Description

Role: Lead Economist

Transport Canada Consulting Opportunity (Federal Government Contract)

Robertson & Company is seeking experienced consultants to support a bid submission for a Transport Canada engagement involving the economic, financial, and operational assessment of a proposed transborder airline joint venture. The successful team will support sophisticated merger/joint venture analysis, econometric modelling, financial assessment, and airline industry research and advisory services.

The team will also include the following members: Lead Financial Analyst & Airline Industry SME

Contract Duration: Contract award through June 30, 2027. Major analytical deliverables are expected by October 2026, with ongoing advisory support through June 2027.

Work Location: Remote/telework from the consultant’s place of business. No travel is anticipated. Must be in Canada.

Security Requirement: Reliability Status is mandatory (must have 5+ years in Canada)

Mandatory Requirements

  • University degree in Economics.
  • Minimum three (3) years of experience, obtained within the last ten (10) years, conducting or supporting the analysis of mergers, acquisitions and/or joint ventures.
  • Demonstrated experience performing economic analysis in support of merger, acquisition, or joint venture reviews.
  • Experience applying econometric techniques and economic modelling methodologies.
  • Experience working with large datasets and quantitative analysis tools.
  • Experience contributing to project deliverables, reports, recommendations, and analytical findings.

Strong Assets

  • Airline industry experience.
  • Route and network analysis experience.
  • Airline pricing analysis experience.
  • Merger simulation modelling experience.
  • Competition economics experience.
  • Experience using SAS, STATA, R, Python, MATLAB or equivalent statistical software.
  • Experience processing very large datasets using SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL or equivalent tools.
  • PhD in Economics.
  • Experience evaluating operating efficiencies and double marginalization impacts.
  • Experience supporting government, regulatory, transportation, competition bureau, aviation, or public interest assessments.

Responsibilities

  • Conduct economic and econometric analysis related to proposed airline joint ventures.
  • Develop and defend analytical methodologies.
  • Design and execute merger simulation models.
  • Assess pricing impacts and competitive effects.
  • Contribute to final reports, recommendations, and presentations.

Economic Analysis Deliverables

The contractor must provide:

  • Econometric modelling of the proposed airline joint venture
  • Merger simulation models
  • Analysis of likely price increases/decreases
  • Assessment of deadweight loss impacts
  • Network-wide analysis
  • Regional/subgroup analysis
  • Route-level analysis
  • Passenger and cargo analysis
  • Analysis of impacts on competing carriers
  • Analysis of operating efficiencies
  • Analysis of reductions in double marginalization
  • Complete code used to generate results
  • Methodology support and replication assistance to TC

Team Deliverables

Final Report (Due by approximately October 2026)

The contractor must produce a detailed written report containing:

  • Executive Summary
  • Background information on the carriers
  • Objectives of the analysis
  • Theoretical framework
  • Data, Methodology and Model Specification
  • Estimation results through merger simulation for each output
  • Analysis of results
  • Robustness checks
  • Hypothetical scenarios and sensitivity analysis
  • Potential risks (loss of competition, barriers to entry)
  • Potential benefits (operating efficiencies)
  • Conclusion
  • Revisions requested by Transport Canada (TC)

Only those who are qualified will be contacted.

How to Apply

If you are a motivated professional looking to contribute to a leading team, please submit your resume outlining your qualifications and experience relevant to this role. Robertson values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive workplace. We invite all qualified individuals to apply.

Robertson is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We are a certified diverse supplier and actively seek to foster a representative and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, Aboriginal status, or any other legally protected factors. Join us in building a diverse and inclusive environment.