Economist

Auf einen Blick

• Tätigkeit: Als Teil eines motivierten Teams wirst du an der Entwicklung von Strategien für makroökonomische Politik arbeiten.
• Arbeitgeber: ZOE, ein unabhängiges Institut in Köln, das sich für eine zukunftsfähige Wirtschaft einsetzt.
• Benefits: Flexible Arbeitszeiten und -orte, Unterstützung einer gesunden Work-Life-Balance.
• Wieso dieser Job: Arbeite an der Schnittstelle von Politik, Forschung und Zivilgesellschaft in der EU und gestalte die Wirtschaft nachhaltig.
• Qualifikationen: Mindestens 3 Jahre Erfahrung in der wirtschaftspolitischen Beratung, Teamführung und Projektmanagement.
• Was du noch wissen solltest: Hybrides Arbeiten mit regelmäßigen Reisen nach Köln, Berlin oder Brüssel.

Das voraussichtliche Gehalt liegt zwischen 4000 - 5000 € pro Monat.

Economist (m/f/d)

Hybrid, with regular travel to Cologne, Berlin, Brussels | starting in
fall | full-time

Who we are
ZOE, the Institute for Future-Fit Economies, is an independent think & do tank based in Cologne
founded in 2017. We are dedicated to policy-oriented research and evidence-driven advocacy for a
future-fit economy. At the interface of politics, research, and civil society in the EU, we develop
impulses for an economy that enables people to live well within planetary boundaries.

We are a small team that values an appreciative atmosphere and good communication. Further we
offer:

• A motivating working environment in a small think & do tank that has made it to the top of EU
  politics in a short space of time
• A strategic, agile, value and purpose oriented working style
• Flexibility of working time and place, supporting a healthy work-life-balance
• A dynamic organization that is in the exciting phase of scaling up its activities

Key Responsibilities
As part of a motivated and impact-driven team you will carry out a variety of tasks, including:

• Content expertise and ability to develop project strategy on at least three of our core topics:
  fiscal policy, growth independence, economic (social and environmental) indicators, Beyond
  GDP, economic resilience, socio-economic cohesion, governance and policy design and
  industrial policy
• Team leadership and experience related to project management, leading and motivate a team,
  and supporting organisational development
• Facilitation and moderation of workshops, discussions, and events
• External presentation of ZOE’s work to diverse audiences
• Relationship building with diverse audiences including policymakers, political figures, leading
  experts in the field, peer organisations.

The specific set of priority tasks and responsibilities will be decided together based on the list above
and the selected candidate’s specific background and skills.

Projects
You will have the opportunity to contribute to our work in three key projects:

Redefining Progress Beyond GDP: We explore possibilities to redefine policies and policy goals of the
EU and selected Member States away from a focus on economic growth to building a resilient,
regenerative wellbeing economy that enables humanity to thrive within the limits of the planet. Key
issues include:

• What new metrics and indicators are important for understanding our economy?

Economic Resilience: We conceptualise economic resilience and help EU Member States to design
policies, measures and reforms which create systemic change for sustainable and resilient societies
that can adapt to or mitigate future crises. Key issues include:

• How can economic resilience be conceptualised and what would an economic resilience
  index need to entail to be a feasible alternative to GDP?
• How can social and ecological goals be prioritised in economic policy making?

Visit us at www.zoe-institut.de/en 1

Socio-economic cohesion: We are currently building up a new area of work exploring the key social
challenges related to the green transition. This includes our work currently in development on
environmental-social trade-offs in policymakers and industrial policy and industrial transformation.

Whom we are looking for
We are looking for people that share our core principles: value orientation, sustainability, agility, selfresponsibility,
and flat hierarchies. Your profile would include the following skills, background, and
knowledge:

• At least 3 years of professional experience in economic policy consulting or comparable fields
• At least 2 years of experience leading teams and projects
• Expert knowledge on macroeconomic policy and strong analytical & content-expertise skills;
• Knowledge on at least three of our core topics: fiscal policy, growth independence, economic
  (social and environmental) indicators, Beyond GDP, economic resilience, socio-economic
  cohesion, governance and policy design and industrial policy
• Strong political strategy skills, including creativity and innovation in problem solving of the
  EU’s economic policy challenges.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills (written and verbal) when explaining
  research results to a non-expert audience
• Capability to work on several projects in parallel and to work with ease also across projects
• Fluency in written and spoken English and in German is preferable
• Master’s degree in economics, political economy or equivalent economics knowledge and
  skills acquired through other demonstrable means

In addition, some of the following competencies fit well into our team, but are not a requirement:
contacts within European policy networks, an academic track record, knowledge about EU decisionmaking
processes, familiarity with EU economic governance, experience in the acquisition of thirdparty
funds and knowledge of participative and co-creative processes, such as design thinking

Conditions
The weekly workload is 40 hours whereby working hours can be arranged flexibly. The position is
planned to start in the fall. We wish for a regular presence in Cologne, Berlin or Brussels, however we
support a hybrid work environment. Candidates should be willing to travel/commute at minimum once
per month, likely to our office in Cologne. While we are flexible about the location, candidates need to
be willing to live within the EU. The gross wage will be €4,000-€5,000 per month, depending on the
competences and experience. The contract will be for one year initially; however, the position is
intended to contribute to the long-term development of the organisation. For this reason, we aim for a
longer-term fit.

Diversity
We believe that our society’s behaviour disproportionately hurts the most marginalized people –
including people of colour, people from working class backgrounds, people with disabilities, women
and LGBTIQ people. We are committed to challenge this through our work for socially just development
and by creating a diverse workplace at our organisation. Hence, we strongly encourage applications
from people who are members of marginalized communities.

Application procedure
We are continuously accepting applications. Please send your CV (max 3 pages), a motivation letter
(400-500 words), and a work sample (power point slides, publication, or anything similar) to
applications@zoe-institut.de . Please do not attach a photo to your application. Please state "Economic
Policy Consultant" in the subject line. If we consider your application to be suitable, we will get back
to you as soon as possible with dates for an online interview. In case of any questions please contact
applications@zoe-institut.de.

Visit us at www.zoe-institut.de/en 2