Technical Team Manager - Business Economics

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.

Scottish Water invests over 850 million each year on Capital Investment projects. When it comes to making decisions about how we spend that money were laserfocused on meeting the needs of our customers and delivering value for Scottish taxpayers.

Our Chief Economists team plays a crucial role in making that happen. Their expertise is key to developing and deploying strategic and economic analysis including costbenefit analysis to inform our investment plans and decisionmaking.

Were 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 nearterm decisionmaking with longterm progress towards achieving Scotlands Water Sector Vision at the lowest reasonable economic cost to our customers.

Your role will involve leading costbenefit analysis for various investment scenarios overseeing the economic analysis underpinning our strategic plans and providing economic evidence for the Strategic Review of Charges. Youll guide longterm 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 wellinformed and aligned with our longterm strategy.

A key focus of the Chief Economists 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 Scotlands 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

Youll 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 (at least 5 years) 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 economicsrelated 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 its not the only thing that matters. Thats why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good worklife balance.

This is a full time 35 hours per week) position. But youll 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 familyfriendly policies around adoption maternity and parental leave. And for the everyday We embrace flexible working.

For your future theres our pension (the knowwhatyoullgetwhenyouretire 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.

The notsosmall print

This role will be a Grade 8. If youre new to Scottish Water youll join us on a starting salary of 48900. Performancedriven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of 68510.

Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional and will be confirmed on completion of our preemployment screening e.g. referencing criminal record checks license checks etc. These checks are conducted on our behalf by a third party. Dont worry well ask your permission before starting these checks.

If youre interested in this role or know someone else who might be well be accepting applications until the 15th of April 2025.

A few final things worth knowing

Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If youre interested in this job but dont tick all the boxes apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So dont rule yourself out!

Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!. Were also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events like menopause. Were very used to making adjustments so please dont be afraid to ask.

As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland its important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you dont already live here youll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.

Finally (finally! candidates who havent submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You wont need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.

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