Senior Assistant Economist: Transport Appraisal
| Posting date: | 01 October 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £44,241 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 October 2025 |
| Location: | Leeds |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 429924/2 |
Summary
Have you used research or analysis to influence real decisions or improve public services?
Do you want to work on high-impact projects at the heart of government, helping guide how billions are invested in transport?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
DfT is a high-profile department at the heart of UK government. We work with agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest to make journeys better.
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
Find out more about what it's like working at DfT.
We’re looking for a motivated economist to join the Department for Transport’s high-profile Transport Appraisal and Strategic Modelling division. You’ll support innovative research into transport economics and cost-benefit analysis, working closely with experienced economists to shape appraisal methods used across government. As part of a collaborative and expert team, you’ll lead research projects, manage key stakeholder groups, and engage with academia and industry. This is a great opportunity to influence major transport investment decisions and develop your skills in a dynamic policy environment.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:
Pushing forward key research on cost-benefit analysis topics, including project managing a large-scale and high-profile cross-government research project into the valuation of life and health. The successful candidate will also support a major programme of research into values of time, and help shape research on a range of other topics, from transport resilience to urban realm impactsLead on crucial analytical workstreams to maintain and develop aspects of our appraisal guidance, including the Department’s repository of economic values, the TAG Data Book. As part of this, the role holder will work alongside and have the opportunity to mentor the technical development of the team’s assistant economistOversee the day-to-day running of JADP and Shadow JADP, shaping the topics for discussion, coordinating meetings alongside the DfT Chief Analyst, and having the chance to build important links with internationally-leading experts in transport economics.Take responsibility for managing the coordination of TASM’s annual research programme, effectively bringing together research plans from across the team, communicating these to the Chief Analyst and Ministers, and managing the day to-day tracking of research activity.Help provide responsive and insightful advice to analytical and policy teams across the Department, and contribute to a wide range of live research questions across the rest of the TEA team, from distributional issues to wider economic impacts.For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
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