Lead Economist

Location: Rye

UKRI Salary: £58,589 per annum Band: UKRI Band F Contract Type:
Open-ended or fixed-term external secondment opportunity (two years)

Hours:

Full-time/ Part-time (minimum 0.8 FTE) (flexible working available)

Location:

Swindon - Hybrid working available Closing Date:
Sunday 11th January 2026 This is an exciting opportunity to join a multi-disciplinary analytical team that works on areas at the heart of the UK research and innovation (R&I) system. Our work plays a key role in delivering the governments ambition to strengthen the UKs position as a global science and technology superpower, set out in the UK Science and Technology Framework.

The role sits within the Strategic Analysis team (within a wider Analysis team and the Investment Planning and Strategy directorate), which has a wide remit including analysis of the R&I system, Economic Appraisal, Data Science, and analysis for Investment Strategy. The successful candidate will lead the organisations Economic Appraisal team, reporting to the Head of Strategic Analysis. The successful applicant will work across directorate and organisational priorities, pivoting to new work areas as business needs evolve.

We are a team committed to diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from anyone with the skills required. The team works across the London and Swindon offices. A good proportion of the work can be done from home and there will be opportunities to visit colleagues in the London and Swindon offices and other UKRI sites. We are committed to supporting each others personal and professional development and will support your learning and development ambitions in this role.

About the role As Lead Analyst for Economic Appraisal, you will be the standard-bearer for robust ex-ante and ex-post economic appraisal across the organisation, ensuring that HM Treasurys Green Book standards are met. With regards to ex-ante economic appraisal, a primary responsibility of your team will be acting as the gatekeepers for all economic cases included in UKRI business cases, ensuring appropriateness for consideration at committees such as UKRIs Investment Advisory Working Group and DSITs Investment Committee.

Tasks related to this responsibility include ensuring that your team is supporting economic case development across the organisation, as well as reviewing the work of other economists. On major investments, your team will frequently take the lead on developing the economic cases. Whether supporting or leading on an economic case, this involves working closely with UKRIs Business Case Hub and DSIT counterparts.

As for ex-post economic appraisal, the main responsibility centres upon ensuring that economic analysis conducted within evaluations is suitable for use within the context of UKRIs spending review bid and future business cases. Again, this rests upon ensuring alignment to cross-government standards, such as adhering to the Green Book and Magenta Book. Practically, this involves your team supporting evaluation teams, as well as science and policy teams, by reviewing and advising on the economic components of their evaluations.

Your team will work closely with the UKRI Analysis Evaluation team and evaluation teams across the organisation. You will be responsible for line managing two direct reports, with an overall team size of four (including yourself). There is also an ambition to further increase the size of this team. Beyond this, you will be expected to mentor and provide guidance to junior analysts and economists across the organisation.

Key responsibilities of the role will include, but are not limited to:
Managing the resourcing of your team to effectively support the development of business cases and evaluations across UKRI. This requires strict prioritisation and excellent stakeholder communication skills, as the demand for your teams expertise often outstrips supply. A large part of this role is engaging effectively across both UKRI and government. Leading on the economic cases within UKRIs most high-profile business cases, which often get tabled at DSITs Investment Committee and considered through HM Treasurys Treasury Approvals Process.

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