The Opportunity 

Cities are the world's engines for growth and will drive future prosperity; nearly seventy percent of the world's population will be living in them by 2030. Cities are the places which address global issues, provide the innovations of the future and fuel the global economy. Arup is at the forefront of thinking on many of the issues that will shape cities' development.  

As part of Arup's Integrated City Planning practice, the City Economics team provides strategy, planning, economic and financial consulting services to high-profile clients on many of the most important issues that are faced by cities, particularly those pertaining to infrastructure and the built environment, such as housing and transportation. 

City Economics projects include economic appraisals of individual large-scale transport and housing investments, regeneration and economic development strategies, impact assessments, funding studies, development of infrastructure plans, business cases and economic evaluation studies. As part of our work, we work in collaboration with a range of technical specialists including urban planners, landscape architects, urban designers, transport planners and sustainability experts.

From your first day, you'll join an unrivalled community of experts, where everyone is supported in their career path and provided with great training opportunities. You'll help us to deliver effective and professional services for a range of varied and high-profile clients. While you'll have a great deal of responsibility from day one, we'll give you the chance to take on more as you progress and broaden your skills. Working as part of a team, your role will be to advise city-focused clients on a range of strategic, policy, economic and financial issues. Across the public and private sectors, you will help manage client relationships with public sector agencies, project and property developers, infrastructure operators and other organisations. This will involve primary and secondary research, data analysis, economic and financial modelling, information design and report writing skills. 

We use our knowledge and expertise to offer our clients a broad spectrum of consulting services including, but not limited to, the following:     

• Strategic advice on a wide range of proposals for inclusive economic growth and innovation for private and public sector and Central Government clients both within the UK and globally    
• Case for investment for major projects  
• Policy and place making  
• Economic analysis, appraisal, and modelling 
• Local economic growth and governance 
• Evaluation and econometrics  
• Market studies  
• Environmental economics and sustainability  
• Data and trend analysis including foresight studies   
• Vision and Strategies for development sites     
• Project management support     
• Impact assessments (such as environmental, communities, socioeconomics and equalities)    

Candidates do not need to have technical knowledge of all items listed above. We are an inclusive team who have a range of different backgrounds and professional experience. We encourage individuals to apply if they have a keen interest in cities, the way they function and developing sustainable solutions to shape a better world.  

Is this role right for you? 

We are looking for individuals who hold the following qualifications, attributes and skills:  

• An undergraduate or Master's degree in cities, public policy/administration, geography, urban studies, business, or a numerate discipline such as economics, mathematics is preferred.  
• Degree predicted 2:1 or higher (or equivalent) 
• Possess a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Microsoft Excel  
• Ability to analyse data and text 
• Ability to undertake qualitative research  
• Ability to interpret the needs of clients and other stakeholders  
• Ability to take a strategic view on complex issues  
• Ability to help develop research methods and execute research projects  
• Other skills such as coding, GIS and statistical analysis are beneficial but not required  
• A self-starter with good organisational skills 

We're looking for graduates with curiosity, personal drive and technical knowhow. If you can combine these skills with an understanding of (or willingness to learn about) the industry and a desire to deliver excellent services for clients, we'd like to hear from you. We'd like you to have a personal interest in cities, and the value placed on the things that make them tick, such as transport, housing, cultural facilities, and social infrastructure.

You should be able to start this opportunity in September 2024.