
Assistant Economist - Analytical Projects Unit
Job summary
If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s lives, the Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK. Working at the heart of government, we collaborate across government to promote responsible public spending and drive strong and sustainable economic growth.
Our work ranges from protecting customers through the regulation of the financial sector, helping to reduce carbon emissions and creating a greener economy, to promoting British trade around the world and supporting people across the country on jobs, growth and more.
We are part of the Darlington Economic Campus, a cross-government hub bringing people together to tackle key national issues while working closer to the communities we serve.
Job description
This role will suit candidates with excellent analytical skills who are looking for a varied and stretching portfolio of responsibilities, and enjoy working collaboratively with a range of partners.
The post holder will need to be able to support, develop and build a large network across the department and get up to speed on new issues quickly.
The post holder will complete projects lasting around 3 months that apply analytical tools and techniques, as well as economic knowledge, to support policymaking in line with Ministerial priorities, often at pace. Previous projects for the team have included:
- Modelling the labour supply impacts of labour market interventions.
- Improving modelling capabilities and reviewing methodologies for Inflation Forecasting.
- Macroeconomic assessment of the UK economy (inflation, investment, labour markets etc.,)
- Developing analysis and building the evidence base to support Government publications and policy announcements.
During projects, the post holder will be matrix-managed in their day-to-day work by a Grade 7 project manager from within their project team. We have well-developed systems for ensuring excellent matrix management, including in a hybrid environment, and ensuring high-quality performance feedback.
The specific accountabilities of this role are:
- Integrating in a new team and becoming abreast of the policy area quickly. This will include understanding who key stakeholders are, proactively developing an understanding of the area, and setting the project’s scope within this.
- Scoping out and planning analytical projects, including by identifying the best analytical techniques, the key outputs, and prioritising work streams with the greatest impact to improve HMT’s understanding of an issue and inform policy advice.
- Delivering high quality analytical projects at pace, working collaboratively with policy teams across HM Treasury and other Government departments. There may also be opportunities to task-manage staff on projects.
- Communicating the conclusions of the project to Senior Officials, Ministers, and other partners, influencing the strategic direction of HMT policy.
- Representing the team across the organisation, helping to burnish the APU’s reputation as a key part of the HMT architecture which influences HMT policy.
- Support wider corporate work of the branch, team and group. For instance, contribute to one of the group’s corporate objectives (which include diversity, inclusion and wellbeing; management excellence; openness, etc.). If not already, you will become a full member of the Government Economic Service (GES) upon successful application.
Candidate Drop-In Session
The hiring manager will be running a candidate drop-in session to give you greater insight about the role and HM Treasury and ask any questions you might have. If you would like to join us, use the link below to join the call at the right time.
Monday 27th July 2026 @ 13:30 - 14:00 Join the meeting here
If you would like to speak to the hiring manager informally prior to the closing date, please contact Owen Hill: owen.hill@hmtreasury.gov.uk.
Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
Person specification
Required Qualifications
- An undergraduate degree in Economics, or equivalent work experience. You must possess or expected to have a first or upper second-class honours degree with at least 50% of the modules in economics or have a master's in economics.
In your application form, you’ll be asked to confirm that you hold this qualification. You will need to provide evidence of this qualification if you are invited to interview.
Application Form
Applications should consist of a CV including your employment history, and a 250-word statement demonstrating evidence of each of the below shortlisting criteria. Your CV and employment history won’t be scored. It’s used to give context to your application and support discussions at interview.
The panel will review applications and invite those that best demonstrate evidence of the shortlisting criteria below for interview. Please keep this in mind when writing your application.
Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.
- Technical Skills: Please outline an analytical project you have undertaken, detailing the analysis you undertook and how you carried out the project.
- Delivering at Pace: An ability to scope out a project from start to finish and deliver under pressure, while balancing competing priorities.
- Communicating and Influencing: An ability to communicate clearly in written and verbal communications, influence others, and bring technical analysis to life for non-specialists.
- Working Together: The ability to build and maintain relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, working together for a shared objective/outcome.
The lead criterion is: Technical skills.
If we receive a high volume of applications, we’ll first sift using the lead criterion only. Those meeting the minimum score will then be assessed against all remaining criteria.
Interview Stage
If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed against the following criteria:
- Technical Skill - analytical project
- Behaviours:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Interview Task / Presentation
Prior to your interview, we will contact you about a task and/ or presentation that the panel would like you to deliver as part of the assessment. Further details will be communicated to you nearer the time.
Qualifications
An undergraduate degree in Economics, or equivalent work experience. You must possess or expected to have a first or upper second-class honours degree with at least 50% of the modules in economics or have a master's in economics.Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Please outline an analytical project you have undertaken, detailing the analysis you undertook and how you carried out the project.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £43,090, HM Treasury contributes £12,483 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).- Generous Annual Leave - 25 days (rising to 30 after 5 years), plus public holidays and the King’s birthday.
- Outstanding Pension Scheme - Defined Benefit pension with employer contributions of 28.97%
- Parental Leave Packages - Including 6 months’ occupational pay for maternity/adoption, shared parental leave options.
- Flexible & Hybrid Working - Options include part-time, job-share, compressed hours, flexitime, and hybrid working (where business needs allow).
- Advance Schemes & Discounts - Rental deposit, cycle-to-work, SmartTech, season ticket loans, and access to HM Treasury’s benefits portal for a wide range of discount codes.
You can review HM Treasury’s full offer here.
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.The reference to Experience above is system generated. For this role, experience is not assessed at any stage. We will ask for some CV details in your application form, but this is for reference only and will not be scored.
Candidate Guidance
Please review the candidate guidance for an overview of the Success Profiles and STAR approach, along with top tips for applications and interviews.
Recruitment Timeline
- Closing date: Sunday 2nd August 2026
- Shortlisting: w/c 3rd August 2026
- Interviews: w/c 17th August 2026
This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.
If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs Profile.
Reserve Lists
You will be placed on a reserve list if your application is successful, but we cannot offer you a role immediately. Where more than one location has been advertised, candidates will be posted in merit order by location. You will be asked to provide your location preference on your application form. Please note that a place on the reserve list does not guarantee an offer.
If you are offered a role in your first preferred location and you decline the offer or are unable to take up the post within a reasonable timeframe, you will be removed from the reserve list, other than in exceptional circumstances.
Those on the reserve list may also be approached for similar roles at a lower grade. If you are offered a role at a lower grade and choose to decline, you can remain on the reserve list.
Internal Fraud Database Check
Candidates cannot apply to roles in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Successful candidates will be subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database. This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This also applies to those who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the database will be refused employment.
National Security Vetting
Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, successful candidates will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Counter-Terrorist Check.
To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. You will be asked to provide residency information within your application form, and eligibility for national security vetting will be checked once the advert closing date has passed. In certain circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Owen Hill
- Email : owen.hill@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk
Further information
Complaints Process: Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment based on fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact HMT by email at: hrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.Attachments
468687 Assistant Economist - Analytical Projects Unit - Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 152kB)Salary range
- £43,090 - £49,500 per year








