Chief Economist

Chief Economist

Reports to: Chief of Policy, Advocacy, and Research

Location: Washington, D.C.

Status: Full-time; Exempt

About Groundwork Collaborative

Launched in 2018, the Groundwork Collaborative is driven by the idea that We Are The Economy: when all of us are doing well, that is when our economy thrives. We fight for progressive economic policy and narrative change that builds accountable public power, breaks up concentrations of private power, and affirmatively centers people too long left out of prosperity. We understand that taken together, these actions will lead to a stronger and more resilient economy.

Groundwork’s unique structure – part strategic communications, part think tank, and part issue advocacy organization – allows us to drive narrative and policy change with credibility, expertise, and impact. We work with four core audiences – the media, policymakers, economic policy experts, and grasstops organizations. We use targeted policy campaigns, timely research and messaging to build a community across the progressive movement to advance a truly inclusive economic worldview.

The Chief Economist will be a key member of Groundwork’s Policy, Advocacy, and Research team, leading quantitative analysis and economics research for a fast-paced, dynamic shop at the cutting edge of the economic debate in Washington. The Chief Economist will work closely with other members of the team, as well as fellows and outside researchers, to conduct and coordinate original research, analyze economic data, provide internal data guidance, and create clear and compelling written and visual products that support work across all of Groundwork’s programs. They will brief senior leadership and other staff on economic developments in real time, and serve as a top spokesperson for Groundwork in the media and to policy audiences. The Chief Economist will also work hand-in-glove with the communications team to ensure Groundwork’s stances are conveyed with maximal impact and credibility, and that we are deploying the most persuasive and timely evidence in support of our work.

As Chief Economist you’ll…

• Provide rapid-response analysis of key economic developments, data, and policy debates to the Groundwork team, partners, and the media
• Lead quantitative data analysis for the organization, creating timely, relevant analyses of a wide range of data using Stata, R or Python
• Work with the Policy, Advocacy, and Research team to generate ideas for and supervise the execution of persuasive research products, including reports, white papers, fact sheets, messaging guidance, and op-eds
• Hire and supervise research assistants
• Keep up to date with the latest research in economics on topics important to Groundwork including macroeconomics, monetary and fiscal policy, public finance, and labor economics
• Translate cutting edge academic and policy research into clear and compelling products aimed at a policy audience
• Serve as a trusted advisor for the Groundwork leadership team, regularly briefing the Executive Director and other key leaders and preparing them for high-profile public engagements

About you:

• You have an Advanced degree in economics or related field; Ph.D. highly preferred
• You are highly proficient at gathering, describing, analyzing, and generating visualizations for large datasets, including survey microdata, using Stata, R, or Python
• You are a strong writer, enjoy translating academic jargon into plain and compelling language, and have high standards for quality control;
• You are comfortable presenting to a wide variety of audiences and serving as a spokesperson for the organization in the media
• You thrive in an extremely fast-paced, results-oriented environment
• You’re committed to a just, inclusive, and robust economy that delivers opportunity and dignity to all

In addition, it would be a bonus if you…

• You are familiar with the progressive economic policy, think tank, and advocacy community in Washington and the Hill and have a strong grasp of the economic policymaking process
• You have served in a senior economic policy role in Congress or a Federal agency

The salary range for this role is $160,000 - 180,000. We offer a generous benefits package, including five weeks of vacation and personal leave, two week-long office closures, additional time off for floating and federal holidays, zero-premium health insurance, a generous HRA, a retirement match of up to 6%, up to 16 weeks parental leave, and health club and cell-phone reimbursements, among other benefits. We are a hybrid workplace, with two days a week in the office and three days remote, as well as the occasional need to work in person for events and special projects. Groundwork is a unionized workplace and is represented by the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (NPEU). This position is not in the bargaining unit.

How to apply

To begin the application process, please submit an application on our career page. In lieu of a cover letter, we ask you to answer a few brief questions on the application page. Competitive candidates will be invited to complete a brief skills assessment that will include quantitative analysis, writing, and coding in R, Python, or Stata.

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