Economist

Economist

Intellectual Property (IP) is integral to all our lives and everything that surrounds us. Have you ever wondered how a musician makes money? How pharmaceutical companies protect and develop their vaccines? And how you can support creative and innovative businesses in a competitive and changing global market?

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is responsible for both the operational and policy aspects of IP rights including patents, trade marks, designs and copyright. The IPO’s mission is to ensure that the full potential of ideas, knowledge and creativity is realised for the benefit of the economy and society. We promote innovation by providing a clear, accessible and widely understood IP system. The Economics, Research and Evidence (ERE) Team at the IPO is responsible for delivering robust evidence-based policy to underpin these goals.

We are recruiting two economists to fill C1 (SEO) posts. One of these roles is permanent and the other is a temporary 9-month position, also available on a fixed-term, loan or secondment. This role supports the development of economic evidence on the role of IP in the innovation process and its impact on the UK economy, stakeholders and IP rights holders. The postholder will work alongside other economists, analysts, statisticians and social researchers to conduct novel research within the ERE team. They will also work with academics, policy and operational colleagues to support evidenced-based policy making across different areas of IP rights.

Working Style

This role will be carried out in-line with IPO Hybrid working arrangements where staff are currently expected to spend at least 20% of their time working onsite from one of our offices. This role is based in our Newport & London Office.

The requirement for attendance at an office location can vary by role so we would encourage candidates to discuss working arrangements with the recruiting manager to agree a reasonable balance between working from home and the office.

The IPO holds a visa sponsor licence however; this role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route. Candidates will therefore need to have an existing right to work in the UK at the time of application.

Main duties consist of but are not limited to:

• Supporting economic analysis across a range of IP policy areas. This may include copyright and AI, IP-backed finance, IP enforcement, amongst other priorities.
• Conducting proactive research that the ERE team produces and commissions. This includes focussing on innovative and high-growth sectors, such as tech and the creative industries.
• Responding to requests and commissions relating to (i) data the IPO holds, and (ii) external evidence that can inform the strategic needs of the IPO.

You must be an existing badged member of the Government Economic Service or demonstrate that you have:

A first or upper second-class honours degree in economics (or international equivalent), or a postgraduate degree in economics. If it is a joint degree, at least 50% of the course modules must be in economics. You must have studied both macroeconomics and microeconomics.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Additional details on security and vetting

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check and if successful you must also hold, or be willing to obtain, a higher Security Clearance.

For meaningful checks to be carried out individuals will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, depending on the level of clearance, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. For this role the successful individual will need to have consistently lived in the UK for a minimum 5 years in order to meet the relevant security clearance.

Further information on the vetting process can be found at National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

If you have questions regarding this or are unsure if you meet the eligibility criteria, please contact Recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

The assessment process will comprise of the following:

Stage 1 – Sift

An initial sift of applications will be carried out to create a shortlist. This will be based on the evidence provided for the following Success Profile elements:

Experience

Your 750 word Personal statement will demonstrate your Experience against the listed person specification/essential criteria.

Behaviours

Provide one 250-word example for the following Behaviour heading;

In the event of a high volume of applications, candidate's will only be scored on the behaviour section of their application.

Making effective Decisions (lead behaviour)

• analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions
• consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered
• display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular
• present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks

Stage 2 – Interviews

If invited to interview Behaviours and Technical based questioning will be used.

Specific information regarding the Success Profile elements that will be assessed at interview will be contained within the interview invitation.

Interviews for this role will be carried out virtually via Microsoft Teams (video).

This recruitment campaign will keep a reserve list for 12 months. If you meet the requirements for this role but aren't offered after passing the interview, you'll be placed on the reserve list. If a suitable position opens up during this time, we will reach out to individuals in merit order.

The Recruitment team operational hours are 09:00 to 17:00 Monday – Friday excluding bank holidays.

Applicants to note: CVs sent direct to the IPO will not be accepted.

This post is being advertised to Internal, across Government and external candidates at the same time.

Incomplete and/or late submissions will not be accepted or considered. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

We do not routinely reimburse travel expenses for candidates, however if participating in the selection process would cause you undue financial hardship or if it restricts your ability to participate, please contact the recruitment team for more information.

In line with Government guidance, successfully appointed candidates will need to provide documents for our Right to Work checks. Information on this will be sent within the invite to interview text.

If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, then please let the recruitment team know via;recruitment@ipo.gov.uk

In the event of a high volume of applications, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) reserves the right to raise the minimum qualifying score at sift to manage volumes and ensure a proportionate and fair assessment process.

Please be aware that only one application per candidate is permitted for each recruitment campaign. Multiple applications, including those made using different accounts, may result in your application being withdrawn or rejected at any stage of the process.

For more information on the IPO’s terms and conditions, please review the attached IPO Modernised Terms and Conditions document attached at the bottom of this advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.