Job Description

Senior Economist/Project Director – Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate

ECOnorthwest is an economics consulting firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with offices in Seattle, Bend, Eugene, and Los Angeles. The firm has a 50-year history of economic policy analysis supporting public decision-making related to natural resources, urban development and social and educational policies.

ECOnorthwest has an immediate opening for a full-time Senior Economist/Project Director in our Environment Policy Area. This person will be a key senior contributor to the firm. They will initiate and direct project work, provide quality control, track and maintain project profitability, collaborate on business development efforts across topics/tools, and mentor junior consultants. This work generally involves applying economic analysis, such as benefit-cost analysis, to environmental and natural resource policy questions. More information about the Environment Policy Area at ECOnorthwest is available at:

The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional with a track record of academic and professional success. Key skills include applying economic principles to answer real-world natural resource and environmental policy questions; and collaboratively leading project consulting teams to productively address client questions. A successful candidate will have previous consulting, industry, or government experience that demonstrates success in building relationships with clients, designing and implementing applied economic analysis for policy decisions, working with diverse stakeholders, and cultivating the professional growth of junior staff.

The core competencies needed for this role include communication, self-direction, team coordination, and expertise in relevant economic theory, data and methods. ECOnorthwest provides a strong peer community of economists, planners, data scientists and policy analysts who collaborate to help new Project Directors develop their professional careers. Typical work includes evaluating benefits, costs, risks, and tradeoffs of resource management decisions, developing funding and implementation strategies, assessing socioeconomic effects including changes in economic activity, distribution of resources, and distributional/equity effects. Clients include federal, state, and local resource management, private companies, and environmental compliance agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state resource management departments, and NGOs. The work is often completed as part of larger interdisciplinary teams involving partners from other organizations, including scientists and engineers.

ECOnorthwest is committed to improving its diversity and inclusiveness as a workplace. Our best work draws on teams within and beyond ECOnorthwest who have diverse backgrounds and experiences that reflect the communities we work with. Thus, we actively seek applicants who would expand the diversity of lived experiences within our team.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. or master’s degree in an economics-related program or as part of an interdisciplinary economics degree program (economics course work including basic theory and applied analysis, e.g., environmental economics, is required)
• Minimum of five years of applied research experience with demonstrated growth in leading projects with complex resource management questions (demonstrated record of professional leadership is particularly expected for applicants with a Master’s degree.)
• Experience directing internal teams, serving as a mentor, and supporting more junior staff
• Public speaking skills, networking skills, and the ability to represent the firm in public with integrity and business acumen
• Experience developing and maintaining client relationships in the public or private sectors
• Specific interest and experience in economic analysis of environmental and natural resource policy issues associated with specific topic areas, such as: 
  • climate change (mitigation, adaptation, and resilience)
  • renewable energy
  • water resources
  • recreation
  • natural resource damages
  • forestry
  • agriculture
  • fisheries
• Applied experience with economic analyses of environmental regulations or procedural statutes in the United States (e.g., Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, etc.)
• Experience with quantitative and empirical economic and econometric methods and other relevant qualitative, quantitative, and statistical methods and associated analytical tools
• Expertise in market and non-market valuation techniques and ecosystem services frameworks
• Expertise in other tools and concepts of environmental economics including discounting, risk and uncertainty, demand modeling, pricing, etc.
• Ability to understand and apply economic frameworks, fluency with a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods, and an ability to interpret and communicate findings in a policy context. 

Other Desirable Qualifications

• Applied experience using Stata, R, Python or similar statistical analysis programs for regressions and data visualization
• Experience completing socioeconomic studies to fulfill NEPA requirements
• Experience with spatial analysis and associated GIS tools including ESRI-based or QGIS
• Knowledge of survey and sampling design, analysis, and communication
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the theories and principles of environmental equity, especially as they relate to the impacts on tribes, minority and/or lower-income groups and communities
• Familiarity with public data sources (e.g., U.S. Census Data, USDA agricultural statistics, population forecasts, QCEW data, etc.)
• Familiarity with input-output modeling and associated software (e.g., IMPLAN, REMI)

Location & Schedule

• Work from one of our office locations in Portland, Bend, Seattle, or Los Angeles.
• Hybrid work schedule with in-office work expected Tuesday through Thursday for collaboration.

Salary and Benefits

The base salary for this full-time exempt position is $110,000 to $135,000 per year, depending on candidate experience and commensurate with market rates. This position is eligible for full company benefits including medical/dental/life/disability insurance/401k. insurance,flexible spending accounts, 401(k), and paid holidays. The position is also eligible for quarterly production bonuses and year-end profit sharing. Potential for expert witness testimony in litigation settings could increase overall compensation.

Deadline

Open until filled.

Required Application Materials

Please submit all materials in PDF format . Please contact king@econw.com if you have any questions or concerns about these requirements.

• Resume
• Cover Letter: Please address in the cover letter how your lived and professional experiences can help ECOnorthwest deliver high-quality products to our clients.
• Work Sample: Please include an example of your work. This could be a writing sample or presentation where you were the primary contributor.

About ECOnorthwest: Established in 1974, ECOnorthwest has over three decades of experience helping clients make sound decisions based on rigorous economic, planning and financial analysis. ECOnorthwest provides professional economics, planning, and financial consulting services and expert testimony for a wide variety of private and public sector clients throughout the United States and worldwide. For more information, visit:

ECONorthwest is not a sponsoring organization. ECOnorthwest is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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