While experience in competition and/or regulatory economics is preferred, it is not essential. You will also need to demonstrate experience of leading and managing teams in the design, development, management, and timely delivery of economic analysis.

The CMA prides itself on being a great place to work and strives to ensure that staff can grow and develop their skills. As well as being in a hugely rewarding, diverse and stimulating environment, you will have an opportunity to work for the public good whilst stretching and developing yourself in doing so.

In addition to this campaign, the CMA will soon launch an economist returners programme for Economic Advisers (Grade 7), aimed at recruiting professionals who have taken a career break – of two years or more – from working as a professional economist. This position will be advertised separately in March 2024.

To find out more about the Assistant Director 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.

Information about the work of the CMA can also be found by visiting our economist LinkedIn page. Please also have a read of our blog to learn more about being an Economist at the CMA.

Please register using the link below to attend a live Q&A event on ‘working in the CMA’s Economics team’ on the 27th February:

Live Q&A Event: working in the CMA's Economics team Tickets, Tue 27 Feb 2024 at 17:00 , Eventbrite

Application closing date: 11.55pm on Wednesday 13th March 2024.

Person specification

Key responsibilities will include the following:

• Working with Economics Directors, to be responsible for the economic input into the decisions on the strategic direction of the Determining the key areas for investigation and any economic analysis required to assess them; deciding what evidence should be gathered and how; identifying and discussing with the project leads on the project how the economic analysis contributes to the overall assessment and approach to be taken; and ensuring that economic issues and risk are properly dealt with.
• To be primarily responsible for ensuring the work of the economics team on the project is delivered on time and to a high Critically assessing and interpreting the evidence available and the weight that can be attached to it; identifying economic risks and mitigations for them; and presenting the team’s analysis both verbally and in writing (in particular by taking responsibility for the drafting of various working papers and substantial sections of published reports).
• To be responsible for managing the delivery of economic analysis on the project. Ensuring that a detailed specification of the economic analysis to be undertaken is provided; that the team has the resources it needs and makes efficient use of them; that timetables for delivery are agreed and met; and to ensure that Economics Directors are kept abreast of relevant analysis and their attention is drawn to matters which they would want to be informed of.
• To play a pivotal role in communicating the economics of the project to the project team, others across the CMA (including senior management), and stakeholders (including parties to the investigation/inquiry, government departments and consumer groups). Establish relationships of influence with both internal and external stakeholders, and represent the CMA externally.
• To have direct staff and/or work management responsibility for around three to six Economic Advisers and/or Assistant Economists, including supervising their work, providing opportunities for staff to develop their skills - coaching and providing constructive feedback to enable them to do
• To contribute to developing the CMA’s economics capability (including contributing to the development of CMA’s methods of economic analysis and information gathering and spreading best practice).

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £73,512, Competition & Markets Authority contributes £19,848 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 in-person at CMA offices in Edinburgh and London. 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 Edinburgh or London 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)  At least a 2:1 undergraduate degree in economics, and/or preferably a post-graduate degree in economics, both with a strong microeconomics and/or quantitative focus (Lead Criteria).

2)  A professional economist with experience in applying microeconomic analysis to real world problems, preferably analysis of markets (although not essential) using competition and/or regulatory economics (Lead Criteria).

3)  Experience of leading and managing teams in the design, development, management and timely delivery of economic projects and project analysis.

4)  Ability to communicate technical economic analysis to non-technical audiences, both orally and in writing.

5)  Ability to lead, motivate and develop staff to achieve their full potential.

6)  Ability to form relationships of influence with key stakeholders, both internal and external, and colleagues, including those from other professional backgrounds.

The sifting dates are Thursday 14th – Wednesday 20th March 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 start after the Easter holidays, the week beginning 8th April 2024.

We will be providing everyone invited to interview, some of the interview questions in advance of the interview, to assist you in your preparation. You will also be asked to prepare a short 5-minute presentation. Further details will be shared at the time of invite to interview.

On the day of the interview you will attend a 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. 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.