Location: HMRC Datalab, London E20 1HZ
Position Type: Fixed Term
Duration: 2 years fixed term contract (desired start date: September 2026 or earlier if available)
Salary: £33,002 to £34,610 per annum (plus £5,000 per annum, London weighting)
Deadline: Sunday 1st February 2026 at 11:55pm (UK Time)
For informal enquiries, please contact Beverley Morris Centre Manager (CenTax) at Beverley.Morris@warwick.ac.uk
About the Role
The Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) is a research centre dedicated to advancing knowledge and understanding of taxation policies and practices. Led by Dr Arun Advani (Warwick) and Dr Andy Summers (LSE), CenTax undertakes research to generate rigorous quantitative evidence on tax at the top, develop targeted and feasible reforms, and communicate findings transparently to policy, media and civil society stakeholders.
Projects include analysis of the characteristics, behaviours and impacts of high earners in the UK, such as analyses of the UK’s “non-dom” regime, top-end migration, capital gains, and policies for taxing wealth. Further details are available on the CenTax webpage.
As a Research Economist, you will undertake research to contribute to and support the work of CenTax. The job will include a variety of tasks providing excellent preparation for doctoral programmes in public economics or a career in quantitative analysis of public policy.
Your primary responsibility will be to conduct data analysis at the UK tax authority’s secure research facility, HMRC Datalab, which is located in Stratford, London. Access to the data requires obtaining accreditation of ‘secure researcher’ status and demonstrating absolute commitment to upholding HMRC’s processes to ensure taxpayer confidentiality. As part of the CenTax team, you would benefit from our existing data access and infrastructure built up over many years of research. This is by far the most comprehensive access to UK tax data of any research team.
As well as data cleaning, validation and analysis, you will contribute to research designs, prepare and deliver presentations to academic and policy audiences, and edit academic papers. There will also be opportunities for co-authorship of papers and reports where this is merited by significant independent intellectual contribution.
Base location: HMRC Datalab, 14 Westfield Avenue, London E20 1HZ. There is also access to CenTax’s office spaces at the London School of Economics.
About You
Candidates must have:
- Completed (by start date) Master’s degree in economics or other quantitative social science
- Ability to comprehend and apply complex technical information about the tax system
- Excellent quantitative data analysis skills including experience or training in analysis of large datasets
- Ability to conduct data cleaning and validation efficiently and with excellent attention to detail
- Excellent practical proficiency in the use of R
- Fluency in written and spoken English
- Ability to plan, prioritise and manage own workflow efficiently, including via communication with other team members
- High level of initiative and desire to make independent intellectual contribution to projects
For further information regarding the skills required for this role please see the personal specification section of the attached job description.
For details on the experience and skills required, please refer to the job description attached as a PDF below.
How to Apply
CLOSING DEADLINE: Sunday 1st February 2026 at 11:55pm (UK Time)
Please apply through the Warwick application portal.
Your CV should include:
- Your education and employment history (including your most recent employment).
- Any other relevant experience (e.g. volunteering, extracurricular, etc.).
Your cover letter should explain:
- Your motivations for applying to the role.
- Using examples, how you meet the essential and desirable criteria detailed in the job description (PDF attached below).
Longlisted candidates will be asked to complete a data analysis/coding test lasting 2 hours. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to an online interview.
All essential criteria must be met by candidates who are invited to interview.
- Data analysis/coding test: February 2026
- Interview Date: February 2026
- Start Date: September 2026 or earlier if available.
Please note application forms must be submitted before the stated deadline – you will not be able to submit after 23:55 (even if you opened the form earlier). Only applications submitted via our official careers portal (warwick-careers.tal.net) will be considered.
Job Description
