Recruiting: Economic Development Consultant/Senior Consultant

Hardisty Jones Associates is a growing specialist UK local and regional economic development consultancy that advises public, private, and third sector clients on a range of issues. Our purpose as a business is to be trusted to provide expert analysis to inform and add value to our clients’ activities. This improves people’s lives by developing the economies they live and work in.

Our work includes:

• Preparing strategies and evidence: Helping local authorities and other public bodies understand their local economies and make plans to support their development. For example, we have recently worked on an independent economic review of the Western Gateway pan-regional partnership area, and carried out a review of the economic potential of high-value manufacturing for the Great South West pan-regional partnership.
• Assessing socio-economic impact: Helping landowners, developers, and the public sector make the case for and against site allocations and permissions. We have recently assessed the socio-economic case for the development of a new film studio, and separately made the case for an inland surf lagoon, both in the Green Belt.
• Preparing business cases and securing funding: Helping public and private sector organisations to define and develop projects to support economic growth and secure funding for them. We helped produce the strategic and economic cases to secure more than £30 million of Levelling Up Funds for a town centre regeneration scheme in Dover and a new clean maritime innovation centre in northern Devon.
• Supporting clean growth: Helping public and private sector organisations understand the economic and social impacts of low carbon projects. We have assessed the local and regional socio-economic impact of a number of new nuclear power stations and large scale offshore windfarm projects, identifying opportunities to mitigate negative impacts and maximise positive ones.

See services for more information about the company and the work we do.

Established in 2011, we have set out a plan to grow the business to at least ten people over the next five years. We want to recruit an economic development consultant or senior consultant with a relevant degree and three to five years’ experience of UK local and regional economic development in the areas shown above and on our website. Consultancy experience would be helpful but is not essential. Project management experience would also be valuable, and quick progression to a project manager role is expected.

Essential requirements include:

• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Ability to manage your own workload and meet deadlines.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word and Excel.
• Ability to gather and analyse data.
• Ability to communicate ideas and conclusions clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

Experience of using GIS is helpful but not essential. We would welcome applications from those with experience of social and health impact assessment.

Staff should adhere to our values as a company, which have been developed by all our staff:

• Putting client focus at the centre of all we do.
• Adding value and delivering value-for-money to clients.
• Being professional in all we do.
• Being inquisitive and engaged.
• Acting openly and honestly with each other and our clients.
• Being hardworking and thorough.
• Seeking to be accommodating and flexible with our clients and our colleagues.
• Acting in a friendly and approachable way.
• Being encouraging and supportive of each other.

The job will be based in central Bristol, and there may be occasional travel within the UK. HJA operates hybrid working to optimise teamwork and learning, with around 60% of core hours in the office.

Consultant/Senior Consultant level package will include pension contributions, and will be in the range of £30,000 to £50,000 depending on relevant qualifications and experience.

Please send your CV and a cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and interest in UK local and regional economic development.

There is no closing date, but applications will be reviewed from 15 April 2024 onwards.