Head of Economic Policy

Requirements of the role

The economic regulation and competition policy team is a vital part of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Consumers and Markets Group (CMG). The focus of the team is to protect consumers by ensuring that airports and air traffic service (ATS) providers do not exploit their market position. Understanding the impact of policy options and our actions is essential in ensuring we protect the interests of consumers while allowing a fair investment opportunity for investors.

The team has responsibility for the economic regulation of Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL), Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) and the monopoly air traffic services provider for the UK, NATS (En Route) Plc (NERL). This includes the development, oversight and enforcement of price control arrangements and other licence obligations. The team is also responsible for discharging the CAA’s concurrent competition responsibilities relating to the provision of airport operation and air traffic services.

We are looking for a Head of Economic Policy to play a key role and lead significant elements of our work in setting price controls and developing the regulatory frameworks for airports and ATS. This will include work on assessing the efficiency of costs and revenues, setting incentives, and leading work on other areas of the price control framework. Reporting to the Programme Director, the Head of Economic Policy will lead on the economic assessment of key policy issues and initiatives. This will involve working across the team to review and challenge submissions from the regulated companies (including the assessment of business plan information) and the work of external consultants. It will also involve work on new issues, driving forward key workstreams, the drafting of high-profile policy documents and working effectively with our own external advisors and consultants.

These issues will have a highly material impact on the price control proposals we will make in coming years and are central to our statutory duties to protect consumers. The decisions also have the potential to be highly contentious and are likely to be subject to appeals and/or legal challenge. The Head of Economic Policy will be responsible for developing and delivering cohesive work plans, identifying the best approach to analysis, engaging with senior level stakeholders, and ensuring that key deliverables are informed by compelling analysis, are robust and produced to a high standard.

This role is a permanent position and offers the opportunity for professional development, through working within a highly experienced team, directly influencing and engaging with senior leaders, and working across a wide variety of high profile and interesting economic and policy issues.

Core accountabilities

The Head of Economic Policy will be responsible for:

• Overseeing and driving forward key elements of the economic analysis and assessment that supports our work on price controls and other aspects of the regulatory frameworks for airports and ATS. This is expected to include work to assess the efficiency of costs and revenues, and experience in designing and calibrating regulatory incentive mechanisms.
• Ensuring that the analysis that supports the CAA’s decisions is robust to external challenge and scrutiny and supported by appropriate quality assurance processes, given the very significant materiality of the underlying issues and the high likelihood of external challenge.
• Ensuring that leading edge economic thinking is incorporated into the CAA’s approach to policy development and the analytical work that supports this policy.
• Engaging at a senior level with key stakeholders on a wide range of issues.
• Overseeing the work of our technical advisors and consultants.
• Reviewing and challenging regulatory business plans and submissions from other stakeholders.
• Working closely with the Programme Directors to ensure work is fully coordinated across the wider ERCP work programmes.
• Ensuring key deliverables are provided on time and to high quality (including drafting consultation and proposal papers such that they provide a clear exposition of technical issues and are prepared to a standard consistent with publication, as well as contributing to submissions to the CAA Board).
• Providing advice to the Programme Directors, Chief Economist, the CAA Executive Committee and the CAA Board as required.
• Translating technical economic and other issues into simple explanations, analysis and presentations that will secure the confidence of non-technical audiences.
• Developing and empowering team members, through opportunities to develop skills and training, as a senior leader in the team.
• Championing CAA values and D&I policy.

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