Date: 11 Feb 2026
Location: Endeavour Square / Palestra, TfL Corporate
Company: TfL, GLA or OPDC
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Key Information
Job title: Principal Economist [Spatial Planning]
Salary: From £57k dependent on experience + TfL Benefits
Contract type: Fixed term contract [2 years]
Reference: 3427
Team: Spatial Planning
Directorate: Customer and Strategy
Contract details: 2 Years FTC
Location: Stratford / Southwark / Hybrid
Application closing date: Wednesday 25/02/2026 at 23:59
* Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.
Overview of project/role
Step into a role where your economic insight can shape the future of London.
We’re looking for an economist to help support TfL’s Growth & Master Planning team to provide the critical analysis that underpins funding bids for investment in infrastructure linked to housing delivery and economic growth. You’ll play a central part in delivering “good growth” across the capital by helping integrate transport and land‑use planning in line with the London Plan and the Mayor’s Transport Strategy.
From quantifying the economic and revenue impact of future schemes to evaluating the growth and equity impacts of past schemes including landmark projects such as the Elizabeth Line. You’ll influence decisions that drive long‑term benefits for Londoners.
In addition, you will manage budgets for small projects and research commissions (typically under £1m) and may take on direct, indirect, or matrix management responsibilities for staff, including graduates, apprentices, and project teams. This is a high‑impact role where your work will inform decisions shaping London’s places, communities, and long‑term prosperity.
Key Accountabilities
* Lead on the development of economic appraisals of TfL projects and programmes to support the development of Green Book compliant business cases and other TfL requirements.
* Lead on forecasting the growth impacts of major TfL projects. Work closely with the GLA to ensure that housing dependency is supported in policy. Develop TfL’s internal evidence base on housing dependency.
* Develop forecasts of the impact of schemes on TfL’s farebox revenue income to inform TfL’s negotiations with stakeholders including funding and financing assessments.
* Lead on the design and implementation of post‑opening monitoring and evaluation to assess the economic and social impacts of TfL projects and programmes.
* Support TfL engagement with central Government and the research community to develop new economic appraisal methods to support TfL business cases particularly related to integrated transport and land use appraisal.
* Work flexibly in a matrix environment and manage a diverse range of projects to support TfL priorities, including resource planning; managing inputs and virtual cross‑functional teams from across TfL and beyond; commissioning of consultants; negotiating key outcomes with external parties; and provide guidance to less experienced colleagues.
Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Skills
* Excellent analytical skills and ability to apply economic concepts and techniques to transport and land use problems including business case development, evaluation design and revenue appraisal (Essential).
* Strong verbal, visual and written communication skills, including producing high‑quality reports and presentations (Essential).
* Developing work plans (Essential).
* Initiating and assessing feasibility of transport schemes in line with policies and other requirements (Desirable).
* The relationship between data and its intended application including the use transport modelling outputs in informing appraisal (Desirable).
Knowledge
* Degree / qualification in Economics or equivalent numerical subject and understanding of Transport Economics or equivalent experience (essential).
* A theoretical understanding of welfare economics and its application in Green Book, DfT and MHCLG appraisal guidance (essential).
* Understanding of post‑opening scheme evaluation design including social and econometric methods (e.g., difference‑in‑difference modelling) (desirable).
* Understanding of relationship between transport investment, the land market and the macroeconomy e.g., GDP impacts (desirable).
* Understanding of cities from the perspective of transport systems, health and environment, particularly London and its governance (desirable).
* Understanding of project management processes including their strategic transport context (desirable).
* Understanding of transport planning and the wider context to the development of projects and proposals (desirable).
Experience
* Experience of developing business cases for public projects / programmes and particularly economic appraisal / cost benefit analysis (Essential).
* Experience of specifying, producing, presenting and reviewing complex information in a simple way to cater for a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders (Essential).
* Experience of designing and implementing post opening evaluations of public projects to understand impacts (Desirable).
* Experience of transport revenue appraisal including the use of transport model outputs (Desirable).
* Experience of managing elements of the development of project, programme, planning or policy (Desirable).
* Experience of working in flexible, multi‑disciplinary teams, including managing resources (cost/people) (Desirable).
Application Process
* You will need to provide both an up‑to‑date CV and a one‑page covering letter as part of your application.
* Please ensure you address how you demonstrate the essential criteria outlined above in the advert. PDF format preferred and do not include any photographs or images.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to represent the city we serve, which will help us become a more innovative and efficient organisation. Our goal is to make our recruitment as inclusive as possible. We are a disability confident employer who guarantee an interview to any disabled candidate who meets all of the essential criteria. We also use anonymising software that removes identifying information from CVs and cover letters to make the process fair.
Fixed term contract
As a fixed term contractor we can offer you a choice of pension arrangements. If you choose not to take our final salary pension scheme you will be paid an allowance on top of your salary, subject to Tax and National Insurance. We will share all the details with you at offer stage and the choice will be yours based on your circumstances. Depending on what you choose you can add up‑to‑14% to your salary.
Benefits
In return for your commitment and expertise, you will enjoy excellent benefits and scope to grow. Rewards vary according to the level of role but mostly include the below:
* Final salary pension scheme
* Free travel for you on the TfL network
* Reimbursement of 75% of the cost of a standard class Ticket for National Rail travel from home or 75% reimbursement on a 28‑day flexi ticket
* 30 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays
* TfL is committed to work‑life balance, operating a hybrid working approach where business and role requirements allow
* Private healthcare discounted scheme (optional)
* Tax‑efficient cycle‑to‑work programme
* Retail, health, leisure and travel offers
* Discounted Eurostar travel
Vetting Process
At Transport for London, safety, trust and fairness sit at the heart of how we recruit. Our Vetting Charter explains the checks we carry out before you join us, helping ensure we create a safe, inclusive and reliable network for everyone who depends on our services. We simply ask that the information you provide is honest and accurate so we can progress your application smoothly. If something doesn’t match or can’t be verified, we may not be able to move forward with your application, but we’ll always treat you with transparency, respect, and clear communication throughout.
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