Economist

Job Title: Economist

Classification: Full Time

Location: Santa Barbara, CA | Minimum of two days per week in Santa Barbara office

Work Hours: Flexible with start time between 7:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Travel: Up to 10% of time

Base Salary Range: $33.00 - $45.00 per hour, equal to $68,640 to $93,600 annually

Benefits:

• Above-market performance-based bonuses
• Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) – transitioning to an employee-owned company
• 401k Plan with profit sharing
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off (Vacation & Sick) and Holidays

Summary:

Robert D. Niehaus, Inc. (RDN) is hiring an Economist to join our team. RDN's Economists are versatile problem solvers who may perform analytical, managerial, client service, and business development tasks across various economic consulting projects. This position will report to RDN’s Program Manager for the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Economic Studies programs. In this role, you will design, build, and maintain data-driven workflows focused on regional housing market analysis. You will also conduct research and prepare reports on issues related to the cost, quality, and availability of rental housing for US military service members and their families. We look for smart, humble, collaborative, flexible, and hardworking professionals. In return, we reward personal and professional growth with greater responsibility and benefits.

Responsibilities:

• Research the cost, quality, and availability of rental housing in 300+ markets
• Develop, scale, and support data collection and analysis workflows
• Prepare and present client briefings, research reports, and interactive dashboards
• Design and execute technical approaches to novel problems tailored to client needs
• Contribute to internal research and development initiatives
• Review and provide feedback on colleagues' economic analyses and reports
• Travel up to 10% of time

Requirements:

• US citizenship
• Must pass FBI fingerprint check and National Agency Check with Written Inquiries (NACI)
• Education and Relevant Experience
  • Bachelor’s degree in Economics plus 2+ years' relevant experience, OR
  • MA/MS/MBA in Economics or closely related field
• Intermediate or higher understanding of economic concepts and quantitative methods, i.e., statistics, econometrics, data collection and estimation, and regional economic analysis
• Intermediate or higher fluency in one or more statistical programming languages or software packages, especially R or Python
• Excellent critical thinker and problem-solver
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication
• Reliable and efficient workload management
• Advanced user of MS Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)

What we also love to see:

• Familiar with SQL, database design, and Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Uses industry best practices for building data analysis workflows, e.g., documentation, testing, version control, algorithms, data structures
• Project or personnel management experience

About RDN:

Located in sunny Santa Barbara, California, RDN is a public-sector consulting firm with a track record of excellence spanning nearly 40 years. Our mission is to provide our clients with the information needed to allocate resources efficiently and improve quality of life in their communities. Our employee mission is to provide our employee-owners with a work environment in which they can flourish and grow as productive people. RDN’s core services include housing market data collection and analysis, utility rate studies, surveys, and economic impact studies. Our values are integrity, customer service, excellence, teamwork, innovation, and impact. We work under the time-tested Golden Rule that each of us treats others as we ourselves would like to be treated, and we seek mutual respect, trust, honesty, and loyalty. We enjoy a casual office environment with flexible hours and abundant professional development opportunities.