Graduate Consulting Economist Position
| Contract | Six-month fixed-term contract, with option to extend to permanent |
|---|---|
| Salary | Around £25,000–£30,000 pro rata |
| Hours | Five days per week, 35 hours |
| Location | Fully remote (UK), with travel to London a couple of times a month (expenses included) |
| Start date | Summer 2026 |
| Closing date | Three weeks from publication |
| Right to work | UK right to work required. We are not able to sponsor visas. |
About Firehills Consulting
Firehills is a consulting and technology firm that works with both private and public sector clients on strategy, organisational design and leadership. We are moving forward with our growth plans and with that we need new talent and skills to deliver.
What we believe
The way most firms approach these issues is very traditional and – we believe – doesn't really respond to the forces that drive the economy. We believe that the economy is complex, which means it is subject to emergent patterns shaped by dynamic relationships that exist between firms, customers, regulators and others. Firehills helps companies and public sector organisations understand this complexity in order to make better decisions for growth and impact. We do this in two ways: through consulting projects, and through technology. Our flagship product, Furze, is an AI platform that helps deal-makers and strategy teams think systemically to create new strategies for economic growth.
We are curious by nature, and we respect people who apply their minds. In a world where AI can produce a lot of plausible-sounding analysis very quickly, we believe the people who matter are the ones who think independently, notice what others miss, and back their own views.
Why we are hiring
We have written a paper about the future economy. It sets out a series of long-horizon shifts in the global economy — markets and trends we believe will grow disproportionately over the next ten to thirty years. The paper is well argued, but the narratives in it are still narratives. We want them grounded in real economic data drawn from the world today.
We also want to use that grounded work inside Furze. When the platform helps clients think through growth scenarios, those scenarios become significantly stronger when a supported economic story sits underneath them. We need to design and implement a set of economics features and functions which does exactly that.
These two pieces of work are connected, and they are central to our growth strategy. Bringing in a dedicated economist to lead on them — alongside contributing to our live consulting work — is the next step for Firehills.
Role purpose
You will help Firehills ground its futures work in real economic data, shape an economics module inside Furze that builds on that grounding, and contribute to live client work across strategy, organisational design and leadership.
The role sits at the meeting point of three things we care about:
The economy and futures markets — the intellectual problem.
Technology development — Furze, our AI platform.
Real client delivery — the consulting projects we deliver.
By the end of six months, you will have seen the impact of your work in all three. You will be a co-author on a Firehills paper, you will have shaped a real piece of Furze, our AI product, and you will have contributed to live client engagements — a combination of applied empirical economics, AI product thinking and professional services delivery that very few graduate programmes can offer in the same window. We hope you see this as an exciting prospect.
What you will do
Your work will fall across three connected areas.
1. Ground our futures work in real economic data
Review the existing futures narratives in our paper, and assess what economic evidence supports each one.
Identify the data, indicators and analysis needed to test whether each narrative holds up.
Strengthen, refine, or — where the evidence points that way — challenge the existing narratives.
Propose new themes or stronger framings where you see them.
Co-author the resulting Firehills paper, with credit.
2. Shape the economics and data science functionality inside Furze
Work with the Furze product team to design how economic evidence, related data and narratives are brought into the platform.
Define the methodology, data sources and calculable logic that Furze will use to support growth-scenario recommendations for clients.
Create the data logic for how to interpret selected data sources, including arrangement and strategy for survivorship for that data overtime.
Translate complex economic thinking into something that is useful to non-economists working through strategic options.
3. Exposure to live consulting work
Join live Firehills consulting projects in strategy, organisational design and leadership.
Contribute research and thinking to client deliverables.
Build experience of how professional services work is scoped, delivered and presented.
Who you are
You are early in your career. You may have just finished your degree, or you may be one or two years out. We do not mind which. What we care about is who you are, how you think, and what you have done with what you have learnt.
You are someone who:
Thinks independently and is willing to back your own view, even when it goes against the room.
Has done interesting thinking beyond your course — written something, built something, argued for something publicly.
Is curious about how the economy, technology and business decisions connect.
Communicates clearly in writing, including for readers who are not economists.
Wants real ownership of a real problem and is comfortable with the ambiguity that comes with that.
Essential requirements
A strong undergraduate degree (First or high 2:1) in Economics, or in a subject with serious quantitative content (for example PPE, Maths and Economics, or similar).
Evidence of empirical research — your dissertation counts, as does a paper, a competition entry, or work as a research assistant.
Comfort with at least one quantitative tool: Stata, R or Python backed with data science experience
Clear written communication, including for non-specialist readers.
The right to work in the UK without sponsorship.
Preferred (but not required)
A Master's degree in Economics
Some awareness of/exposure to Complexity Economics as an approach
Demonstrated interest in long-horizon thinking, futures, scenarios or foresight.
Awareness of how AI is reshaping economic analysis and strategic decision-making.
Interest in professional services consulting and how this adds value to client needs
What working at Firehills is like
We are a small team but nimble and fast-moving. You will work directly with the partners of the firm, not through layers of management. What we offer instead is:
A real problem to solve, with a real outcome you can point to.
Direct access to the people running the firm, and the mentoring that comes with that.
Exposure to live consulting work from very early after you join, not as a shadow but as a contributor.
A culture that values independent thinking over pedigree, and curiosity over credentials.
How to apply: Head to our application link here: Application Form
We intend to reply to all applications (we know its hard sending applications to hear nothing back). This will happen in due course once applications close. Applications will close on the 3rd of July. Any applications after this date will not be included in our reviews.
