RTI International has an opening for a natural resource and environmental economist within its Center for Applied Economics and Strategy. The successful candidate will conduct economic and policy analysis on a wide range of topics at the nexus of agriculture, energy, forestry, transportation, and natural resource management, using strong data management, analysis, and communication skills. CAES staff draw on a range of quantitative and qualitative skill sets to produce high quality research for government agencies, foundations, and non-profit organizations. Our work requires implementing the best available theory and methods in assessing environmental and economic outcomes to report cogent and actionable results to our clients.
The successful candidate will assess the environmental and economic consequences of a broad range of domestic and international policies, programs, and technological innovations across different sectors of the economy (including energy, industry, agriculture, forestry, and transportation). S/he will have sufficient training and experience to identify best technical approaches in partnership with senior economists and project teams, execute quantitative analyses, and clearly articulate results to a wide range of audiences.
We seek a candidate with a clear interest in natural resource and environmental economics, a versatile technical skill set, demonstrated R programming experience, and strong writing skills to support the breadth of topic areas in which we work.
Responsibilities: The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the following task areas:
• Design, execute, and communicate research and analysis on the following topics:
o Agriculture and forestry sector modeling and policy analysis,
o Climate change mitigation and adaptation,
o Energy system modeling,
o Transportation systems and vehicle technology modeling and policy,
o Integrated water resources management or hydro-economic analysis,
• Support macroeconomic modeling of the economic and environmental impacts of policies and programs across agriculture, energy, forestry, transportation sectors. Tasks could include:
o Conduct literature reviews to identify best available data and/or best practices for data processing and analysis
o Integrate spatial data from a range of sources into policy assessments
o Carry out data management and quantitative economic analysis using statistical and mathematical programming packages (e.g. GAMS, R, Stata)
o Build classification algorithms, empirical prediction models, and trend analyses
o Design and implement replicable data analysis workflows
o Prepare data visuals and summary tables using the aforementioned software packages, Tableau, or other methods
o Support the development and application of marginal abatement cost models, levelized cost analysis, and other techno-economic evaluations.
• Collaborate effectively with project team members, and with external scientists
• Manage workflow in a timely, realistic, and cost-effective manner to meet client expectations
• Contribute to grant, cooperative agreement, and contract proposals
• Present research methods and findings via technical reports, journal articles, and presentations
Qualifications: Qualified applicants should have the following:
• Master’s degree in a relevant field (including recent graduates) with at least one year of experience or a Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years of relevant work experience with demonstrated progressive responsibility
• Demonstrated experience collecting, processing, managing and analyzing data, including experience with R, Stata, GAMS, or related programs.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting economic analysis of environmental policy though coursework, master’s thesis, internships, or prior work experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to communicate complex issues to a wide range of audiences, and a track-record of publications and/or quantitative analytical outputs If selected to interview for the position, writing samples will be required, preferably with a focus related to one of the topic areas above.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require now, or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status.
Preferred
• Demonstrated experience with programing in R.
• Demonstrated experience with geospatial analysis.
• Experience working on environmental, natural resource, or agricultural economics topics in low- or middle-income countries.
• Interests in applied economic model development, technological change, energy and environmental policy.
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