Associate/Associate Director Environmental Economist

Current Team Information

This position of Associate/Associate Director Environmental Economist is to play a leading role in the Economics team marketing and securing environmental economics related work and directing, managing and working on projects.

The Savills Economics team has established a reputation as one of the leading players in the UK covering property and economic analysis and research. The wider Savills business has a strong presence in rural and estate planning and research. We are looking to expand our presence and track record in environmental economics, including in the fields of natural capital accounting, resource and utilities economics, and low carbon/sustainable development economics.
The remit of the Economics team is to lead on work in the field of property, planning and economics, covering:
• Preparing and influencing economic, planning, property, regeneration, and infrastructure development strategy, policy and research at national, sub-regional and local levels.
• Establishing the economic, financial and business cases for projects and programmes, including major proposals and estate/property initiatives.
• Carrying out social and economic impact assessments, for example as part of the formal environmental impact assessment (EIA) process.
• Developing new business opportunities in the field of economic consultancy as opportunities arise.

Examples of our work include: preparation of an estate business plan for Scone Palace; Oxford-Cambridge Expressway development impacts for Highways England; land value uplift and capture analysis for Transport for London; Manchester High Speed 2 stations development frameworks for Manchester City Council; and economic benefits assessments, social infrastructure analysis and negotiations, and infrastructure funding bids for a range of developers and land owners.

The team draws upon and works with other teams in Savills including rural estates, rural research, energy and sustainability.

The Role & Key Responsibilities

The role of the Associate / Associate Director is to:
• Support the head of department in building up the environmental economics strand of business
• Work with the head of department in preparing and updating the team’s business plan
• Lead on/work with others on marketing and bids to secure work
• Manage larger projects
• Direct small/medium size projects, leading on to directing larger projects with successful performance
• Working with the head of department to ensure the profitable performance of the team in line with agreed targets
• Manage other staff as appropriate with successful growth of the team.

Key Activities:
• Business planning and setting of strategy
• Marketing
• Draw up, present and negotiate competitive proposals
• Liaise and cultivate good relationships with clients and fellow professionals
• Builds relationships with other divisions with a view to create joint business development opportunities
• Take responsibility for projects from the earliest stages through to completion
• Undertake research and analysis
• Develop creative and original solutions to satisfy all parties
• Write complex reports, interpret data and making clear and relevant recommendations
• Prepare/make presentations at meetings
• Communicate and negotiate effectively with clients and colleagues
• Effective financial management of projects to ensure profitable delivery
• Team building
• Management of junior staff (with successful growth of the team)
• Maintain an awareness of market conditions and the impact of government policies
• Keep informed about documents relating to relevant policy and practice
• Attends external events to create local contacts and identify business opportunities.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Excellent written and communication skills
• Detail conscious, accurate
• Thrives under pressure, can work to tight deadlines
• Team player
• Strives to deliver an exceptional level of service to clients at all times
• A good knowledge of environmental economics, natural capital accounting and resource economics
• A good knowledge of micro-economics principles and concepts, feasibility studies and business plans, and ability to effectively apply this knowledge to the team’s areas of work
• Numerical and analytic skills, preferably including modelling expertise (usual in Excel) and ability to carry out property appraisals
• Expertise in successfully managing projects and teams to budget and programme (essential).
• Consultancy experience (strongly desirable)
• A degree in economics, environmental/sustainability resource planning, geography, or a related discipline, or equivalent experience
• An MSc/MBA/equivalent qualification in a relevant field (desirable), or overall equivalent experience
• Membership of an appropriate professional institution (desirable).

Type of Assessment for this role:
• Interview