Economist
Navan
Navan is seeking a driven, proactive and experienced Economist to join our growing team. This first-of-its-kind role is an exciting opportunity to shape the research and economic function at Navan, the leading all-in-one business travel, payments, and expense management platform.
Using data from millions of trips and purchases by 10,000+ companies worldwide, you will build economic indicators that deepen and drive the world’s understanding of global business travel and corporate spend. You will use these indicators to advance Navan’s position as a global authority on business travel and expense.
This position requires a self-starter with a proven track record in complex economic analyses and excellent storytelling.
What You’ll Do:
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As part of our broader Data Science and Analytics function, you will…
- Perform complex econometric and statistical analysis on travel and spending patterns to identify emerging macroeconomic trends, forecast future business activity, and understand the drivers of corporate travel and expense.
- Craft compelling data-driven stories and insights for multiple channels—including press releases, blog posts, white papers, and executive keynotes—to illustrate why business travel and spend are critical leading indicators for the global economy.
- Partner with our Marketing and Comms teams to serve as an internal expert and external spokesperson, presenting your findings to journalists, industry analysts, and at major economic and travel conferences.
- Continuously monitor the global economic landscape, linking external events (e.g., policy changes, supply chain disruptions, market volatility) to the proprietary trends you observe in Navan's data.
- Serve as a key economic advisor to leadership and strategy teams, translating your macro findings into concise, high-level briefings on risks, opportunities, and the business's competitive positioning.
What We’re Looking For:
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We are looking for a "full-stack" economist who is as comfortable with complex econometrics as they are with presenting to an executive or a journalist. This means:
- 5-7 years experience with an advanced degree in Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or a related quantitative field.
- Deep expertise in econometrics, forecasting, and statistical analysis, with experience modeling complex, "messy" datasets.
- Required proficiency in SQL, a statistical language (Python or R), and common data visualization tools.
- Excellent writing and presentation skills translating complex economic findings with simplicity and clarity for executives, media, and the public. We’d love to see examples of previous writing, presentations and data visualizations.
- Voracious consumer of business news. Bonus points if you have previously established yourself as a voice on business, economics or data on e.g. Substack or X.
- A collaborative and approachable style, with a proven ability to build relationships and manage priorities with cross-functional teams.
- A practical, business-first mindset focused on driving real business results and supporting decisions, not just academic theory.
The posted pay range represents the anticipated low and high end of the compensation for this position and is subject to change based on business need. To determine a successful candidate’s starting pay, we carefully consider a variety of factors, including primary work location, an evaluation of the candidate’s skills and experience, market demands, and internal parity.
For roles with on-target-earnings (OTE), the pay range includes both base salary and target incentive compensation. Target incentive compensation for some roles may include a ramping draw period. Compensation is higher for those who exceed targets. Candidates may receive more information from the recruiter.
About Navan
Navan (Nasdaq: NAVN) is the leading all-in-one business travel, payments, and expense management platform that makes travel easy for frequent travelers. From finding flights and hotels to automating expense reconciliation, with 24/7 support along the way, Navan delivers an intuitive experience travelers love and finance teams rely on. See how Navan customers benefit and learn more at navan.com.
Our team is our competitive edge — a high-performance group of smart, driven people committed to winning together. This dedication to excellence is why we’ve been recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In (2023–2026), a G2 Best Global Software Company (2025-2026), a CNBC Disruptor 50 (2022-2025), and a Forbes Fintech 50 (2022-2025). At Navan, we provide an environment where top talent excels, offering the autonomy and fast-paced trajectory needed to build a defining career and do the best work of your life.
Our Benefits
Navan offers a comprehensive benefits program designed to support your well-being, financial security, and life outside of work. Our benefits, thoughtfully tailored by country to meet local needs, include healthcare coverage, insurance offerings, and wellness resources for you and your family.
We support long-term financial growth through retirement savings programs and opportunities to participate in our equity plans, so you can share in Navan’s success. To promote balance, we offer flexible time off, country-specific holidays, and paid parental leave for all new parents. Additional benefits include connectivity and commuting support, mental health resources, and exclusive travel-related perks. Wherever you’re based, our benefits evolve with you.
Workplace Policy
Navan believes in the value of in-person connections, whether that’s sitting down to have lunch with one another, taking a walking 1:1, or collaborating in a room together. The connections forged through face-to-face interactions improve company culture and drive business results. Navan invests in global office spaces — in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, among others — that feel welcoming. In-office perks such as company-provided lunches and happy hours create a strong team environment to help you do your best work. Our employees work from the office four days a week. Please expect this policy for all roles that are tied to an office.
Equal Opportunity
Navan is an equal opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions based solely on merit. We provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without discrimination on the bases of race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We prohibit any such discrimination or harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring.
Accommodations
Navan complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act, and all applicable state or local law. Navan will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with a disability in connection with applications for employment as required by law.
If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, you are welcome to email us at talent-accommodations@navan.com.
Candidate Privacy Notice
Please review Navan's Candidate Privacy Notice here.
Job Search Best Practices
We have been made aware of recruitment scams involving fraudulent attempts to lure job seekers into sending money or personal information in return for fake job offers or coerce them into purchasing equipment by electronic funds transfer (Zelle, Venmo, etc.) Legitimate Navan recruiters will never ask for money in any recruitment or onboarding activities. All available job openings at Navan will be posted on Navan’s website and all Navan recruiters will be reachable through an email address ending in “@navan.com” or “@navan.tech” or "@talent.navan.com".