Economic Analyst, Wood Products - Chicago, United States - Fastmarkets

Description

Job Description

Fastmarkets is an independent commodity pricing and information organisation with over 600 staff. We are fuelled by values that bring us all together and are united by a collective passion to make a difference. We are supported by a working model that is based on a hybrid approach that allows each of us to balance home and office working while encouraging effective collaboration and accountability.

Fastmarkets is the most trusted Price Reporting Agency (PRA) in the metals, mining, agriculture, forest products, and energy transition markets. Our price data, forecasts, and market analyses give our customers strategic advantage in complex, volatile, often opaque markets. Our events provide forums for market participants to come together, trade, and talk through the critical issues of our times.

We are making a difference. Fastmarkets works to create transparent commodity markets through our reliable and trusted price data and market intelligence. The markets we serve are central to how economies work and are essential for our lives. By doing this, Fastmarkets helps our customers build a more sustainable world. We are built on a 130-year foundation while bringing a digital platform to market, combining the currency of trust with the power of digital.

Most importantly, we are fuelled by our teams that, across the globe, make the amazing possible. With a deep sense of purpose and belonging, we are building an extraordinary future – together. If you would like to help build the future, we hope you will join us on our journey.

Fastmarkets is owned by global private equity firm Astorg, a specialist investor in healthcare, software, technology, business services and technology-based industrial companies.

The Role

The Economic Analyst, Wood Products, is responsible for partnering with the Team Lead, Wood Products and Senior Economist, Softwood Lumber, to develop the new North American pallet analytics practice. The role will require close collaboration with the Senior Economist Wood Products and the Team Lead, Wood Products to develop and deliver recurring market reports and publications, help in the development of projects or studies focusing on pertinent market analysis and outlooks on important North American wooden pallet subjects and markets (both single and multi-client in nature). The role will also be responsible for helping to support the sales and marketing teams in the production of adequate marketing materials, sales training and sales discussions with clients to further their ability in selling Fastmarket's North American Wood Products offerings and to support expanding sales for the new wood pallets practice.

Principle accountabilities

• Maintain and manage databases and pallet-related data
  • Coordinate data requirements with data group.
  • Execute routines to compile, check, and store data.
• Assist in forecast generation
  • Support the Wood Products team in developing and maintaining forecast models for the North American pallet market
  • Execute routines that compile data for forecast generation.
  • Forecast pallet-related indicators on a monthly basis
  • Execute routines that release forecasts when they are completed.
  • Generate tables and figures for publication.
• Assist in tracking industry data and write regular monthly commentary
  • Support the creation and maintenance of a monthly pallet report
  • Track regular updates and news in the wood pallet market and support economists in their understanding of current trends
  • Respond to client data requests
• Assist on special client project and new product development on an ad-hoc basis

We recruit talented, dynamic people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, all united by a belief in our mission to provide the world's leading and most trusted price reporting, events, and intelligence service for the markets we serve. We're proud to be an equal opportunities employer and are committed to creating a fully inclusive workplace, where everyone feels able to participate and contribute meaningfully.

If you are open-minded, curious, resilient, solutions-oriented and committed to promoting equality, then read on...

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

We are looking for an individual who is highly motivated, driven, and have a passion to be part of a fast-paced, successful team. Being a strong team player is also important as well as someone who is happy to work flexibly.

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in economics
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated time-management and organizational skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft applications, particularly Excel
• Strong mathematical/econometric modeling/statistical skills
• Strong presenting, writing, speaking, and overall communication skills
• Experience with R Studio and/or Eviews a plus but not required
• Keen interest in the forest products industry

If you're excited about the role but your experience, skills or qualifications don't perfectly align, we encourage you to apply anyway.

Our Values

Fastmarkets people come from all different walks of life. It's this mix of brilliant personalities, experiences and insights that gives us that warm, open, and friendly culture you can feel as soon as you meet us. But however wonderfully different we all are, there are six things we all have in common – and they form our Fastmarkets values.

Created by our own employees to reflect some of the personal traits that Fastmarkets people have, our values are key to what makes our culture unique. They reflect who each of us are and they're embedded in everything we do. Our values are:

• METRICS DRIVEN. We use insights to improve our customers' experience and our business performance
  
• ACCOUNTABLE. We are accountable to ourselves and those we work with: we keep our promises and get things done
  
• GROWTH MINDSET. This value enables us to be nimble to the changing realities and operate with a sense of urgency
  
• INCLUSIVE. We are inclusive and respectful, celebrating each of us and giving everyone a deep sense of belonging with the desire to bring their best self to work every day.
  
• CUSTOMER CENTRIC. We are customer-centric in all that we do
  
• COLLABORATIVE. We are collaborative, able to work across teams and capitalise on the diversity of intellect, perspectives, and experiences.

This opportunity is available to applicants based in the following states:

• Florida

• Georgia

• Illinois

• Massachusetts*

• North Carolina

• New Hampshire*

• New Jersey*

• New York*

• Oregon*

• Pennsylvania

• Tennessee*

• Texas

• California

• Colorado
* Denotes states with office locations to support hybrid working

You've read a little about us – now it's over to you

If you like what you've read so far and think you can see yourself as a Fastmarkets person, it's time to fill in your application form. This form is an important part of the selection process: it's used to determine whether or not you'll be chosen to have an interview and acts as a basis for the questions we'll ask you on the day.

It's vital that you try to capture all the relevant information we have asked for on the form so we can get a good feel for who you are and why you're great.