Economist

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain’s railways and monitor of performance on England’s strategic road network.

This is an exciting time to join ORR. We are delivering a significant transformation programme to create a consistently agile and enabling organisation, with the right capability and a strong, inclusive culture that reflects our talented people. This will ensure we continue to operate as an independent, expert regulator, fit for the future and equipped with the capabilities and ways of working required to support sector-wide rail reform, while contributing to the government’s broader agenda on regulatory reform and economic growth. Further detail on our future role is set out here.

The Regulatory Finance team is part of the EFM directorate and works closely with the Rail Economics team, which carries out economic analysis to develop rail policy. We monitor and report on financial matters and respond to requests for advice. Much of our current work focuses on Network Rail’s funding, financial performance, and delivery of efficiencies.

The rail industry is now preparing for significant change, with Great British Railways (GBR) being established to take on unified responsibility for infrastructure currently owned by Network Rail, as well as passenger services currently commissioned by the Department for Transport. As outlined in the Government’s Railways Bill, GBR will oversee day‑to‑day operational delivery, including service provision, timetabling, network access, and the operations, maintenance and renewal of infrastructure. ORR will have a key role in monitoring, investigating and reporting on GBR’s operational and financial performance.

As an Economist, you will support the Regulatory Finance and Rail Economics teams in delivering high-quality economic analysis that influences decision-making and policy development in UK rail regulation. This role offers an exciting opportunity to develop your skills and gain experience in a dynamic and impactful environment.

Degree in economics, finance or a discipline with a substantial quantitative component, or equivalent professional experience.

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.

For information on the selection process, please see the attached Candidate Information Pack and Job Description.

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