Economist

Who we are

Datassential is a global food and beverage intelligence platform. By embracing billions of data points and AI, we offer a suite of innovative solutions that empower over 90% of the largest global brands in the food & beverage ecosystem to more effectively develop, market, and sell their products.

Datassential, headquartered in Chicago, USA, has gained momentum in global markets through its acquisition of CHD Expert (HQ: France) in 2022. Datassential recently received investment from New Mountain Capital and Endicott Capital, two top tier private equity firms. This significant milestone in our company’s journey enables us to accelerate our product roadmap and enhance our R&D efforts to deliver even more value-added features and solutions for our clients. 

Our global, remote-first team celebrates diverse backgrounds and new perspectives while cultivating expertise in all things food and beverage. Food brings people together, and there's room for everyone at Datassential's table.

What you will do

We are looking for a full-time Economist to join our Publications Team. You will be responsible for helping to build and maintain market-sizing models, forecast revenue growth for the foodservice industry, and then write about and present your analysis. We are looking for someone who loves to not only play with data but also uncover what the data means and why it matters for our industry. Our goal is to show clients not just the “what” but also give them the additional insights they need to make simply smarter decisions. This person will be an expert in all things related to the economics of the food industry – unpacking how consumer behaviors on spending for food and beverage are impacted by key macroeconomic indicators. 

Marketing sizing and forecasting: Datassential is the industry-leader in understanding the foodservice landscape. In this role and with the support of other teams, you will be modeling and estimating key aspects of the foodservice industry. You will create client-ready reports with detailed charts, analysis, and context. Your analysis will measure both the current environment as well as gauge macroeconomic factors to predict the future.

Presentations: We expect this role to be a public facing one and are looking for a candidate that not only loves to get lost in an Excel spreadsheet, building models and tweaking estimates, but also one that can eloquently share those findings with others. The ideal candidate will feel comfortable presenting on webinars (likely 1-6 per year) and be open to in-person presentations. As the voice of our economic outlook for the foodservice industry, this person will also likely work with top media outlets and conduct interviews (mostly written but perhaps over the phone). 

Key Responsibilities

• Work with a team to help build and maintain market sizing models using multiple data sources 
• Write in-depth reports that share rich data in a thoughtful and easy to interpret manner

• Present your data in visually intuitive and creative ways as needed – either for marketing-driven webinars for all client or perhaps for individual clients culling insights, key findings, and strategic recommendations from the data
• Partner with other teams (such as Data, Marketing, and Product) to solidify Datassential as the leader in foodservice industry macroeconomic knowledge

Other responsibilities

• Write and/or edit surveys to collect relevant proprietary data

• Provide comments on findings to media outlets (mostly written though interviews are possible too)
• Present findings on webinars or at possible in-person speaking engagements 
• Learn Datassential’s proprietary Syndicated databases to support findings and provide a complete picture of our industry
• Learn the food and beverage industry and understand the operator perspective and how trends impact purchasing across segments and product categories

Why you should join

In this role, you will have input into how the data models and reports you will own are built. We are a small but mighty team of foodservice industry experts focused on trends and consumer/operator perspectives that is looking to add a “macroeconomic expert” to our mix. Much like our other experts, you will be the master of your data and analysis and will present your findings on webinars and be interviewed and quoted in top media outlets.

In this role you will grow your career while maintaining that work-life balance our team values immensely. We let people take risks (if they sound fun!) and you’ll be joining a company that prioritizes your personal growth along with your professional growth. 

Who you are

• You love spreadsheets and working with data 
• You are comfortable with ambiguity and can do the work of breaking large projects into smaller tasks
• You are a clear communicator and enjoy telling stories with data (not just finding answers)
• You prefer the dynamic of a fast-paced and rapidly growing company

Required Skills/Experience

• 5+ years of financial analysis, data modeling, or related experience in an analytical role
• Advanced degree such as an MBA, Masters, or PhD in Business, Economics, Marketing Research, Sociology, Psychology, or another related field 
• Strong analytical capabilities and an aptitude for statistics 
• Ability to take large amounts of content/data and condense it down to base story and key points
• Advanced knowledge of Excel and Intermediate knowledge of PowerPoint 
• Advanced written communication skills, with an eye for grammar and editing
• Attention to detail

Nice to Have

• Experience with data science modeling
• Experience or interest in restaurants and food service

• Competitive salary and annual bonus eligibility
• Affordable Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance, including a no cost employee-only plan
• 401K with dollar-for-dollar company match up to 5%
• Unlimited PTO, recharge days, and Christmas through New Year break
• Remote Stipend (non-Chicago residents)
• Wellness Reimbursement or HQ Gym access

Our Table Welcomes All. We embrace diversity of both background and thought and foster an inclusive environment that extends an open landscape of opportunities to everyone. We invite each of us to simply be ourselves. We operate with respect and without judgment, celebrating both the power of the individual as well as our shared humanity.

Datassential is an E-Verify employer

If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact anjali.ambat@datassential.com