Programme Lead (Economist, Transport)

Job Description

Economist (PA/PL level) plays a pivotal role in anchoring the Sustainable Mobility team's policy research by applying rigorous quantitative frameworks to solve complex transport challenges across modes. CEEW will work to identify emerging trends in transport and mobility through macroeconomic analysis, demand forecasting, techno-economic analysis, and mode-choice analysis exercises.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Economist shall lead the critical research on the macro-economic implications of India's electric vehicle transition, benefits of public transport, fiscal health of ULBs, and State Transport Undertakings (STUs), taxes on transport and vehicles, costs of vehicle ownership and usage across road, rail, air, and the development of pollution and carbon pricing models for urban mobility. Bridging mobility and transport recommendations with economic models, will provide the compelling evidence to influence policies-ensuring that CEEW's advocacy is both economically viable and socially equitable in the push toward a Net-Zero transport future.

This role will work closely with the Fellow, Sustainable Mobility team and contribute to the following:

Research Support

• Develop a sub-program on Transport Economics to ensure critical supply of policy insights to address market and adoption barriers in bus based transport in cities, railways in regional and intercity travels, cleaner fuels and vehicles.
• Conduct analyses involving a combination of multiple complex data layers, network analysis and detailed visualisation of the outputs. These data layers will include information on costs, taxes, fiscal strategies, cess and other FDIs.
• Analyse macroeconomic indicators (GDP, inflation, liquidity, rates, employment) to develop regional rural & urban passenger and freight transport demands
• Support demand forecasting using econometric / ML models; Analyse household income data and discretionary demand, Monitor SIAM & VAHAN trends, segmentation, exports, and competitive behaviour
• Prepare inputs for convenings & policy meetings, Develop and update Transport Economics and Impacts models, Developing deeper Foresight for regional vehicles and mobility markets using TFFM
• Assessing policy impacts on fuel and vehicle markets, at national and global levels, Tracking vehicular policies and trade regulations in global markets
• Developing questionnaires, survey forms and other qualitative and quantitative tools specific to mobility and transport-related policies.
• To extrapolate and verify data, analyse and research provided by analysts; evaluate, organise, and edit the data into comprehensive yet concise reports and other collaterals.

Collaboration and Liaison

• Inform and support the development of predictive models/tools using ML and AI, and exposure to creating training datasets and deep learning models is a plus.
• Assist the team in generating snackable insights by creating robust, statistically sound models that produce compelling data visuals for the organisation's social media platforms.
• Assist in effective outreach of research outputs through close coordination with the communications team and engagement with the wider network of stakeholders and concerned policymakers.
• To engage with relevant stakeholders, represent the organisation and attend conferences and pertinent sessions to sustainable mobility.

Programme Assistance

• Assist with specific projects and overall plan of activities under public transport, electric vehicle transition, and other sustainable mobility research, bridging teams research.
• Assist in preparing presentations, fact sheets, and other research communication material.
• To assist in publishing impactful communication pieces to drive opinion and nudge behaviour.
• To generate knowledge content - blogs, articles, briefs in regular intervals.
• To develop and coordinate effectively with stakeholders on cross-cutting themes on air pollution, climate justice, economic growth and technology transition.
• To actively find opportunities to present and disseminate research to key constituencies, advisory bodies, conferences & research institutes.

CEEW operates in a dynamic environment and the candidate will be required to show flexibility in undertaking various tasks.

Skills and Work Experience

The candidate must possess superior skills in identifying linkages between user transport choices, income, and spending habits by creating and evaluating suitable econometric models. The job requires the candidate to be able to communicate and analyse, and recommend interventions in Public Transport and bringing optimal mode, vehicle and travel choices that are built on socio-economic and behavioural aspects. These may include pricing instruments and nudge campaigns that may influence and inform transport infrastructure, low-carbon technologies, and travel demand management efforts. The candidate should utilise their relevant experience, knowledge in consultancy, or industry; and or must be driven by the passion /interest in mentioned research areas.

A candidate passionate about sustainable mobility, including Electric Vehicles (EVs), public policy, and the effective implementation and governance of transport through a data-backed decision-making approach, is suitable for this role.

The Candidate must have:

• Master's in Economics / Econometrics / Statistics / Data Science
• 6-10 years of relevant economics related analytical experience
• Strong skills in forecasting, econometrics, and macroeconomic trend interpretation
• Proficiency in data handling; competence in R/ Python is required
• Ability to build dashboards, charts, and analytical visuals
• Exposure to CSO, RBI, IMF or official datasets is preferred

Additionally, it is strongly recommended that candidates bring a mentoring experience, as this encourages team-building and knowledge sharing.

Compensation

Competitive compensation - commensurate to the experience and matching the best of standards adopted by industry or other similar organisations for similar roles.