Associate

About ECOnorthwest

ECOnorthwest is a public policy consulting firm headquartered in Portland, Oregon, with offices in Seattle, Bend, Denver, and Los Angeles. For 50 years, policymakers and business leaders have trusted ECOnorthwest to inform the complex issues that shape communities. We integrate economic analysis with complementary disciplines to provide a more complete understanding of how policy choices affect people's lives.

Overall purpose of the position

ECOnorthwest is seeking a technically minded and intellectually curious Associate to support applied economics work across a broad range of public- and private-sector projects. The Associate will conduct quantitative and qualitative research, contribute to economic and fiscal analyses, develop clear and defensible analytical methods, and communicate findings through reports, presentations, and other client deliverables. Projects may examine how policies, programs, investments, and major developments affect local and regional economies, public revenues and costs, workers, housing markets, businesses and industries, communities, land and natural resources, infrastructure, and public services.

The Associate may support work involving renewable energy, data centers and other large-scale infrastructure, economic and community development, agriculture and natural resources, ecosystem services, land use, public finance, workforce, and housing. The ideal candidate enjoys collaboration, learning unfamiliar topics, working with complex or incomplete information, and translating technical findings into useful insights for clients, policymakers, and communities. Experience in every subject area is not expected; curiosity, analytical rigor, strong writing, and genuine interest in applied consulting are essential.

Associates are important members of project teams. They may structure analyses, lead work streams, delegate tasks to Research Analysts and Senior Research Analysts, or manage smaller projects under the direction of a Project Director or Project Manager. Associates prepare sections of client presentations and reports and may complete deliverables for smaller projects with limited direction. They help manage project scope, schedule, and budget; interact directly with clients; and contribute to proposals and business development. Associates commonly work on multiple projects and proposals simultaneously and must balance competing priorities while communicating proactively about workload, progress, and concerns. This position is expected to maintain a billable-hours ratio of 75 percent after five months.

Required competencies

Technical competencies

• Conduct economic analyses using frameworks such as economic impact analysis, fiscal impact analysis, industry and market analysis, workforce and labor market analysis, housing analysis, land-use and agricultural analysis, benefit-cost analysis, nonmarket valuation, and evaluation of public policies, programs, and investments. Direct experience in every framework is not required, but familiarity with applied economic methods and their application across subjects is desired.
• Demonstrate strong spreadsheet and data-analysis skills, including organizing and evaluating complex datasets, developing transparent calculations, identifying inconsistencies, and independently checking results.
• Apply appropriate qualitative, quantitative, statistical, and spatial methods and synthesize results for client deliverables.
• Integrate information from government datasets, client information, spatial data, plans and regulatory documents, academic and industry research, interviews, surveys, and other primary research.
• Identify data limitations, assess the reasonableness of assumptions and results, and distinguish evidence, interpretation, and uncertainty.
• Translate technical methods and findings into clear narratives, tables, graphics, maps, and presentations for nontechnical audiences.
• Understand the physical and operational characteristics of a policy, program, investment, or development and how those characteristics affect the analytical approach.
• Independently lead a technical analysis or work stream through specialized technical capabilities or relevant subject-matter expertise.
• Apply appropriate analytical and research frameworks, datasets, software, economic and planning principles, and quantitative and qualitative methods based on the project question, available information, client needs, and intended audience.
• Understand how data limitations and research methods may overrepresent, underrepresent, or otherwise affect particular populations and communities.
• Learn unfamiliar subject matter, incorporate new information, and adapt analytical approaches as project needs evolve.
• In collaboration with project leadership, understand and communicate the strategic, regulatory, and political context and potential implications of the work while maintaining ECOnorthwest's standards for objective, evidence-based analysis.

Project and team management skills

• In collaboration with project leadership, anticipate project and team needs and proactively address sensitive issues with collegiality, sound judgment, and initiative.
• Consistently produce accurate, polished, client-ready analyses and written deliverables while meeting deadlines and managing competing priorities.
• Write clearly and efficiently, respond constructively to editorial feedback, and revise technical material to improve logic, accessibility, and usefulness.
• Seek appropriate direction while demonstrating increasing independence in project execution.
• Communicate early when information gaps, analytical challenges, workload constraints, or project decisions may affect quality, schedule, scope, or budget.
• Work collaboratively and respectfully with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including clients, agency staff, industry representatives, community members, and technical professionals.
• Understand and apply project management practices, including developing scopes, monitoring budgets and schedules, delegating work, coordinating teams, and maintaining clear project records.
• Provide clear, constructive direction and feedback to junior staff and respond productively to feedback from colleagues and project leadership.
• Develop professional relationships and participate in networking, business development, and professional events as appropriate.
• Personal aptitudes/interpersonal skills
• Demonstrate genuine interest in ECOnorthwest's applied consulting work and in using economic and policy analysis to help clients and communities understand complex decisions.
• Demonstrate intellectual curiosity and a strong desire to learn.
• Take ownership of the accuracy, clarity, timeliness, and usefulness of work.
• Enjoy investigating unfamiliar industries, technologies, policies, places, and analytical questions.
• Ask thoughtful questions and look beyond the immediate assignment to understand the purpose of the analysis and how results will be used.
• Be comfortable working with incomplete information and questions that may not have a single established method or answer.
• Contribute to a collegial, supportive, and inclusive work environment and enable effective teamwork among colleagues and project participants with varied backgrounds and expertise.
• Demonstrate sound judgment, self-awareness, and the ability to self-assess and course-correct.
• Approach new information and perspectives with an open mind and adapt as project needs change.
• Manage time and workload reliably, efficiently, and transparently.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Degree in economics or applied economics (Master's generally preferred).
• At least three years of relevant professional experience in consulting, government, research, policy analysis, or a related setting. A Master's may substitute for two years of experience.
• Experience with applied economic, fiscal, socioeconomic, workforce, housing, demographic, land-use, agricultural, environmental, or infrastructure analysis.
• Strong professional writing skills and ability to explain technical information clearly and concisely to nontechnical audiences.
• Strong spreadsheet and data-management skills and experience working with complex quantitative information.
• Understanding of economic methods, principles, and their application to real-world questions.
• Ability to independently investigate unfamiliar questions, evaluate available information, and identify reasonable analytical approaches.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, incorporate feedback, and collaborate effectively with colleagues from different disciplinary backgrounds.

Preferred Qualifications

We do not expect candidates to bring experience in every area below. Relevant experience in one or more areas, combined with strong analytical and writing skills and an interest in learning, may be sufficient.

• Experience with consulting or other project-based work involving multiple clients, schedules, budgets, and deliverables.
• Knowledge of renewable energy, data centers, utilities, ecosystem services, economic and community development, agriculture and natural resources, public finance, land-use policy, or major infrastructure and capital investments.
• Experience with input-output modeling, fiscal modeling, benefit-cost analysis, nonmarket valuation, statistical analysis, GIS, data visualization, databases, or reproducible analytical workflows.
• Experience conducting interviews, surveys, stakeholder engagement, or other primary research.
• Experience preparing materials for clients, regulatory proceedings, public agencies, elected officials, community audiences, or other decision-makers.
• Knowledge of government plans, policies, and regulatory processes affecting economic development, taxation and public revenues, land use, utilities, infrastructure, housing, transportation, public services, or natural resources.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work for long periods at a computer.