Employer: ECONorthwest
Job Type: Associate, Full-Time
Location: ECONorthwest staff are working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The selected candidate will be expected to work remotely until public health guidelines allow our offices to safely reopen. When this occurs, the selected candidate would be expected to work in one of our offices located in Portland, Oregon, Seattle Washington, or Bend, Oregon.
Opening Date: 09/15/2020
Closing Date: 10/16/2020

Job Description:

ECONorthwest, the Pacific Northwest’s largest economics consulting firm, has an immediate opening for a full-time Associate to support our Natural Resources Practice Area. The ideal candidate will have a track record of academic and professional success, as well as experience completing projects to answer economic questions related to natural resources and the environment. Assignment to specific projects will depend on the skills and interests of the Associate as well as the firm’s project support needs. For examples of past ECONorthwest Natural Resources projects please see our website: econw.com/services#natural-resources.The position will be full-time and will be located in either our Bend, Portland, or Seattle office. Due to the ongoing pandemic we anticipate that the selected candidate would likely start as a remote employee but would be expected to transition to working from an ECONorthwest office once normal office operations resume. The anticipated start date for this position is November 2020, with flexibility for an earlier or later start date if needed.

Job Duties:

The core competencies needed for this role include organization, self-direction, team coordination, and expertise in economic methods. Associates work closely with Project Directors and Project Managers to execute tasks including client coordination, methodology development, data analysis, and writing. Associates own a work stream in a larger project and may be primarily responsible for delivering smaller projects under the guidance of a Project Director and/or a Project Manager. Associates also work closely with the firm’s Research Analysts to collect and clean data and perform analyses.

Experience/Qualifications/Knowledge/Skills:

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

(1) Master’s Degree in Economics or related field OR Bachelor’s Degree in Economics or related field with a minimum of 2 years of economic project experience

(2) Familiarity with benefit-cost analysis, policy analysis under environmental statutes (e.g., Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, etc.), principles of economic valuation (e.g., market and non-market valuation techniques, discounting and discount rates, data collection and assessment, etc.)

(3) Ability to synthesize complex information from a variety of disciplines, including economics, policy, and natural sciences (e.g., biology, ecology, water resources, etc.)

(4) Excellent writing and oral communication skills

(5) Exceptional organizational and time management skills

(6) Proficiency in applied economics methods including econometrics and other relevant qualitative, quantitative, and/or statistical methods

(7) Applied experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)

OTHER DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

(1) Public speaking skills, networking skills, and the ability to represent the firm in public with integrity and business acumen.

(2) Familiarity with public data sources (e.g., U.S. Census Data, USDA agricultural statistics, population forecasts, QCEW data, etc.)

(3) Project management experience

(4) Consulting experience

(5) Applied experience using Stata, R, or similar statistical analysis program for regressions and data visualization

(6) Applied experience with GIS, QGIS, or similar geospatial program

(7) Familiarity with input-output modelling and associated software (e.g., IMPLAN, REMI)

(8) Familiarity with project management software such as Deltek

Supplemental Information:

ECONorthwest is committed to the work of improving its diversity and inclusiveness as a workplace. Our best work draws on teams within and beyond ECONorthwest who have diverse backgrounds and experiences that reflect the multifaceted communities we work in. Thus, we encourage applicants who would expand the diversity of lived experiences within our team.

The salary for this full-time exempt position will vary depending on candidate experience and will be commensurate with market rates. This position is eligible for full company benefits including medical/dental/vision/life/disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, 401(k), and paid holidays.

How to Apply:

Apply Today!

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:

All materials (aside from Essay questions) should be submitted in PDF format. An applicant who fails to submit any of the required application materials as a PDF will not advance to the interview stage. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns about these requirements.

(1) Resume
(2) Cover Letter (1 page limit). Please address in the cover letter how your lived and professional experiences can help ECONorthwest deliver high quality products to our clients.
(3) Writing sample (upload as “Others” attachment). In this writing sample we are looking for evidence of your ability to communicate economic or environmental policy concepts to a non-technical audience.
(4) Essay Questions: 200 word limit per question, but shorter responses are appreciated (as long as they are complete).

  • First Essay Question: Please describe a project that you have contributed to and the role that you played, the technical methods you employed, what went well, and what you learned from the experience.
  • Second Essay Question: In 2018, ECONorthwest launched a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) initiative to better serve our clients and communities. Our full statement on DEI can be viewed at: https://econw.com/about. Distributional impact and vulnerability assessments are critical to our project work. Please describe your experience, if any, applying DEI concepts to your previous work. Especially if you have limited experience in this area, please also describe how you would incorporate DEI considerations into the work you would perform as an Associate at ECONorthwest.
  • Third Essay Question: Please view our project list located on our website at: https://econw.com/projects. Which project would you have been most interested in working on and why?