Applied Economist / Statistician

The Pacific Community (SPC) is the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific region, supporting development since 1947. We are an international development organisation owned and governed by our 26 country and territory members. In pursuit of sustainable development to benefit Pacific people, our unique organisation works across more than 25 sectors. We are renowned for our knowledge and innovation in such areas as fisheries science, public health surveillance, geoscience, and conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

The Statistics for Development Division (SDD) is based in SPC’s headquarter in Noumea, New Caledonia. The division employs approximately 20 staff all of whom are all based in Noumea. SDD’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of Pacific Island and Territories (PICTs) national statistical systems by providing technical support through coordination with technical partners and donors. As part of SDD’s new role and functions, it has adopted a statistics system leadership and coordination role as well as strengthening its work on data analysis and dissemination. This new direction will be implemented as part of the Ten Year Pacific Statistics Strategy (TYPSS) Phase 3 finishing in 2020 and this role is a key position in driving this change.

The role – the Applied Economist/Statistician will conduct statistical analysis and modelling of census and survey data, mainly focusing on food security, nutrition, livelihoods and natural resource sectors. He/she will prepare harmonized data sets and methodological briefs; publish and communicate results and policy recommendation with key stakeholders in SPC’s member states, including strategy to improve food security monitoring. He/she will contribute to project management and partner / stakeholder coordination.

The key responsibilities of the role include the following:

Conduct economic and statistical analysis and modelling, focusing on areas of: consumption, food security, nutrition, livelihoods and analysis of natural resource sectors

• Statistical, economic and econometric modelling to improve understanding of consumption, food insecurity, poverty and health outcomes in the Pacific region;
• High quality and replicable analysis of survey, census, trade and other data sets is conducted;
• Analytical outputs are published and made available to stakeholders - particularly SPC’s members - in varying forms (i.e., aggregate tables, synthesis products and briefs, papers, infographics) and disseminated via SPC’s various platforms.

Harmonisation of development microdata and preparation of methodological briefs

• Survey, census, trade and other unit-record development microdata are standardised – in accordance with international standards and classifications – to facilitate the production of longitudinally and spatially comparable statistical outputs.

Publication, dissemination and communication of analytical outputs and policy implications, including developing a strategy to improve food security monitoring and reporting

• Lead, or contribute to, the production of high quality statistical dissemination products, such as: peer reviewed literature, fact sheets and briefs, infographics;
• Communicate (and negotiate) policy recommendation to a high-level (e.g., Ministerial) and technical (e.g., national statistical agency, technical development partners, academia) audience and defend statistical analysis and results;
• Lead, or collaborate with stakeholders, in the production and dissemination of policy oriented products;
• Present analytical results and interpretation to stakeholders, including regional statistical forums and Food Systems project working groups.

Project management, stakeholder engagement and collaboration (project partners, sector focal points in member states, development partners, academia and donors)

• Food Systems project is well managed and implemented within budget with all deliverables achieved;
• Collaboration and liaison with project stakeholder in the successful implementation of the work plan and the production of relevant, high quality and methodologically sound outputs;
• Funding is secured for project continuation and expansion (fund raising).

Contribute to SDD team environment and SDD/SPC corporate activities

• KRA outputs are successfully delivered as per job description and work plan;
• Timely and effective responses provided to corporate and administrative activities, including annual results framework reporting, donor reporting requirements, CRGA, annual performance evaluation, leave, reflections, team meetings, development of annual work plan.

For a more detailed account of the key responsibilities, please refer to the online job description.

Key selection criteria

Qualifications

• A Masters degree in statistics, applied economics (agriculture, health, nutrition), econometrics, demography, or related field.

Technical expertise

• Eight years of demonstrated experience in the modelling and analysis of household survey data;
• Record of having authored or co-authored publications in scientific literature and in policy formation;
• Expert knowledge of Stata and/or other statistical software (e.g., R, SPSS, SAS);
• Record of delivery against project objectives;
• Knowledge of statistical and economic modelling methodologies and techniques;
• Record of forming strategy to improve the production and dissemination of food security data.

Language skills

• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Interpersonal skills and cultural awareness

• Excellent interpersonal skills;
• Strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills with the ability to acknowledge and adapt to cultural sensitivities;
• Knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories is an advantage.

Salary, terms and conditions

Required start date – March 2020, or earlier.

Contract duration – This position is budgeted for two years and is subject to renewal depending on performance and funding.

Remuneration – The Applied Economist/Statistician is a Band 10 position in SPC’s 2019 salary scale, with a starting salary range of 3,415–4,172 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately XPF 487,815–596,018 (USD 4,849–5,924; EUR 4,088–4,995). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration being given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. SPC salaries are not presently subject to income tax in New Caledonia.

Benefits for international staff employees based in New Caledonia – SPC provides subsidised housing in Noumea. Establishment and relocation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave, medical and life insurance, and education allowance are available for eligible employees and their recognised dependents. Employees are entitled to 25 days of annual leave and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary, to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Languages – SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Equal opportunity – SPC is an equal opportunity employer. Recruitment is based entirely on merit; in cases where two short-listed candidates are judged to be of equal rank by the selection committee, preference will be given to Pacific Island nationals.

Child protection – SPC is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. SPC’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Police clearance – Successful candidates will be required to provide a police clearance certificate.

Application procedure

Closing date: 12 January 2020

Job Reference: AL000236

For your application to be considered, you must provide us with:

• an updated resume with contact details for three professional referees
• a cover letter detailing your skills, experience and interest in this position
• responses to all screening questions

Please ensure your documents are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.

All positions at SPC have specific screening questions. If you do not respond to all of the screening questions, your application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed at shortlisting stage.

Screening questions

1. Describe challenges associated with the preparation and use of data generated through household income and expenditure surveys for food security analysis.
2. Summarise your understanding of the nutrition transition that has occurred / is occurring the Pacific region, and the economic and social implication of the transition.
3. Describe your experience in using multiple data sources to guide policy development and what strategy you would adopt to communicate results of complex analysis to a multidiscipline and multicultural audience.