Economics Research Analyst II

K.L. Scott & Associates (KLSA) is a mission-driven management and technology consulting firm that partners with public-sector organizations to modernize operations, strengthen data and AI capabilities, and deliver measurable impact. KLSA combines strategic advisory services with hands-on delivery—bringing product leadership, secure data engineering, systems integration, and user-centered design to help clients translate complex requirements into scalable, high-quality solutions.

The Economics Research Analyst II will independently assess economic conditions, proposed interventions, expected outcomes, supporting evidence, and implementation feasibility while reviewing application materials against approved requirements and evaluation criteria. The analyst will assign evidence-based scores, prepare clear qualitative comments, validate application and scoring data, support the compilation and normalization of review results, identify economic and portfolio trends, and contribute to accurate, machine-readable reporting and process-improvement recommendations.

Candidates need economic research expertise and direct grant competition and formal merit-review experience. Economic development or related program-review experience is preferred. Artificial intelligence familiarity is a plus.

• Conduct independent technical, administrative, and formal merit reviews of grant applications using established requirements, evaluation criteria, and scoring rubrics.
• Assign defensible scores and prepare clear, evidence-based comments identifying application strengths, weaknesses, risks, and scoring rationale.
• Evaluate the quality, relevance, credibility, and sufficiency of economic, quantitative, and qualitative evidence presented in applications.
• Analyze economic-development strategies, expected outcomes, implementation plans, partnerships, budgets, performance measures, and sustainability approaches.
• Apply economic research and policy-analysis methods to areas such as regional economies, labor markets, workforce development, entrepreneurship, innovation, capital access, and job creation.
• Enter and verify review scores and narrative comments in designated grants management or application-review systems.
• Perform quality-control checks and support the validation and reconciliation of applicant, reviewer, scoring, and program data.
• Support the compilation, ranking, normalization, and analysis of merit-review results and portfolio-level trends.
• Conduct applied economic and portfolio research using credible data sources and relevant literature to identify trends, risks, evidence gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepare data summaries, analytical memoranda, visualizations, briefing materials, scoring reports, and other decision-support products.
• Participate in reviewer training, calibration discussions, project meetings, debriefings, and knowledge-transfer activities.
• Maintain reviewer independence, confidentiality, conflict-of-interest compliance, and secure, audit-ready review records.
• Identify and elevate scoring anomalies, data discrepancies, unclear criteria, system issues, or schedule risks.
• Perform other related economic research, data analysis, grant review, and program evaluation duties as assigned.

• Master's degree in Economics, Applied Economics, Economic Development, Labor or Regional Economics, Public Policy, Finance, or a related quantitative or social-science field.
• Six (6)+ years of progressively responsible experience in economic research, economic policy analysis, economic development, program evaluation, grant application review, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience conducting applied economic research and synthesizing economic, labor-market, industry, regional, workforce, or related data.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or conducting competitive grant reviews.
• Demonstrated experience conducting formal merit reviews, including assigning scores and preparing qualitative comments against established criteria.
• Experience evaluating grant applications, proposals, or complex program materials against established requirements, evaluation criteria,…