Emma Ward – Research, Evidence and Analysis Programme Manager – discusses the new Economic Analyst role at the North East LEP (applications close 17 June, 9am)

For the North East to grow a modern, diverse and entrepreneurial economy it’s essential we continue to understand the industrial structure of our region, the performance of the regional business community and the makeup of our workforce.

We do that by accessing data, research and insights, which we then translate for colleagues here at the LEP and partners across the region. It provides us the evidence base we need to make informed decisions to drive growth in the North East economy.  

Throughout the past eighteen months, the research and analysis team at the North East LEP has had an increasingly important role to play and we know that role is only going to become more prominent. The UK’s exit from the European Union and the coronavirus pandemic has seen high demand for accurate and timely data as will the strategy and policy work that informs our recovery

Because of this, we’re expanding our team to include an Economic Analyst. The new role within our team will ensure we can continue to provide our partners in business, government and academia with the insight to lead our region’s economic recovery.

As a small team, we’re looking for people that share our passion for building a stronger North East economy using a robust evidence base. We’re looking for someone who is naturally inquisitive and can identify areas for further exploration, for example opening up new data sources and exploring innovative datasets such as social listening.   

Communicating our evidence activities in a clear and accessible way is vital for them to be effective – especially as we work across a range of sectors and industries. We’d welcome applications from experienced analysts with an interest or background in data visualisation too.

The North East LEP is a collaborative organisation and we work very closely with colleagues and partners across the region. We are therefore looking for people that enjoy working as part of team and have experience of building relationships with internal and external partners. This is one of our four core values which are embedded into everything we do. These values are Think Bigger, Better Together, Do the Right Thing and Make a Difference.

We’d like to work alongside someone that can help bring data to life and really demonstrate how it impacts people living and working in our region.

More information about the role can be found here. Interested applicants should also visit northeastdatahub.co.uk to see some examples of the research and data we gather about the region.

This is an exciting time to join the North East LEP, particularly in the research and analysis team. The economic strategies and policies being developed to lead the region’s economic recovery are all underpinned by strong research, economic analysis and evaluation.

For an informal discussion about the role, feel free to contact me directly by emailing [email protected].

Find out more about the Economic Analyst role and apply here