CPD is looking for two Advisers or Economists to join our expanding Sustainable Economy team and support other CPD initiatives. The successful candidates will lead quantitative research projects looking into living standards for low-to-middle income households, decarbonisation, regional development, and wellbeing.

About CPD

The Centre for Policy Development is one of Australia's leading independent policy institutes. Founded in 2007, we are a mission-driven organisation led by a dynamic CEO and distinguished Board of Directors, and we are seeking exceptional talent to join our growing team.

This role offers the opportunity to make a substantial contribution to policy development in Australia, and is an ideal career move for a motivated individual. You will be joining a smart, energetic, dedicated team at an organisation with a unique culture that will foster your skills, broaden your horizons and engage your passion for ideas.

About the Roles

The successful candidates will be based in our Sydney or Melbourne office. Remote work may be possible. The positions are advertised as full-time, but we support flexible work and will consider part-time for the right candidate.

Remuneration for the position is competitive and will be determined based on the experience of the selected candidates.

The roles are analytically demanding: we want to bring novel data-driven insights to long-term problems. Previous experience of policymaking is useful, but we are primarily looking for strong analytical skills, intellectual creativity, and an ability to grapple with complex concepts and communicate them well. In practice, this would suit someone with experience analysing Australia's tax-and-transfer system, labour market outcomes, firm-level industrial organisation, carbon accounting, trade/GVCs, Australian regional development, or other related issues.

Our team enjoys frequent interaction with policymakers in government, media, and the wider policy world. You'll be joining a close-knit team that delivers real impact at senior levels of policymaking. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a new analytical agenda.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Undertake original research and economic analysis on incomes, employment, wealth, wellbeing, decarbonisation, and regional development
• Author research notes and publications, working independently under the direction of senior staff
• Develop ideas for new avenues of exploration and research
• Write up the findings of primary analytical work and conduct secondary analysis of relevant literature
• Build and develop the profile of CPD, including by looking for new avenues of research for the project to deepen and broaden its impact
• Monitor external policy developments relevant to the research program
• Occasional out-of-town travel (including overnight travel)

Selection criteria

Essential

• Ability write confidently and clearly
• Ability to innovate and take the initiative in developing new projects, methodologies, and ideas
• Strong analytical rigour, with an ability to perform and communicate complex analysis
• Ability to work at pace on several different projects at once, coordinating multiple agendas and delivering to deadlines
• An understanding of the wider economic and social policy context in Australia
• Experience using statistical software packages to manage large datasets (Stata or R)
• Understanding and enthusiasm for the Sustainable Economy program
• Expertise in any of the focus areas of the Sustainable Economy program

Desirable

• Postgraduate degree, or undergraduate degree combined with relevant work experience
• Direct experience analysing Australian survey microdata (such as HILDA, LFS, SIH) or using tax-and-transfer microsimulations (such as PolicyMod, CAPITA, MITTS, STINMOD)
• Experience working directly with policymakers, or in another field that involved making decisions (or advising decision makers) in a political context
• Experience in applied research aimed at impacting policy and practice
• Experience working in a research-intensive organisation
• Appreciation of the benefits of mixed-methods research

We aim to hold interviews in early February. Before a final list of candidates are interviewed, long-listed candidates will be asked to perform a pre-interview task that will involve using Stata or R to analyse a dataset. Candidates that reach this stage will be reimbursed for their time on the pre-interview task.

The Centre for Policy Development is committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds, cultures, genders, abilities and experiences to apply.

For more information on CPD please visit www.cpd.org.au.