Economics Director

Salary: Up To £160,000 per annum dependent on experience

Contract Type: Permanent – Full Time

Security Level: CTC

The CAA is the UK’s aviation and aerospace regulator and recognised as a world leader in its field.

Our activities are diverse, such as enabling the aviation industry to meet the highest safety standards; ensuring markets work effectively and consumers are treated fairly; ensuring efficient use of airspace; and working to reduce the environmental impact of aviation. We pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the constantly evolving aviation environment.

We are passionate about the work we do and have the drive and determination to have a significant and positive impact for consumers in the aviation and aerospace sectors.

About the team you’ll be part of

The Economic Regulation and Competition Policy team is a vital part of the CAA’s Consumer and Markets Group. The current focus of the team is to protect consumers by ensuring that airports and air traffic control providers do not exploit their market position. The team is also responsible for discharging the CAA’s concurrent competition responsibilities.

The Role

This is a new and important role in the Consumer and Markets Group with a key focus on expanding the remit of the team so that it provides support across the CAA and ensures that the organisation’s wider policies and initiatives benefit from greater economic foundations. In addition, the post holder will lead the competition work of the existing team in relation to the CAA’s concurrent competition powers. 

The CAA’s work extends across a number of new and challenging areas, with technological change driving a dynamic environment. This role will be responsible for making a significant contribution to this broader agenda, in leading and shaping the economic analysis supporting this work. This work includes enhancing our consumer protection interventions, considering broader airport and airline competition issues, promoting resilience across the aviation and travel sectors, promoting sustainability, delivering airspace modernisation and shaping new technology markets, such as for remotely piloted aircraft (e.g. drones).

This role will report directly to the Group Director of Consumer and Markets and will be jointly responsible alongside the Chief Economist for a high performing and professional team. Part of this role will involve consideration of the need for further resources to grow and develop the existing team to ensure the CAA has sufficient current and future economic capabilities across its broad remit. You will also be a member of the CAA’s Senior Leadership Team and the Consumers and Markets Leadership Team.

Your Key Responsibilities

• You will work closely with the Group Director for Consumer and Markets and other ExCo members to scope and define an enhanced economic function at the CAA. This will involve building effective relationships with colleagues across the CAA to enable stronger cross group working.

• You will be the senior accountable owner for economic analysis on complex issues and various priority projects, ensuring that our decisions are robust and defending our analysis when necessary. This will include reflecting the latest economic approaches and methodologies to help guide our policy decisions.

• You will be jointly responsible for the economics team, working alongside the Chief Economist to report to the Group Director of Consumers and Markets. This will include working with the Chief Economist and Programme Directors to ensure the optimal allocation of people to projects, effective team governance, budgetary control, and risk management. You will coach and mentor colleagues to help them get the most out of their career at the CAA and will champion well-being.

• As a member of the Consumers and Markets Leadership Team, you will actively participate in leading the broader management of the Group, as well as play an active role in CAA-wide corporate initiatives. You will also act as a role model, actively demonstrating the CAA’s values of: Do The Right Thing; Never Stop Learning; Build Collaborative Relationships; and Respect Everyone.

About You

The skills, knowledge and experience you will need for success.

• You are a senior level economist and have significant experience of competition or regulatory economics, with an outstanding track record of providing economic advice on complex issues. You will have awareness of economic approaches in other regulators, competition authorities, government, and academia.

• You have the ability to oversee the economic analysis across a wide range of projects, ensuring timely delivery and high quality of work. This is coupled with the ability to work effectively and collaboratively with other specialists, particularly policy, technical and legal colleagues.

• You have excellent communication skills, with an ability to bring together arguments and analysis clearly and robustly and convey these with authority in a way that engages stakeholders and senior colleagues. You have experience in communicating at both ExCo and Board level.

• You have experience of building and leading teams and developing colleagues to reach their potential, ensuring we attract and retain high quality economists. You also have experience of contributing to corporate initiatives to make a positive difference to how we work as a group and organisation.

Additional Information

For many appointments within the CAA, these roles require access to operationally sensitive infrastructure and/or Nationally Protected information. For these roles the post holders must undergo National Security Vetting and achieve the appropriate level of clearance.

To be vetted we will usually expect a reasonable period of residency in the UK so that meaningful checks can be undertaken. For this role this will need to be 3 years.

If you do not meet these requirements, we may not be able to accept your application.

For more information on CTC and SC clearance please visit - Vetting explained - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The CAA values high ethical standards and personal integrity among employees. If invited for interview you will be asked to complete a declaration of interest.

For awareness and transparency, there will be an independent panel member for shortlisting and interview. 

Inclusive Recruitment

We are passionate about diversity and ensuring all are included at the CAA. We are an equal opportunity employer and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We use fair and inclusive selection approaches to hire the best person for the job based on merit alone.

As a member of the Disability Confident scheme, applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a role with us will be guaranteed an interview. We use fair and inclusive selection approaches to hire the best person for the job based on merit alone. If you require an adjustment for any reason, please let us know.

Working With Us 

We are on a journey towards being increasingly adaptable, where our colleagues collaborate as part of cross-functional teams. This approach ensures we never stop learning together. It also means that you may become involved in activities that take you out of your day-to-day role, providing you with opportunities to develop and grow your career with us.
 

We have embraced hybrid working and offer flexible working patterns, being open to having a conversation about what works for you. We know where and when we work is important in achieving a work-life balance.

We offer a range of excellent benefits such as flexible working arrangements, free onsite gym at Gatwick, discounted gym membership for London, 28 days annual leave, additional 5 days leave purchase scheme, a generous pension scheme and much more!
 

Our Values
 

Do The Right Thing, Never Stop Learning, Build Collaborative Relationships, Respect Everyone – For more information please Click Here
 

Closing Date: Sunday 26th January 2025

Interview Date: w/c Monday 10th February 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

No recruitment agencies please.