Economist


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£48,765 to £52,557 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	London
Job type:	Temporary
Posting date:	22 Oct 2026
Closing date:	1 Nov 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

The role of trees and forests has never been more critical, offering sanctuary for both people and wildlife and improving climate resilience. The UK government is dedicated to significantly increasing woodland coverage by the end of this Parliament, aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, and achieving broader environmental targets. The Forestry Commission, in collaboration with the Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), is at the forefront of expanding, protecting, improving, and connecting woodlands across the country.

The Forestry Commission (FC) are the Government’s forestry experts responsible for enabling landowners and managers, businesses, civil society organisations, and local communities to protect, improve and expand England's woodlands. It achieves this through regulation, incentives and advice.

We seek a motivated economist to join us in the Economics, Evidence and Analysis team. This role is a unique opportunity to be part of an interdisciplinary team that is shaping the future of forestry in England. Positioned within Forest Services (FS), the role involves providing analytical support to help develop effective forestry and woodland policies, as well as engagement with Defra and wider government in supporting the development of the Environmental Land Management schemes.

The post will operate in an interdisciplinary environment, working directly with policy, grants and regulations experts and with social and spatial scientists as well as fellow economists.

What Will You Be Doing?

The main purpose of this role is to provide economic analysis and input to support the development of future forestry policy. This role offers the unique opportunity to join a dynamic and passionate team in this high-profile area of work, leading FC’s economic input into Defra’s Environmental Land Management Schemes (SFI, CS, and Landscape Recovery) and Tree Health Grants.

The post will appeal to an economist, with experience or interest in natural resource management, who wishes to apply economics to practical policy and management issues and who relishes working in an interdisciplinary environment.

In this role, you will blend economic analysis, policy support, and stakeholder engagement. Responsibilities include:

Contributing to economic analyses and research to inform forestry policy development and government initiatives.
Support the development of the future forestry incentives, including those within the (for example, woodland creation, woodland management, agroforestry, and Tree Health).
Assisting in the preparation of economic cases for funding bids and policy proposals, budget forecasting and profiling.
Collaborating with policy, analysis, and grants experts in a multidisciplinary environment.
Identify the need for, commission and manage evidence and analysis work to develop the evidence base surrounding forestry economics.
Present complex economic information accessibly to various stakeholders.
Engaging in projects that support the range of land based grant schemes which Forestry Commission is involved in. Supporting grant/incentives design, updates, and evaluation.
Responding to quick turnaround requests for information, drawing on existing work and modelling. Balancing ad hoc work such as this with ongoing, longer term responsibilities.
Working with both internal and external stakeholders, including Defra, to support evidence-based policy development.
Increase awareness and communicate the use of economic analysis, data and research in the Forestry Commission and the wider Defra group.
Collaborate with fellow economists in FC and Defra.

Apply for this job

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.