Statistician

Job Posting: 09/Dec/2024 Closure Date: 06/Jan/2025, 4:59:00 PM Organizational Unit: ESS Job Type: Staff position Type of Requisition: Professional Grade Level: P-2 Primary Location: Italy-Rome Duration: Fixed-term: two years with possibility of extension Post Number: 2009271 CCOG Code: 1M02 IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device The length of appointment for internal FAO candidates will be established in accordance with applicable policies pertaining to the extension of appointments. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality FAO staff are subject to the authority of the Director-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the Organization. FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production , better nutrition , a better environment, and a better life , leaving no one behind. Organizational Setting FAO's commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations. The Statistics Division (ESS) develops and advocates for the implementation of methodologies and standards for data collection, validation, processing and analysis, in the food and agriculture statistics domains. In these statistical domains, it also plays a key role in the compilation, processing and dissemination of internationally comparable data, and provides essential capacity building in support of Member Nations. The Division also disseminates publications, working papers and statistical yearbooks, that cover agriculture and food security statistics, including prices, investments, production, trade and agri-environmental statistical data. Finally, as the ESS Director also plays the role of FAO Chief Statistician, the Division supports the various functions of the Chief Statistician, that is to ensure stronger governance of FAO's data and statistical system, foster consistency of FAO's Data and Statistical programme within the Strategic Framework, ensure statistical excellence through the implementation of statistical standards and quality assurance mechanisms, and position FAO's presence in data and statistical discussions at global level. The post is located in the Data and Statistics Coordination Team of ESS at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Data and Statistics Coordination Team supports the governance and coordination of FAO's data and statistical activities, both within FAO and within the broader international data and statistical community. It oversees the planning, monitoring and reporting on FAO data and statistical programme of work and more generally supports the monitoring of FAO's corporate results. It coordinates FAO's role as custodian agency for 21 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators. Finally, it acts as focal points for any queries on intellectual property matters concerning FAO databases. Reporting Lines The Statistician reports to a Senior Statistician in ESS, under the general supervision of the Director ESS. Technical Focus The incumbent will be responsible for providing technical support to the governance, coordination, planning, monitoring and reporting of data and statistical activities at corporate level, in particular in the area of SDG monitoring, and to the design and monitoring of FAO results framework. Key Results Collection, analysis and review of information, data and statistics and project/meeting services to support programme products, projects, publications and services. Key Functions Participates in the development of improved and/or updated technical, statistical and/or analytical tools, systems, databases; participates in the collection, review, processing and/or analysis of key social/economic/environmental indicators, based on both traditional statistical methods/sources or on unstructured sources and data science methods, to support the delivery of economic and social development programmes of work, which can be focused on products, projects, publications or services. Participates in the design and conducts research, data collection, validation, analysis and/or reporting in support of the development of technical standards, international instruments, innovative tools and methodologies to be used within the Organization or by external stakeholders. Participates in the production of technical reports and provides input in technical documents, divisional publications and/or web pages. Supports in the response to requests and provides technical and/or policy advice, assistance and solutions to Regional, Subregional and Country Offices. Participates in multidisciplinary teams, collaborates with other Divisions/Offices/Centres on work groups and committees and promotes best practices. Collaborates in capacity development activities, including the planning and organization of training workshops, seminars, and major meetings, and in the preparation of related information, materials, on-line tools and information kits. Participates in multidisciplinary teams and short-term work groups, leads and/or participates in the Divisional teams, participates in Organization-wide committees, project teams and working groups and provides specialized expertise on international technical networks and or technical policy and standard setting bodies. Participates in the organization, conduct and follow-up of meetings, consultations and conferences, in the development and/or production of required materials and the provision of information and assistance to partners. Specific Functions Provides technical support to the work of FAO data coordination groups, including the development, implementation and monitoring of strategic orientations, policies, standards, procedures and best practices for the production and dissemination of food and agriculture statistics. Supports the compilation, disaggregation, progress assessment, dissemination and reporting of the SDG indicators under FAO custodianship. Supports the coordination of statistical capacity development initiatives on SDG monitoring and provides technical assistance to Member Nations, with a particular emphasis on improving national capacities to collect and report data for SDG monitoring. Provides regular assessment reports on the quality of the SDG indicators under the custodianship of FAO. Supports the coordination, planning, monitoring and reporting on FAO's data and statistical programme of work, projects and activities. Provides technical support for the design and monitoring of FAO's results framework, including the conduct and analysis of corporate outcome assessments and stakeholder surveys. Supports the coordination of FAO reporting on data and statistics to FAO Governing Bodies, the UN Statistical Commission and other relevant bodies. Provides technical support for the preparation and coordination of FAO regional commissions on agriculture statistics and the United Nations Committee of Experts on Food Security, Agricultural and Rural Statistics (UN-CEAG) meetings, as well as the coordination of FAO's participation in committee of experts and working groups under the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) as well as other regional and global statistical coordination bodies relevant to FAO's data and statistical mandate. Supports the establishment, review and management of corporate partnerships for data and statistics, including with other international organizations, academia, the private sector and resource partners. Provides technical support for the management of intellectual property rights for FAO databases. Performs other related duties supporting ESS's mandate as requested. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING Minimum Requirements Advanced university degree in statistics, mathematics, economics, agricultural economics, or a related field. Three years of relevant experience in the compilation and analysis of food and agricultural statistics in national or international organizations. Working knowledge (proficiency – level C) of English and intermediate knowledge (intermediate proficiency – level B) of another FAO official language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish). Competencies Results Focus Teamwork Communication Building Effective Relationships Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement Technical/Functional Skills Work experience in more than one location or area of work, particularly in field positions, is desirable. Strong command of statistical methods including: data presentation, analysis and descriptive statistics; main continuous and discrete random variables (binomial, normal, standard normal, log-normal) and their properties; probability distributions; conditional probability, probabilities of intersections of events, Bayes' theorem; correlation and rank correlation; sampling and sample size: simple, stratified, and multistage random sampling; Inference, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and significance; linear regression (single and multiple) comparison of population means and variances, ANOVA; Chi-square and goodness of fit tests; nonlinear models: maximum likelihood estimation; elements of survey and questionnaire design. Extent and relevance of experience in collecting and analysing technical information and data, in particular data related to food, agriculture and the SDGs. Extent and relevance of experience in software used for processing and analysing data. Experience in the use of statistical software, such as R, Stata or SPSS. Quality of oral and written communication skills in English. _________________________________________________________________ FAO staff are expected to adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency. _________________________________________________________________ GENERAL INFORMATION Extension of fixed term appointments is based on certification of performance and availability of funds. FAO reserves the right not to make an appointment. Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. CONDITIONS OF SERVICE A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, click on the following link: https://commonsystem.org/cp/default.asp Other benefits, subject to eligibility, include: Dependency allowances Rental subsidy Education grant for children Home leave travel 30 working days of annual leave per year Pension fund entitlements under the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund International health insurance; optional life insurance Disability protection FAO encourages a positive workplace culture to increase inclusivity and diversity within its workforce. FAO applies measures in which all staff members contribute equally and in full to the work and development of the Organization. This includes: elements of family-friendly policies flexible working arrangements standards of conduct. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ HOW TO APPLY To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills. Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile. Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application. Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/ Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO's behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application. Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered. Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile. We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date. If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO's client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT J-18808-Ljbffr