Chief Economist
St Helena Island, South Atlantic
3 years FTC available immediately
£55k pa, depending on experience and qualifications, plus an attractive benefits package which will include international supplement, pension contribution and relocation allowance
Enjoying unique lifestyle opportunities, St Helena Island is a self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom. Although better placed to develop economically and socially as a result of opening our international airport in 2017, we are not at the stage of self-sufficiency and therefore remain dependent on UK government aid.
The Chief Economist position will form part of the Treasury Portfolio, and the Mission statement is ‘Guiding St Helena on the path to prosperity’. In doing so, it is responsible for coordinating the business of government in a coherent and effective manner and overseeing the delivery of the 10 Year Plan, the SHG Strategy and Sustainable Economic Development Strategy.
SHG has recently published a new Sustainable Economic Development Strategy 2023-33 (SEDS), to help us achieve the Ministerial Agenda. Therefore, we are seeking a suitable candidate to head up the Government’s Economic service providing economic advice and guidance on all aspects on government policy across the organisation, reporting directly to the Financial Secretary.
In this integral role as head of the government’s economic function, you will:
- Provide support for the overall financial resilience of the Public Service, ensuring value for money and return on Investment.
- Support the preparation and oversee the management of macroeconomic forecasts and produce inflation forecasts to inform the government’s medium-term expenditure framework.
- input consideration of economic development issues, with a particular focus on developing policy measures that incentivise private sector investment in key strategic sectors, with economic input into regulatory issues.
- with the Head of Strategic Policy, provide socio-economic assessments of key policies and projects as well as economic evaluation where necessary, leading and updating the annual Minimum Wage process and advising on labour market strategy. Prepare for and support the visiting annual financial aid mission from the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, liaising with them on all economic issues relating to St Helena.
- Support the reform process, by leading the development of tax policies and support the development of wider immigration, welfare, land use, investment and other policies.
As the Chief Economist you will be required to have the following essential requirement:
- first degree level in a relevant subject (with a significant economics component)
- Project or Programme Management qualification (Prince2, MSP, Agile) or equivalent experience.
- at least 10 years experience in economic analysis and development.
- experience of business and financial planning in a financially constrained context, involving some hard-to-predict budgets, supported by sound financial management skills.
- background that encompasses performance management at organisational and individual staffing level, strategic planning, project management, policy development at Board or equivalent level, managing budgets, resources and funding and operating in a highly political environment.
- ability to build positive and productive relationships, with colleagues, politicians and other stakeholders and are adept at analysing and interpreting information to develop solutions or solve problems.
- A track record on the development and writing of policy you show political sensitivity and awareness having worked closely with, and advised, ministers and senior management on a formal and informal basis.
In addition, you must demonstrate our core values of fairness, integrity and teamwork and use your diverse expertise and experiences to ensure your time on the Island has the broadest benefit to St Helena. As an officer funded through the Technical Co-Operation Programme you will be expected to share your knowledge and skills beyond the workplace contributing to workforce, community and capacity development in St Helena.
Our Benefits Package Includes:
- An International Supplement, full details of which are in the Overseas Vacancy Information
- Relocation Allowances, full details of which are in the Overseas Vacancy Information
- Annual Pension Contribution of 7.5% of salary
- Annual Leave of 30 days per annum plus Public Holidays
How to Apply:
An application form is available below where further information can also be found, or you may contact Kedell Worboys on 0203 818 7610 or via email: shgukrep@sthelenagov.com.
Applications must be sent to shgukrep@sthelenagov.com and received by 22 March 2025
To be considered for this role, you must complete our application form. Failure to do so will mean that your application will not be considered. Please do not submit your CV.
The Public Service positively accepts applications from all members of the community regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, and will consider all applications on the basis of merit, in accordance with the person specification.
Related Document Downloads
- Application Form Part A
- Application Form Part B
- Overseas Specific Vacancy Information
- Terms of Reference
- Job Profile
SHG is currently experiencing significant technical issues in the receipt of external emails. For this reason, please send your application to the recruitment address on the advert, and copy to shgukrep@sthelenagov.com. You may wish to contact us by telephone on + 290 22470 to check we have received your application. We will provide an update when the issues are fixed.