Labor Economist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

External Thought Leadership

• Develop and execute groundbreaking thought leadership that advances Lightcast's mission across global audiences, with an emphasis on education and the public sector.

• Lead creative, rigorous, and high-impact research and data analysis that supports Lightcast's strategic goals and priorities.

• Translate Lightcast data into compelling messages, research publications, and broader communications and marketing campaigns.

• Serve as an external-facing labor market expert through media interviews, research papers, blog posts, social media, podcasts, and other public channels.

• Represent Lightcast at conferences, expert groups, advisory committees, and other influential forums.

• Build a visible personal brand in coordination with the Lightcast brand.

Research Agenda Ownership

• Define and own Lightcast's education, workforce, and future-of-work research agenda.

• Identify high-impact research questions and emerging trends that inform institutional strategy, workforce policy, and economic development.

• Establish a multi-year research roadmap focused on labor market change, talent pipelines, workforce development, skills evolution, and the impact of AI on learning and work.

• Lead cross-functional collaboration with product, data, and go-to-market teams to ensure research supports strategy, market positioning, and stakeholder engagement.

• Maintain rigorous methodological standards while balancing innovation, timeliness, and relevance.

• Leverage Lightcast's labor market and skills data to generate actionable insights that improve alignment between education, workforce systems, employers, and labor market demand.

Ecosystem Influence and Partnerships

• Build and strengthen relationships with universities, government agencies, think tanks, foundations, workforce organizations, and industry associations.

• Establish Lightcast as a trusted partner within workforce, education, economic development, and policy ecosystems.

• Develop strategic partnerships and collaborative research initiatives that expand Lightcast's reach, credibility, and influence.

• Advise policymakers, institutional leaders, and partner organizations on labor market trends and workforce strategy.

• Participate in advisory councils, task forces, and expert networks that shape workforce, education, and economic policy.

Business Development

• Create opportunities to engage prospective clients, partners, policymakers, and other stakeholders through thought leadership and executive-level conversations.

• Support business development through strategic presentations, executive briefings, proposals, and client-facing research.

• Advise go-to-market teams on complex customer opportunities, strategic relationships, and high-profile engagements.

• Generate and influence pipeline through research visibility, speaking engagements, executive networking, and ecosystem relationships.

• Lead or support opportunity strategy, solution framing, and stakeholder engagement for select high-value opportunities.

• Advanced degree in economics, labor economics, public policy, workforce development, education, or a related field preferred. 

• Significant experience leading research related to labor markets, workforce development, economic mobility, skills, education, or the future of work.

• Demonstrated track record of publishing influential research and translating complex data into clear, actionable insights.

• Experience presenting at conferences, participating in public forums, engaging with media, and serving as a recognized subject matter expert.

• Strong relationships across government, education, workforce, research, policy, or economic development ecosystems.

• Experience advising policymakers, institutional leaders, executives, or partner organizations.

• Proven ability to develop strategic partnerships and collaborative research initiatives across sectors.

• Experience supporting business development, executive engagement, client strategy, or commercially relevant research preferred.

• Background in a leading research institution, university, think tank, government agency, workforce organization, economic mobility organization, or labor market data organization strongly preferred.

• Experience as a current or former fellow, scholar, senior researcher, policy leader, or practitioner focused on workforce development, labor economics, skills, education, or future-of-work issues preferred.

• Former White House, federal agency, state workforce policy, or similar public-sector leadership experience is highly valued.

• Strong written, verbal, presentation, executive communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to balance methodological rigor, public influence, relationship building, and commercial impact.

• Ability to travel approximately once per month, with additional travel for major research launches, speaking engagements, and strategic initiatives.

• Preference for candidates located in or near Washington, DC, due to the role's policy, government, and ecosystem engagement responsibilities.