SQW Vacancy: Economic development and evaluation specialists for City Deal research

Consultants and Managing Consultants

London, Manchester, or Edinburgh,

Due to continued growth, SQW is looking to recruit bright, motivated and experienced Consultants and Managing Consultants.  This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the UK’s leading economic development consultancies helping our clients to shape national and local policy.   

We are leading the national evaluation of devolved investment funding linked to City Deal programmes across the UK.  A City Deal is an agreement between government and a city. They provide a fund which cities and combined authorities can decide how best to investment to help support local economic growth.  We want to recruit people to support those evaluations.  Therefore, we are seeking:

• strong skills and experience in evaluation, ideally related to one or more of the activities being funded through the City Deals (e.g. transport improvements, site development for commercial and housing, business and innovation, and skills development)
• interest and expertise in the economic growth and development of UK city regions  
• an awareness of a range of research and evaluation techniques
• experience of writing reports to a high standard
• knowledge and experience of business case development and Green Book appraisal approaches and methodologies

The successful candidates will also be involved in the firm’s broader work.  We have specific expertise in four key areas of policy.  These cover: spatial and local economic development; innovation and business growth; children and young people; and health and social care. 

• Some recent high-profile examples of our work include:
• The evaluation of four of the UK’s Catapult centres for Innovate UK.
• Economic analysis of the Oxford-Cambridge corridor to inform the decisions of the National Infrastructure Commission.
• Assessing the impact of Scottish Development International support for international trade.
• Support to develop a number of Science and Innovation Audits across the UK.
• The evaluation of Schools Challenge Cymru for the Welsh Government.
• Reviewing the digital ecosystem of Sheffield City Region to inform a long-term action plan.
• Research into learner journeys for the Scottish Government.

Managing Consultants are instrumental to the successful delivery of projects at SQW, taking responsibility for managing several projects at any one time and contributing to others.  They also play an important role in work winning and proactive business development.  Consultants also work on multiple projects at any one time, taking responsibility for substantive tasks such as fieldwork and analysis, and also having the opportunity to take on client-facing roles, such as managing smaller projects.  There is a significant amount of autonomy at the firm, and individuals must be self-starters. 

In addition to having relevant work experience in one or more of the areas in which we work, you should have:

• a strong academic record, which includes demonstration of numerical proficiency
• an understanding of the commercial imperatives of consultancy
• experience of working collaboratively as part of a project team
• a good knowledge of some of SQW’s core clients
• and for Managing Consultant positions, experience of managing teams and projects to budget.

At SQW, employees have opportunities to enjoy variety and continuous learning, making a real contribution to the growth and development of the business early on in their careers with us, whilst taking responsibility for their own development in a supportive and challenging environment.  Successful applicants must be ambitious and enthusiastic to build SQW’s profile in the fields in which they work, and show a strong level of commercial awareness of and sensitivity to the key issues facing clients, and the implications for sustainable work winning.

SQW works from four office locations.  These posts could be based in three of them: London, Manchester or Edinburgh.  The successful applicants may need to travel across the UK. 

How to Apply

For more information and to apply please follow the link below. You will be asked to upload a covering letter and a CV. You will also be asked to supply the following information:

• An outline of your relevant professional experience and skills as they relate to this post.
• Your salary expectations for the role and details of your most recent/current salary.
• Your preferred office location –London, Manchester or Edinburgh
• Reference to where you have seen the advert for the role.

To apply, click here: https://jobs.sqwgroup.com/Vacancy.aspx?MenuID=6Dqy3cKIDOg=

Our closing date is 17 June 2018.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from candidates of any and all backgrounds.