Position Summary:

The Conference Board is a world leading business think-tank that, for over 100 years now, has provided independent, leading-edge research on the most pressing business issues of the era. Our research spans an array of economic, human capital, and corporate leadership topics. Our mission is simple: to provide research-based insights for what's ahead to help global business improve performance and better serve society.

We are looking for a dynamic and capable Economist to lead our economic analysis on China, and who is able to distill complex issues and convey clear business-focused takeaways to a C-suite and top executive audience. The Economist will be responsible for authoring written pieces on key macroeconomic and policy developments; presenting research highlights externally with confidence to top executives; and supporting other work done by the China Center.

Main Responsibilities:

• Analysis: Conduct short-, medium-, and long-term quantitative and qualitative analyses of China's economy, including: (i) key growth drivers, e.g., consumption, production, investment, trade, productivity, demographics, etc.; (ii) key trends and developments in sectors that are important for growth such as real estate and automotive; (iii) policy developments impacting the economic outlook; and (iv) geopolitical developments.
• Written deliverables: Produce regular written English-language China Center research and thought leadership deliverables, including: (i) a monthly update on the state and outlook of the Chinese economy; (ii) monthly short analyses on hot, emerging topics related to macroeconomic, sector and/or policy developments; (iii) PPT decks summarizing research highlights for delivery to top executives; and (iv) other thought leadership, including in cooperation with Conference Board colleagues based overseas.  
• Presentation deliverables: Present research highlights in person and/or virtually to a C-suite and top executive audience, and in a way that clearly conveys takeaways for a top senior business audience.
• Media: Participate in written and live media interviews as required by the Head of the China Center and the Research Director.
• Idea-generation: Contribute ideas about potential topics and hypotheses that can differentiate our research and help the China Center build a competitive edge.
• Support: Support the Head of the China Center and the Research Director, Asia in the development of materials for their briefings to top executives; as well as colleagues based overseas for the preparation of economic forecasts and global reports.

Essential Functions:

• Act as the primary developer of the China Center's research agenda on China's economy, including related to key internal and external factors impacting growth.
• Communicate in oral and written form clear takeaways from your research work, with the aim of addressing the 'so what' for business leaders. Your deliverables should be well structured, with a clear narrative and logic.
• Continuously track policy and economic development in relevant areas.
• Regularly prepare and conduct member presentations such as briefings, webcasts, and meetings (both online and in-person).
• Closely collaborate with China Center and global team members to interpret developments and assess their impact on China's economy and business environment, and on the regional and global economy.
• Contribute to conceptualizing and constructing PPT-based analysis and narrative for China Center member events and meetings.
• Contribute to conceptualizing and executing new, innovative ideas and strategies to engage members on research content (e.g., webcasts, podcasts, videos, infographics, interactive charts).

Knowledge and Skills:

• Solid economic credentials and relevant experience in qualitative and quantitative economic research.
• Solid expertise in at least one area of structural economics, in particular: consumption, demographics, productivity, and labor markets.
• Good grasp of macroeconomic and policy developments, as well as socioeconomic issues in China.
• Excellent data analysis skills and familiarity with the sources and quality of data in China.
• Ability to engage in thought-leading research, including conceptualization of future trends, in a given topic area.
• Ability to connect economic issues to business planning issues faced by companies – i.e., the outlook for growth, stability, risks, or shocks and their impacts on business conditions on the ground.
• Ability to communicate clear takeaways with confidence and to address questions from a top executive audience is key. It is also important to have excellent presentation skills. Experience presenting to business and/or C-level audiences will be a major advantage.
• Team player – collaboration is essential for this role.
• Native-level Chinese skills. We are looking for a candidate who can research Chinese primary and secondary sources, communicate confidently in Chinese when presenting to top executives and answering their questions, and potentially write research deliverables in Chinese.
• Excellent English skills. Because of the nature of this role, the candidate must be able to write and present in English fluently. Written deliverables should be well structured, with clear and compelling takeaways, and require minimum editing.

Education and Experience Requirements:

• Graduate degree in Economics, Political Economy, Finance or related areas.
• Preferably minimum five years relevant work experience, but we are willing to consider exceptional candidates with less work experience.

We offer competitive salary and employment conditions. Compensation will be discussed in person, according to candidate's qualification and experience.

Submit CV, cover letter, writing sample(s) and expected salary range to anke.schrader@tcb.org and alfredo.montufarhelu@tcb.org.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.