Lead Economist - Transport

Lead Economist - Transport

Application Deadline: 19 April 2026

Department: Data and Intelligence

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Sheffield Head Office

Reporting To: Alexander McPhie

Compensation: £47,181 - £50,269 / year

Description

• Hours: 37 hours
• Contract: Permanent
• Salary: £47,181 - £50,269
• Location: Sheffield (This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 3 days per week in the office)

We're looking for a Lead Transport Economist to guide evidence based decision making across South Yorkshire's transport system. This is a strategic, high impact role where your economic insight will shape how the region invests in transport, supports growth, reduces carbon, and delivers better outcomes for people.

You'll lead the development, interpretation and communication of economic evidence, from HMT Green Book compliant business cases to cost benefit analysis, carbon appraisal, and land use transport interaction. You'll bring clarity to complex issues-translating detailed analysis into compelling insight that senior leaders and policymakers can act on with confidence.

Working collaboratively across SYMCA, Local Authorities, national partners and specialist consultants, you'll play a key role in building a strong analytical foundation that informs major investment and strategy decisions across the region. This is a role for someone who enjoys rigorous thinking, strategic problem solving and making a visible difference through high quality evidence.

Applications must be accompanied by a cover letter to detail how you meet the criteria as detailed within the role profile. (please see role profile attached). Please note, all applications should be made directly via our careers portal.

About the role

In this role, you'll apply advanced economic thinking to real world transport challenges, ensuring all investment and strategy choices are guided by credible, consistent and transparent evidence.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing high quality economic advice on transport policy and strategy, supporting senior colleagues with robust evidence.
• Integrating analytical insights across SYMCA's priorities, ensuring transport decisions reflect outcomes linked to growth, net zero, planning, inclusion and wider co benefits.
• Leading the economic dimension of business cases, applying Green Book and Transport Analysis Guidance to produce and scrutinise economic appraisal and cost benefit analysis.
• Leading the development of carbon analysis for transport, including modelling emissions impacts and advising on decarbonisation pathways.
• Leading the application of SYMCA's land use transport interaction tool, translating outputs into meaningful insight that supports spatial planning and growth.
• Supporting consultant led analytical projects, ensuring outputs are robust, high quality, and accessible for non technical audiences.
• Leading wider analytical or economics projects and contributing to a collaborative, cross team analytical community.

About you

We're seeking a strategic economist with strong analytical capability and excellent communication skills. You'll need to be confident interpreting technical evidence, advising senior leaders, and connecting economic concepts to real world transport outcomes.

Essential:

• Undergraduate or postgraduate degree in economics or equivalent transport qualification with substantial economics content.
• Significant experience applying economic concepts to transport policy, including Green Book compliant appraisal and cost benefit analysis.
• Experience interpreting technical analysis and applying it effectively to policy development.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret diverse datasets and provide evidence based solutions to complex problems.
• Ability to make strategic connections between economics, transport and social, environmental, or economic outcomes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex issues clearly to non technical audiences.
• Proven ability to work at pace across multiple projects without compromising quality.

Desirable:

• Experience managing specialist consultants.
• Experience applying DfT's Transport Analysis Guidance (TAG).

Benefits

All colleagues have access to a Local Government Pension Scheme and the chance to be part of an organisation where you can really make a difference. Located in Sheffield City Centre, we are well placed for transport links and encourage employees to take advantage of the active travel facilities. Work/life balance is extremely important to us here at SYMCA with our recognised family/friendly policies, genuine work flexibility, recognition, and shared success.

In addition to the above, some of our benefits include:

Holiday Entitlement - From 28 to 36 days annual leave entitlement (depending on length of service) plus bank holidays. Pro rata for part time colleagues.

Annual Leave Purchase Scheme - The ability to purchase up to a further 15 days per year in addition to your normal annual leave.

Hybrid working - Our offices are a space where we come together and collaborate. Most of our roles are offered on a hybrid basis with the exception of some support roles being onsite full time. Please note, unless specified within the job advert, we cannot accommodate remote working contracts.

Flexible Hours Scheme - Most roles within SYMCA work under the Flexi Scheme which allows office based employees' flexibility and discretion over their working hours. Under the scheme employees can accrue a defined amount of credit or debit of working hours, and to take time off in the form of Flexi Leave or banked Annual Leave.

Rewarding You - Reducing everyday expenses through discounts, benefits, financial advice, wellbeing solutions and more with Reward Gateway and Cycle to Work schemes.

Training on the job - Support with upskilling skills through on the job training and qualifications.

Professional Membership Fees - Where membership to Professional bodies is applicable to your role, SYMCA will reimburse your membership fees where applicable and following approval by Line Management.

Diversity at South Yorkshire Combined Mayoral Authority

Our workforce is made up of a diverse community, where we all belong and feel part of something bigger. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio economic background, religion and/or belief.

All employees are eligible to request Flexible Working arrangements from day one of employment as such all requests will be considered subject to operation requirements.

Where candidates share disabilities within the application process, if they demonstrate that they meet all essential criteria from the Role Profile within their application, they will automatically be invited to interview.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the process, please contact or include within your application form detailing the adjustment and how it will assist in managing any barriers.