Senior Economist - World Competitiveness Center

About IMD

The Institute for Management Development (IMD) is an independent academic institution with Swiss roots and global reach, founded 75 years ago by business leaders for business leaders. Since its creation, IMD has been a pioneering force in developing leaders who transform organizations and contribute to society.
Based in Lausanne (Switzerland) and Singapore, IMD has been ranked in the Top 3 of the annual FT’s Executive Education Global Ranking for the last nine consecutive years and in the top five for 17 consecutive years. Our MBA and EMBA programs have repeatedly been singled out among the best in Europe and the world.  
We believe that this consistency at the forefront of our industry is grounded in IMD’s unique approach to creating “Real Learning. Real Impact”. Led by an expert and diverse faculty, we strive to be the trusted learning partner of choice for ambitious individuals and organizations worldwide. Our purpose is “Challenging what is and inspiring what could be, we develop leaders who transform organizations and contribute to society.”

To reinforce our team, we are looking for a

Senior Economist (100%)

Under the direction of the Center Director Professor Arturo Bris, the postholder will undertake academic research on economics and finance targeting leading academic publications and IMD World Competitiveness Center (WCC) relevant research outlets. 

The WCC undertakes pioneering research into the diverse dimensions of competitiveness. We address real-world issues in ways that can be used by countries to improve their performance and play a strategic role in their economy’s success. Our insights and thought leadership not only provide innovative material for education programs, but help set the agenda for better competitiveness practices and improved economic performance at large. Most competitiveness research and education focusses on goverment efficiency – but misses the active role of other intangible factors in contributing to the sustainability of competitiveness. The WCC takes a different approach, with the express aim of helping countries to strengthen  their competitive advantage to adress the complexity of today’s world.

The Job’s mission

The Senior Economist will be involved in most research projects of the Center and help develop a novel and relevant research agenda for the following years, including study design, creation of research methodologies, survey development, processing and analysis of data as well as the writing of academic articles. S/he will mentor other team members on research methodologies, and work together with the Center Director in his research agenda.   

The Senior Economist will therefore be a key contributor of the Center’s overall success and impact. 

Key activities & accountabilities

•    Design research projects that are either empirical or theoretical. 
•    Analyse and draw insights from qualitative and quantitative data in a structured manner.
•    Produce high quality academic articles and practitioner oriented articles, reports, case studies and other forms of output. 
•    Work collaboratively with other researchers within IMD, and from external research providers and/or partners.
•    Contribute to the different WCC outputs 
•    Lead pilot projects/feasibility studies if required
•    Present findings to peers at conferences or in published articles
•    Be involved in teaching activities at IMD related to Competitiveness

Ideal profile

•    PhD degree in finance, law, economics, management or a related discipline incorporating elements of qualitative and quantitative research.
•    Record of publishing in peer reviewed journals (FT50 journals are a plus) or pipeline with strong potential. 
•    Keen and demonstrable interest in economics and finance. 
•    Knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative research; skills in coding (e.g. Stata, Python) is a plus. 
•    Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
•    Strong organizational skills 
•    Ability to work independently and proactively with minimum supervision
•    Deadline and results oriented
•    Ability to work well under pressure
•    Full fluency in English (written and spoken) at a native level or equivalent. Other languages  are a plus.

The ideal candidate will have ambition to use this position as a platform toward taking on a full research professorship in the future.
 

How to apply

If you have the above skills and would like to work in our stimulating environment, please send your complete application file (letter of motivation and resume in English, copies of your work certificates and diplomas). 

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability (such as dyslexia, sight and/or hearing disabilities, etc) and you need a reasonable accommodation in order to apply for this position, please specify it in your application. 

A valid Swiss work permit or Swiss or EU-25EFTA citizenship is required for this position.