Associate Director Economist

More than you expected

The UK member firms of Grant Thornton are part of global network of independent audit, tax and advisory firms, made up of some 76,000 in over 150 countries. We're a team of independent thinkers who put quality, inclusion and integrity first. All around the world we bring a different experience to our clients. A better experience. One that delivers the expertise they need in a way that goes beyond. Personal, proactive, and agile. That's Grant Thornton.

Job Description:

Every day our teams help people in businesses and communities to do what is right and achieve their goals.

Grant Thornton’s Economic Consulting division comprises 30 postgraduate economists who provide specialist regulatory, competition and economic valuation services on an advisory and independent expert basis to economic regulators, government, corporates and their legal advisors. Frequently working alongside other teams at Grant Thornton, we advise on high profile issues in all major sectors of the economy.

Our areas of expertise include:

• Competition economics: Advisory and expert witness services across all areas of competition law including competition damages (cartels and abuse of dominance), competition investigations and merger control.
• Securities litigation: Advisory and expert witness services to lawyers and litigation funders regarding the quantum of harm following alleged breaches of financial disclosure rules for listed companies.
• Other disputes: Working alongside our accounting colleagues in an advisory and expert witness capacity on a range of other disputes including in relation to digital assets, construction disputes and economic valuation.
• Regulatory economics:  Using economics to develop public policy and regulation, assess its impact and assist companies in its implementation including ESG, consumer duty, price controls and economic impact.
• Economics of strategy: Using economic analysis to make the right strategic and pricing decisions.

Examples of our work include:

• Advising a large European telecommunications operator in responding to a market study.
• Estimating the quantum of loss suffered by a company which has overpaid for inputs following a cartel.
• Estimating the quantum of loss suffered by investors following an alleged breach of financial disclosure rules by a listed pharmaceutical company.
• Independent economic analysis for a construction company being investigated by the CMA for bid rigging.
• Expert for a leading high street bank responding to an investigation into potential mis-selling.
• Advising economic regulators on matters ranging from allowed revenues through to potential redress schemes.
• Advising public sector bodies on subsidy control.

We’re happy to talk flexible working, reduced hours and job shares, we’ll support you to balance your work and life.

A look into the role
As an Associate Director Economist within our Economic Consulting team, you will:

• Work on contentious dispute matters, this will include leading a team to develop econometric models which can be used to estimate the quantum of harm in securities litigation matters and competition damages claims acting as lead support for the Independent Expert.
• Contribute to the development of team members in terms of quantitative skills.
• Scope and lead in the delivery and implementation of quantitative analysis.
• Liaise with clients and the project team.
• Lea on the identification of data requirements, and managing the process of collecting and processing that data/ Implementing and supervising those analyses using the appropriate tools
• Help to translate the results of often complex econometric models into a digestible format that meets the needs of the client/court.
• Identify opportunities for business development including drafting thought leadership material

Knowing you’re right for us

Joining us as an Associate Director Economist, the minimum criteria you’ll need is experience leading in UK economic dispute type engagements and hold an MSc in economics. It would be great if you had some of the following skills, but don’t worry if you don’t tick every box, we’ll help you develop along the way.

• Experience of presenting complex econometrics arguments to a range of stakeholders
• Experience of writing and delivering complex reports
• Experience of using econometric and statistical software at least one of R, Stata or Python
• Experience of using Microsoft office including excel

Knowing we’re right for you

Embracing uniqueness, the culture at Grant Thornton thrives on the contributions of all our people, we never settle for what is easy, we look beyond to deliver the right thing, for everyone.  Building an inclusive culture, where we value difference and respect our colleagues helps our people to perform at the best of their ability and realise their potential.

Our open and accessible culture means you’ll interact with leaders who are interested in you and everything you bring to our firm. The things that set you apart, we value them. That’s why we give you the freedom to bring your whole self to work and pursue your passions inside and outside of work.

Beyond the job 

Life is more than work. The things you do, and the people you’re with outside of work matter, that’s why we’re happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles, and we’ll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance.

The impact you can make here will go far beyond your day job. From secondments, to fundraising for local charities, or investing in entrepreneurs in the developing world, you’ll be giving back to society. It’s that drive to do the right thing that runs through our every move, grounded in our firm’s values – purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind.

We’re looking for people who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what’s right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves. It’s how it should be.