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Career opportunities

Thank you for your interest in a role at Castalia. We recruit and onboard new team members quarterly, and the next round of career opportunities will be posted by 5 July 2024 (for a 3 October 2024 start date).

In the meantime, please feel free to submit your materials to our talent pool using the link below. We will notify you if we have an opportunity that may be a good match.

Submit your interests here.

Hypothetical Efficient Competitor and Raw Milk Pricing

Castalia reviewed the pricing model for raw milk in New Zealand to determine if the pricing model could allow Fonterra to use its market power to deter entry by independent processors. More than 80 percent of milk in New Zealand is collected and processed by Fonterra, the country’s largest dairy co-operative. Concerns were raised over Fonterra using its market power to deter entry by independent processors.
June 19, 2019/by sophie

Tariff Study and Business Plan for National Water Commission, Jamaica

Castalia designed a tariff structure, prepared a submission to the regulator, and developed a strategic plan for the National Water Commission to boost profitability, operational efficiency, and service delivery. Jamaica’s National Water Commission could not finance its capital expenditure needs as revenues were insufficient to cover reasonable costs.
June 19, 2019/by sophie

Vietnam Water Public Private Partnership Manual

Castalia developed a Toolkit and screening criteria for PPPs so the Government could attract the private finance that was needed in Vietnam’s water sector. Vietnam’s urban water sector needed $600 million of investments each year to improve and expand services. The Government wanted to attract private finance via PPPs, and needed help to establish a PPP framework for the sector.
June 19, 2019/by sophie

Agri-Water Finance Business Case

Castalia developed new business models that increase the efficient use of water in the agriculture sector while maximizing farmer income. 2030 Water Resource Group wanted to know how financing programs can incentivize smallholder farmers to adopt efficient irrigation technologies. Many smallholder farmers do not use water efficiently while others are unable to irrigate at all because of water scarcity.
June 26, 2019/by rebecca

Can Tho Water Utility Turnaround, Vietnam

We followed the Utility Turnaround Framework (UTF) to help turn around performance at Can Tho WASSCO—the largest water utility in the Mekong Delta. Can Tho WASSCO was underperforming—tap water was not safe to drink, non-revenue water was high, and coverage was only 85 percent.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Advice to Spark on Proposed Telco-Pay TV Merger, New Zealand

Telecommunication company Vodafone and pay-tv company SKY Television wanted to merge. Castalia’s analysis helped convince the Commerce Commission, the competition authority in New Zealand, that the merger was anti-competitive. What are the potential effects on competition when content providers (those who produce programs) and delivery platforms (broadband and mobile services) propose vertical integration? We analyzed the implications and were able to provide a good test of the effects of vertical integration between content and delivery platforms in telecommunications.
June 29, 2019/by Site Admin

Three Water Asset Management, New Zealand

Castalia helped the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs diagnose problems in water asset management, and identified factors that were most important in driving good asset management. A water supply contamination incident in Havelock North left 5,500 residents ill. The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs wanted to improve water asset management throughout all regions in the country to prevent future contaminations.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Reform Options Study for Communauté Electrique du Bénin

Castalia diagnosed CEB’s underlying problems, and recommended reform options to transform it into a viable and well-managed company. CEB’s poor financial performance was increasing costs of power for customers, hurting Benin and Togo’s economy, and damaging the viability of the West African Power Pool.
June 19, 2019/by rebecca

Lake Hayes Remediation Assessment, New Zealand

Castalia showed it was economically justified to invest in cleaning Lake Hayes, and that the economic benefits exceeded the costs of the cleaning options. The local community was increasingly unhappy about the water quality of popular amenity Lake Hayes. Environmental engineers gave the Otago Regional Council three clean-up options, but the Council wanted to know if the money was worth spending.
June 19, 2019/by rebecca

Developing a New Business Model for the National Water Commission, Jamaica

Castalia identified and managed varied stakeholder interests to develop a business model that would enable the National Water Commission to reap efficiency gains, generate profits, and finance capital investments. The National Water Commission cannot meet growing demands for service without spending billions in capital expenditure. However, the utility cannot raise the finance needed due to the lack of efficiency and profitability.
June 19, 2019/by rebecca

California Power Market FERC Refund Proceedings, USA

Castalia developed a counterfactual market model of fair market electricity prices in California to assess evidence of market manipulation during the California power crisis. After power marketers disputed FERC-ordered refunds to power purchasers, expert testimony was needed to identify which price spikes were a result of market manipulation.
June 29, 2019/by Site Admin

Castalia advises Sudan’s PPP Unit

Castalia is supporting the Government of the Republic of Sudan in developing a new PPP policy and pipeline of viable PPP projects.
February 24, 2017/by rebecca

We look for candidates who are:

competent

Competent

We are experts in finance, economics, law, and policy applied to infrastructure, natural resources and social service provision. You’re a great fit for us if you can demonstrate excellent technical and analytical abilities, and if you’re willing to learn new skills.

creative

Creative

We’re passionate about solving the infrastructure and resource problems of the world in creative and innovative ways. We’re building a team that is insightful, resourceful and visionary. You’re a great fit for us if you’re a creative problem solver.

consistent

Consistent

Castalia is respected for the quality of our work. We’ve achieved this by being reliable, organized and efficient. You’re a great fit for us if you’re conscientious, reliable and keep your promises.

concientious

Conscientious

We’ve nurtured a culture of excellence, but we’re able to maintain it because our team is made up of disciplined self-starters. You’re a great fit for us if your passion and creativity is matched with discipline, commitment and follow-through.

committed

Committed

It takes focus and hard work to be successful. Solving the world’s most difficult problems is never easy! You’re a great fit for us if you want to put achievement of team goals above personal interests, know how to work in a team, and can persevere through set-backs.

collaborative

Collaborative

Consulting demands a lot from the individual and the team. We are looking for team members who are patient, approachable, good-natured and willing to work with others to solve big problems. You’re a great fit for us if you bring empathy, humility and excellent communication skills and would like to help the team achieve our mission.

Collectively, these are known as our ‘6 C’s’ and they encompass the qualities that lead to success at Castalia.

We look for candidates who are:

competent

Competent

We are experts in finance, economics, law, and policy applied to infrastructure, natural resources and social service provision. You’re a great fit for us if you can demonstrate excellent technical and analytical abilities, and if you’re willing to learn new skills.

creative

Creative

We’re passionate about solving the infrastructure and resource problems of the world in creative and innovative ways. We’re building a team that is insightful, resourceful and visionary. You’re a great fit for us if you’re a creative problem solver.

consistent

Consistent

Castalia is respected for the quality of our work. We’ve achieved this by being reliable, organized and efficient. You’re a great fit for us if you’re conscientious, reliable and keep your promises.

concientious

Conscientious

We’ve nurtured a culture of excellence, but we’re able to maintain it because our team is made up of disciplined self-starters. You’re a great fit for us if your passion and creativity is matched with discipline, commitment and follow-through.

committed

Committed

It takes focus and hard work to be successful. Solving the world’s most difficult problems is never easy! You’re a great fit for us if you want to put achievement of team goals above personal interests, know how to work in a team, and can persevere through set-backs and pain.

collaborative

Collaborative

Consulting demands a lot from the individual and the team. We are looking for team members who are patient, approachable, good-natured and willing to work with others to solve big problems. You’re a great fit for us if you bring empathy, humility and excellent communication skills and would like to help the team achieve our mission.

Collectively, these are known as our ‘6 C’s’ and they encompass the qualities that lead to success at Castalia.

Recruitment FAQs

  • Intern
  • Research Associate
  • Economics and Financial Analyst
  • Senior Analyst
  • Manager
  • Senior Management (Directors, Practice Leaders, CEO/COO/ED)
  • Corporate Services

We’re glad you’re interested in working with us. Please click on the job posting above and start your application.

Once we have screened for candidates, had the informational interview and we’re ready to start with interviews, we aim to have each candidate’s recruitment process completed in 2 weeks.

Informational interview:

This is an introductory interview with someone from the team you’re likely to work with. You have an opportunity to ask questions about Castalia, the work environment and the kind of work you can expect to do. You will also be asked general questions about yourself and your professional education and experience. After this you decide if this is the job for you and if you want to go through our formal assessment process. At this point we also give you feedback on whether we think you’d likely be a good fit for the role.

Team interviews:

These interviews are designed to test your knowledge, based on the position you are applying for. Your understanding and application of finance and microeconomics will be tested if you are applying to be part of our team of analysts. All candidates will have an interview to discuss Castalia’s 6Cs, which is a discussion about our values and the types of candidates we’re looking to hire.

Final interview

The final interview will be with a member from our Senior Management. It will cover all elements mentioned above. Managers and above will have an additional interview with the CEO.

We suggest that you read the following materials in preparation for the interviews. This is what we expect our team to know. If you’re unfamiliar with these concepts and the material, your application is unlikely to be successful.

Interview on microeconomics:

  • Basic Microeconomics, you’d want to brush up by reviewing an introductory microeconomic text book. The interview will typically cover the following areas:
    • Supply and Demand, price formation, market equilibrium
    • Utility maximization, profit maximization, equalization at the margin as a concept
    • Perfect competition model and monopoly models
  • A good Public Finance/Public Economics textbook should cover: these, e.g. Rosen’s textbook:
    • Part 1: Getting Started
      Chapter 1: Introduction
      Chapter 2: Tools of Positive Analysis
      Chapter 3: Tools of Normative Analysis
    • Part 2: Public Expenditure: Public Goods and Externalities
      Chapter 4: Public Goods
      Chapter 5: Externalities
      Chapter 6: Political Economy
      Chapter 7: Education
      Chapter 8: Cost-Benefit Analysis

Interview on finance:

The interview will cover:

  • Financial statement analysis
    • Reading and understanding financial statements (balance sheet, cash flow statements, income statements). You should know the differences, what information can be found on what statement, correct way to record transactions and interpret information from these statements, etc.
    • Calculating and comparing relevant financial ratios
  • Corporate finance – we suggest reviewing:
    • How to value companies including DCFs and calculating present value, WACC and the CAPM model
    • Capital structure and managing risk, financing versus valuation and key differences between debt and equity
  • The Corporate Finance textbook we recommend is written by Myers and Brealey. 

Myers, Brealey. Principles of Corporate Finance (11th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014.

  • Part 1: Value
    Chapter 1: Introduction to Corporate Finance
    Chapter 2: How to Calculate Present Values
    Chapter 3: Valuing Bonds
    Chapter 5: Net Present Value and Other Investment Criteria
    Chapter 6: Making Investment Decisions with the Net Present Value Rule
  • Part 2: Risk
    Chapter 7: Introduction to Risk and Return
    Chapter 8: Capital Asset Pricing Model
    Chapter 9: Risk and the Cost of Capital
  • Part 3: Best Practices in Capital Budgeting
    Chapter 10: Project Analysis
  • Part 4: Financing Decisions and Market Efficiency
    Chapter 13: Efficient Markets and Behavioral Finance
  • Part 5: Payout Policy and Capital Structure
    Chapter 17: Does Debt Policy Matter
    Chapter 19: Financing and Valuation

Why choose Castalia?

Interested in learning more?

Interested in learning more?

Regulatory Due Diligence for Oil Pipeline Purchase, Colombia

I Squared was interested in purchasing an equity stake of in oil pipeline owned by Oleoducto Central S.A. (OCENSA), a midstream subsidiary of ECOPETROL, the national oil company. The pipeline connects Colombia’s most prolific oil basins with the country’s main crude oil export terminal and acts as a gateway to the country’s largest refineries. The investor needed to understand the revenue model and regulatory risk as part of its due diligence.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Performance-based Contract for Water and Sanitation Utility, Mexico

Mexico City was experiencing inadequate water service quality and poor technical and commercial efficiency. SACMEX, the public utility providing water and sanitation services to Mexico City, sought to replace existing commercial out-sourcing contracts with performance-based PPP contracts to improve service quality and affordability.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Transaction Advisory for the Canoas Wastewater Treatment Plant, Colombia

Much of the wastewater from Bogota’s 11 million inhabitants flows into the Bogota River without adequate treatment. The problem was too big for Bogota’s utility on its own. Colombia’s National Planning Department worked with stakeholders to agree that a PPP to deliver a massive new wastewater treatment plant was the best way forward. The PPP structure needed to be designed and consensus created.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Transaction Advisory for Puerto Maldonado Wastewater Treatment Plant, Peru

ProInversion, the government entity responsible for promoting private investment in Peru, wanted to expand wastewater treatment and reuse services in Puerto Maldonado to accommodate the 25 percent of inhabitants that lacked sewer connections, while ensuring that effluent discharge into this important tributary of the Amazon meets environmental standards.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Pipeline of Viable Renewable Energy Projects, Chile

USTDA wanted to help Chile move away from fossil fuels toward cheaper, more efficient sustainable energy sources by funding feasibility studies for renewable energy projects.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Pipeline of Viable Clean Energy Projects, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) wanted to support clean energy investment in Central America and the Caribbean by funding feasibility studies but needed help identifying which project proposals to fund.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

District Cooling Market Analysis, Mexico

Mexico’s Ministry of Energy wanted to know the viability of district cooling to mitigate the country’s high energy consumption, disproportionate peak load, and increasing GHG emissions caused by growing urban populations and rising temperatures.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Pipeline of Climate-friendly Municipal Infrastructure Investments, Peru

IFC wanted to support strategic, bankable infrastructure projects that provided sustainable, reliable, and competitive services to Peru’s cities with the goal of addressing rapidly increasing urban populations and mitigating GHG emissions. The sectors included energy, transport, green buildings, water, waste, and telecommunications.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Geothermal Energy Market Analysis, Eastern Caribbean

The Eastern Caribbean States rely heavily on expensive fossil fuels despite having great potential for renewable energy. The IDB wanted to explore investment opportunities for affordable, reliable renewable energy to move the region away from fossil fuel.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Electricity Market and Carbon Tax Advice, Mexico

Mexico’s Ministry of Finance, supported by the French Development Agency, was considering a carbon tax to reduce its GHG emissions by 22 percent to meet its 2030 target. It also wanted to reform its electricity tariffs and subsidies to avoid impacting the affordability of electricity under the new tax.
March 2, 2023/by Oxygen Digital

Regulatory advisory for Maui gas pipeline acquisition

Castalia developed investment roadmaps containing practical steps and tangible projects aligned with Samoa’s and Tuvalu’s NDC goals to accelerate the implementation of their NDCs to global climate action under the Paris Agreement.
November 21, 2022/by Oxygen Digital

Credit Risk Assessment for TIFIA Expressway Loans

Castalia developed investment roadmaps containing practical steps and tangible projects aligned with Samoa’s and Tuvalu’s NDC goals to accelerate the implementation of their NDCs to global climate action under the Paris Agreement.
November 15, 2022/by Oxygen Digital