Technical Team Member/Economist
| Posting date: | 16 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 15 August 2025 |
| Location: | G33 6FB |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Morson Talent |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: | 244991RCO-44957 |
Summary
Our client Scottish Water are currently recruiting for a Technical Team Member/Economist to join their team based in Stepps or Edinburgh on a permanent basis. For this role they are ideally looking for an experienced Economist with strong regulation experience and preferably a water or utilities background. For more information on this role see below:
Scottish Water invests over £850 million each year on Capital Investment projects. When it comes to making decisions about how we spend that money, we’re laser-focused on meeting the needs of our customers and delivering value for Scottish taxpayers.
Our Chief Economist’s team plays a crucial role in making that happen. Their expertise is key to developing and deploying strategic and economic analysis, including cost-benefit analysis, to inform our investment plans and decision-making.
We’re looking for an experienced economist and team leader to join the team to help us transform the way we use economic analysis at Scottish Water.
What youll do
Youll lead a small, dedicated team of specialists, applying economic thinking and analysis to create a robust evidence base for investment decisions. The aim is to bridge near-term decision-making with longterm progress towards achieving Scotland’s Water Sector Vision at the lowest reasonable economic cost to our customers.
Your role will involve leading cost-benefit analysis for various investment scenarios, overseeing the economic analysis underpinning our strategic plans, and providing economic evidence for the Strategic Review of Charges. You’ll guide long-term tariff setting, Principles of Charges, and efficiency analyses, while also conducting and overseeing investment appraisals. Managing projections and performance monitoring will be a key part of your responsibilities, ensuring that our investment decisions are well informed and aligned with our long-term strategy.
A key focus of the Chief Economist’s team is developing innovative analytic processes and tools to compare investment choices against future scenarios. Your work will inform strategic discussions, enable new approaches, and help monitor our performance as we strive to achieve Scotland’s Water Sector Vision.
Youll champion Ethical Based Practice and Regulation, working closely with colleagues across diverse disciplines and external consultants. The role presents exciting opportunities for professional development in numerous areas.
What youll need
You’ll bring strong leadership skills, with proven experience of managing and motivating teams and coordinating consultants. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential to clearly explain complex economic topics to a variety of audiences.
Were looking for an experienced economist, ideally within applied economics and/or strategic economic analysis.
Knowledge of the water or utilities industry is beneficial, but we highly value outside perspectives. We welcome applicants from other sectors, including academia, government, or public bodies, particularly those with strong regulatory economics experience.
Youll very likely have a postgraduate qualification (Masters or PhD) in an economics-related discipline, coupled with a strong record of published research. You should have extensive experience conducting robust literature reviews and applying research techniques.
Youll be an advanced Microsoft Excel user, ideally with additional skills in data analysis tools such as R or Power BI. Coding experience is also desirable.
Character is important to us. Across Scottish Water, we seek individuals who are Bold, Responsible, Inspiring, and Caring. (And you can expect these characteristics to feature in your interview with us!)
Looking out for you
While the work we do is important, we know it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.
This is a full time (35 hours per week) position. But you’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take paid time off to volunteer in your community.
When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.?
For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), as well as life assurance.
As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.