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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 6 April 2026 (for a 6 July 2026 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.

Seafood Industry Growth Strategy, New Zealand

Castalia advised Seafood New Zealand on ways to double exports by 2025, to meet the goal set by the government in 2012. To overcome export constraints, primary industries need to deliver better value for money, improve industry co-ordination for pricing, and reform regulations.
July 18, 2019/by Site Admin

Securing Private Participation in Regional Electricity Distribution Cooperatives, Philippines

Castalia designed a model for private sector participation in the Philippines’ rural electric cooperatives to attract operational expertise and finance for development. Many rural electrification cooperatives in the Philippines were struggling as a result of poor management and lack of finance.
October 28, 2019/by Site Admin

New Zealand’s “shovel-ready” approach to infrastructure-led stimulus could benefit developing countries

Many governments are concerned about how to stimulate economic…
April 9, 2020/by Site Admin

Socio-Economic Trend Analysis for Telstra, Australia

We identified emerging trends from advances in ICT, and socio-demographic changes in the workplace. Telstra, the leading telecommunications company in Australia, realized that tremendous changes would come with the ICT revolution, and they wanted to embrace the opportunities and challenges that would result.
June 26, 2019/by rebecca

Update on the spreadsheet-based pandemic model for COVID-19

Clive Harrison has updated his spreadsheet-based pandemic model…
May 4, 2020/by Site Admin

Second update on the spreadsheet-based pandemic model for COVID-19

This is Clive Harrison's second update to his spreadsheet-based…
June 10, 2020/by Site Admin

Standard Management Contract for Water and Electricity Utilities

Castalia developed a standard contract and bidding documents for performance-based management of utilities. Water and electricity utilities in emerging markets often suffer from poor management. A standard utility management contract makes it easier to bring in specialist management teams to turnaround these utilities.
October 9, 2019/by Site Admin

State Funding of Independent Schools Valuation, Australia

Castalia calculated the net economic benefits of independent schools, and the fiscal savings they enable, in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The New South Wales Government was threatening to reduce its contribution toward the costs of independent schools in the state.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Strategy and Policy for a Carbon Market in New Zealand

Castalia helped Shell New Zealand prepare its response to the draft New Zealand Energy Strategy. The proposed strategy created unnecessary risks for the energy security and development of natural gas reserves
November 12, 2019/by Site Admin

Subsidy Program to Expand Water Supply in Jakarta, Indonesia

Castalia designed an incentive mechanism to enable the concessionaires serving Jakarta to profitably extend piped water service to poor unserved communities. Low-income communities in Jakarta relied on informal, expensive, and poor-quality water supply sources as they were not connected to the piped network.
June 19, 2019/by rebecca

Supercritical Geothermal – Tapping into the Next Geothermal Frontier

Climate funds have great potential to improve the efficiency of underperforming water utilities. Castalia developed a concept for a Climate Fund for Water and Energy Efficiency Performance-based Contracts (PBCs).  
December 1, 2023/by admin

Suriname Electricity Sector Plan

Castalia developed an Electricity Sector Plan for Suriname which set out the financial, technical, institutional and governance steps to connect unelectrified households. More than 50,000 people lacked electricity service in Suriname, despite the country having more than $880 million in subsidies to the electricity sector over five years.
January 24, 2020/by Site Admin

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?

Electricity Generation Expert Testimony for Transpower

Castalia gave expert testimony before the High Court to show that the operator of New Zealand’s national transmission grid was not behaving in an anti-competitive manner. A generation company alleged that Transpower, operator of the national transmission grid, was being anti-competitive by refusing their request to set charges for a small distributed power plant as though it was connected directly to the transmission grid.
June 24, 2019/by rebecca

Arbitration Panel Advice for Mobil Argentina

We valued the damage that the Republic of Argentina had caused to a subsidiary of ExxonMobil by changing rules and regulations governing the gas market following the devaluation crisis of 2002. The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) needed independent expert guidance on how best to quantify damages caused by rule changes in a complex market, when evidence submitted by the two parties’ experts was widely divergent in methodology and quantum estimate.
June 24, 2019/by rebecca

Public-Private Partnership Framework for Johnsonville Library

Castalia provided the framework for the Wellington City Council to choose between publicly or privately funding the development of a new public library in Johnsonville. The New Zealand public sector lacks the experience to systematically evaluate options for the procurement of public-private partnerships.
June 24, 2019/by rebecca

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

Fiber Regulation Advice, Spark New Zealand

Castalia helped Spark present a submission to New Zealand’s Parliamentary Select Committee in response to proposed changes in the regulation of fixed line telecommunications networks. New Zealand’s largest retail telecommunications provider was worried about losing market share because of draft regulation that increased access charges. The company could lose a portion of its customers to competitors because higher access charges would mean that many customers would no longer be able to afford premium services.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Power and Water Sector Optimization, Abu Dhabi

Castalia designed a new market mechanism for Abu Dhabi’s power and water sector that would reduce the sector’s fiscal costs through improved efficiency. High costs of the power and water sector were stressing Abu Dhabi’s economy, which needed fiscal consolidation to manage falling oil revenues.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Concentrated Solar Power Knowledge and Innovation Program

Castalia advised counties throughout the Middle East and North Africa on how Concentrated Solar Power Generation (CSP) can benefit their power systems. We did power system planning studies, siting studies, technical and financial analysis, and procurement and financing options for several countries. CSP is a disruptive technology that can provide firm and dispatchable power at low carbon emissions in sun-drenched regions like MENA. However, policymakers in MENA lack awareness of CSP potential in their countries.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Financial Advice on Solar Project for Pele Green Energy

Castalia successfully submitted an application for Pele Green Energy to be awarded a $1.1 million grant from USTDA. Pele Green Energy wants to build a 75MW solar photovoltaic power plant in the Free State, South Africa, to help the national utility, Eskom, which urgently needs to increase the country’s supply of energy.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Electricity Sector Regulatory Framework, New Zealand

Castalia proposed new regulatory approaches to promote optimal investment in disruptive energy sector technologies such as battery storage by electricity distribution companies. Emerging technologies in the energy sector have resulted in the line between competitive markets and monopolies being blurred, leading to an outdated regulatory framework that was hindering investment in the new technologies.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Water Utility Turnaround Plan for Can Tho, 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

Elderly Care Sector Assessment, China

Castalia proposed ways to address the mismatch in demand and supply of elderly care accommodations in Yichang City with the use of private sector participation. The PRC has become one of the world’s largest infrastructure markets, driven by strong economic growth and rapid urbanization. Demand for expanded and effective elderly care services has been increasing as 34 percent of the population is expected to be above the age of 60 by 2050. Further demand arises from government efforts to address regional disparities and ensure the availability of elderly care and services to its people, including the less privileged.
June 21, 2019/by sophie

Alternative Insurance Policies for Medicines Australia

Castalia proposed ways to increase affordable and fast access to non-publicly listed medicines while alleviating pharmaceutical costs on the Australian public health system. Affordable access to medicines is a government responsibility. Alternative funding could relieve fiscal pressure and provide Australians with access to much-needed specialized medicines.
June 21, 2019/by sophie