Principal Economist

Relay is fundamentally reshaping how goods move in an online era. Backed by Europe’s largest-ever logistics Series A ($35M) led by deep-tech investors Plural, and a recently closed Series B ($95M), Relay is scaling faster than 99% of venture-backed startups.

As a Principal Economist at Relay, you'll own courier pricing and pay policy, applying economic theory to a live marketplace, modelling supply, demand and courier behaviour, and designing pricing and incentive mechanisms that hold up in the real network.

Responsibilities:

• Own courier pricing and pay policy: how work is priced, how couriers are paid, and how incentives are set across our marketplaces.
• Apply economic theory to a live marketplace: model supply, demand and courier behaviour, and design pricing and incentive mechanisms that hold up in the real network.
• Measure what every pricing and pay change did, working with our Applied Scientists and experimenting across a live two-sided marketplace.
• Partner with Operational Research and Recommender Systems so price is set as part of the recommendation, not after it.
• Advise leadership on pricing and incentives, and help build Relay's research culture and voice in the tech community.

Requirements:

• Have a PhD in economics, and have applied it in a tech marketplace such as ride-hailing, delivery or a gig platform.
• Have advised leadership on pricing or incentive decisions, and seen those decisions through to what happened next.
• Are deeply skilled in econometrics and causal inference, and know how to apply economic theory to a real marketplace, not just a model of one.
• Are hands-on: you write the code, run the analysis and build the models yourself.
• Explain economics clearly to operations, product and leadership, without the jargon.

Who Thrives at Relay?

• Aim with Precision: You define problems clearly and measure your impact meticulously.
• Play to Win: You chase bold bets, tackle the hard stuff, and view constraints as fuel, not friction.
• 1% Better Every Day: You believe that small, consistent improvements lead to exponential growth. You move quickly, deliver results, and learn from every experience.
• All In, All the Time: You show up and step up. You take ownership from start to finish and do what it takes to deliver when it counts.
• People-Powered Greatness: You invest in your teammates. You give and receive feedback with care and candour. You build trust through high standards and shared success.
• Grow the Whole Pie: You seek out win-win solutions for merchants, couriers, and our customers, because when they thrive, so do we.