Tuesday 18 October 2011

Earthquake Economists Wanted

CERA, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Agency, is looking for an economist.
The position of Economist is a senior level role that reports to the General Manager, and is required to contribute to the development and implementation of plans originating from the Recovery Strategy, including the overarching Economic Recovery plan.

The Economist is responsible for ensuring a strengthened economic focus across CERA, advising and influencing work programmes and outputs. Working closely with key stakeholders, a focus is to ensure the right conditions are in place to encourage and support economic recovery and growth.

Key deliverables will include developing priorities and programmes that partner with the economic efforts of private business, collaborating with central and local government to ensure the recovery is business friendly. The Economist is expected to inject commercial savvy and apply an economic lens to set priorities, develop high quality strategic level analysis, policy development, methodologies and frameworks. Essentially, this role will lead and oversee work based on identification of economic and financial impact of proposals, market drivers, opportunities and threats to progress.

We are seeking an Economist who is experienced at a senior level, well networked and highly credible across the economic sector. You will have a track record of success when developing economic advice, leading consultation, planning and management of projects with key interdependencies and trade-offs. This opportunity presents a unique opportunity to join a skilled and passionate team committed to making a real difference for all who live and work in greater Christchurch.
There are a half-dozen economists I can imagine doing this job well and rather more that I can imagine doing it badly. Let's hope they pick one of the good ones.

Here's the full position description for those interested in helping out.

3 comments:

  1. Levi Timar from GNS and Motu Research?

    http://www.motu.org.nz/about/people/levente_timar

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  2. I'd expect him to be far too junior. They need somebody already known to both Christchurch business and Treasury / MED.

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  3. Well, to achieve the last sentence of the second paragraph, we need a council trying to do none of the stuff in the third paragraph.

    Even before the earthquake, we had two houses, one in Chch, one Marlborough, both were the same market value, yet our Chch rates were three times higher: over $4,000 compared to $1,400. Heaven only knows of what Chch rates will reach if the council tries to build empires and pick winners. In fact, before the first earthquake, I already knew of people leaving the Chch council area because they couldn't afford to live there.

    All the council needs to do is provide the basic services well, and give the inhabitants, including business, as low a rating as is possible. Business will come only if there are people there, and the cost of doing business is low.

    Why don't you have a go for the job Eric? Because many others applying may not have figured this out.

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