Economist

Role Responsibilities

Working under the guidance of the Manager of Macroeconomic Forecasting, you will be an integral member of the Economic Forecasting and Analysis team within Treasury Board and Finance. Your primary charge will be to prepare and refine Alberta’s economic outlook, using a suite of sophisticated models, from computable general equilibrium to input-output frameworks. You will monitor shifting price signals, track labour and investment indicators, and keep a finger on the pulse of global markets, all while collaborating with colleagues across ministries to ensure that every forecast assumption is grounded in rigorous analysis.

In this role, you will lead the collection and interpretation of economic data, identifying trends and relationships between various economic indicators, including oil prices, domestic investment, and employment. You will help craft the economic narrative behind the provincial Budget, develop assumptions for key variables, and build satellite models to stress-test alternative scenarios. You will deliver timely briefs on emerging economic events to the Deputy Minister and Minister, author the weekly Economic Review and monthly Trends reports, and occasionally conduct in-depth analyses for special projects, such as industry competitiveness reviews. Your thought leadership will extend to cross-government working groups, where your professional judgment and interpersonal skills will help shape broader policy initiatives and ensure that economic considerations remain at the forefront.

This role offers you unparalleled access to senior decision-makers and the chance to directly impact Alberta’s fiscal health. You will hone your expertise across a range of modelling techniques and deepen your understanding of both provincial and global economics. You will thrive in a self-directed environment that challenges your creativity and problem-solving abilities, while enjoying a collaborative culture that values mentorship and continuous learning. Above all, you will take pride in knowing that your work underpins the stability of public services and the prosperity of Albertans.

Our ideal Economist brings both technical mastery and human insight. You are comfortable navigating uncharted territory, designing new models, anticipating turning points in the economy, and recommending policy responses with confidence. You can distill highly technical material into crisp written and verbal briefings, always keeping your audience’s needs in mind. You thrive when given autonomy, yet you know the importance of collaboration, whether you’re guiding junior analysts, engaging with policy colleagues, or fostering consensus in multi-departmental forums. 

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

In this role, you will contribute to our team by demonstrating the following behavioral competencies:

Drive for results: You will look for ways to exceed performance expectations by identifying potential efficiencies, different ways of working, or opportunities to contribute to the work of others.

Creative Problem Solving: The incumbent is expected to initiate and complete complex assignments based on a general description of objectives. In order to do this, the incumbent is expected to identify analytical techniques and sources of knowledge to break apart complex problems, as well as encourage participation and input from economists in the group

Agility: The ideal candidate will possess the ability to balance a number of complex, concurrent projects while producing a high quality work under tight deadlines.  You will adapt quickly to changing priorities,  identify options and implement realistic contingency plans.

Build collaborative environments: The ideal candidate will engage others to think broadly about impacts of projects, and bring different perspectives together. You will ensure communication is ongoing by setting up processes or structures that facilitate communication and collaboration.

Systems thinking: The successful candidate displays the ability to consider and assess policy linkages, and the inter-relationships among different aspects of an approach. You will consider emerging trends when contributing ideas to the development of priorities, strategies and approaches.

Qualifications

Bachelors degree in Economics, Finance, Business or a related field, plus 4 years progressively responsible related experience in macroeconomic modelling, forecasting, and policy analysis.

A Master’s degree in Economics is preferred.

Equivalency: 
Directly related education or experience considered on the basis of: 
•    1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or
•    1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

The following are considered assets:
•    Proven ability to run and maintain complex econometric models and satellite tools
•    Strong track record of preparing policy briefs, budget inputs, and executive presentations under tight timelines
•    Proficiency with data sources such as CANSIM, Haver, and major central-bank and statistical-agency databases
•    Advanced skills in statistical programming (e.g., R, Python, Stata) and data-visualization tools

A cover letter highlighting the above preferences and assets is required, and will be reviewed to determine your qualifications.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. 

Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

This position is a permanent, full-time position working 36.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

Location
Federal Building located at 9820  - 107 Avenue, Edmonton.

Candidates with lesser qualifications may be considered at a lower classification and salary. This competition may be used to fill future roles at the same or lower classifications.

Candidates may be asked to participate in a written assessment. Final candidates for this position will be asked to undergo a security screening.

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees.

•    Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
•    Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca.
•    Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
•    Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
•    Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
•    Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
•    Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and
      modified work schedule agreement.
•    Leadership and mentorship programs.