SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
NerdWallet seeks a Senior Economist to serve as both the analytical engine and public face of the company's original research and data insights. This role combines deep quantitative analysis with media presence and editorial leadership.
Key responsibilities include:
**Original Research & Analysis**: Own NerdWallet's flagship economic research, annual studies, and recurring indices. Conduct quantitative analysis across diverse sources including NerdWallet's proprietary data, commissioned surveys, federal statistics (BLS, BEA, Census, Federal Reserve, CFPB), and private datasets (Zillow, ADP, Indeed, Realtor.com). Design and interpret survey research, develop commentary on major economic releases (CPI, jobs reports, FOMC, GDP, housing), and maintain rigorous editorial standards for methodology and sourcing.
**Story Development & Communications**: Partner closely with the Communications team to identify compelling narratives within data. Maintain a forward-looking pipeline of data-driven stories tied to seasonal, cultural, and policy moments. Develop supporting materials including talking points, backgrounders, and methodology documentation to facilitate media coverage.
**Public Presence & Spokesperson Role**: Serve as NerdWallet's primary economic voice across national broadcast, print, digital, and podcast media. Build and maintain relationships with reporters and producers. Develop a personal public presence on social platforms (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, LinkedIn) with organizational support. Represent NerdWallet at conferences, media events, and policy briefings.
**Editorial Leadership**: Lead and mentor a small team of data journalists. Own the editorial calendar for data studies and quality standards. Raise economic and data literacy across the ~100-person editorial organization through training and coaching. Serve as an internal advisor connecting macroeconomic conditions to audience and business insights.
**Required Qualifications**: Advanced degree in Economics, Statistics, Public Policy, or related quantitative field (PhD preferred; strong applied experience can substitute for Master's). 8+ years of applied economics experience, ideally in consumer finance, household economics, housing, or labor markets. Published research, commentary, or analysis written for general audiences. Demonstrated comfort as a quoted expert across media. Hands-on quantitative skills in R or Python, SQL, with judgment for working with messy data. Fluency with survey methodology, sampling, weighting, and first-party data limitations. Exceptional writing ability. Daily use of AI tools for research and analysis. Editing and mentoring experience or clear aptitude for it.
**Preferred Qualifications**: Established audience or content franchise (newsletter, YouTube, podcast, large social following). Experience at data-PR-forward organizations. Track record building research or data journalism functions. Familiarity with credit bureau, transaction-level, or open banking data. Experience with policymakers, regulators, or congressional testimony.
