Statistician

Job Posting Organization:
The Statistics Division (ESS) is a part of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is dedicated to developing and advocating for methodologies and standards for data collection, validation, processing, and analysis of food and agriculture statistics. Established to enhance the quality and availability of agricultural data, the division plays a crucial role in compiling, processing, and disseminating internationally comparable data. It also provides essential capacity-building support to member countries, ensuring that they can effectively manage and utilize agricultural statistics. The division is involved in various large-scale projects aimed at improving statistical methodologies and establishing best practices for data management relevant to security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security, agriculture, and rural areas. The Food and Agricultural Microdata (FAM) Catalogue, launched in 2019, serves as a corporate solution for disseminating microdata collected or supported by FAO, creating a centralized resource for accessing agricultural microdata.

Job Overview:
The incumbent in this position will support the quality assurance of metadata and microdata submitted to the FAM catalogue for dissemination. This role requires a combination of technical and analytical skills to conduct statistical risk assessments and apply statistical disclosure control techniques to microdata. The position involves collaboration with various teams within FAO, including the ESS Dissemination and Outreach Team and the FAM Statistician. The successful candidate will be responsible for reviewing submitted studies, drafting DDI compliant metadata, assessing disclosure risks, and implementing anonymization methods. Additionally, the role includes providing analytical support to stakeholders, managing internal archives, and advocating for the FAM catalogue through external communications and webinars.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The incumbent will contribute to and/or take responsibility for several key tasks, including: reviewing submitted studies and drafting DDI compliant metadata; assessing and deciding levels of disclosure risk, implementing appropriate anonymization methods, and organizing microdata files for publication in the FAM catalogue; providing analytical and technical support to stakeholders regarding metadata documentation and disclosure risk; identifying relevant datasets in external catalogues and integrating them into the FAM catalogue; managing requests for licensed datasets; maintaining the internal archive according to FAO standards; developing new procedures to automate citation identification for publication; preparing articles and newsletters for external audiences; representing FAO in webinars promoting the FAM catalogue; leading projects to automate citation integration; and supporting consultations with external users to enhance FAM data collections.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must meet the following minimum requirements: For Consultants, an advanced university degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Data Science, Finance, or related disciplines is required. Those with a bachelor's degree must have two additional years of relevant professional experience. For PSA.SBS positions, a university degree (or technical degree/certificate) in the same fields is necessary. Additionally, candidates should have at least one year of relevant experience in collecting, manipulating, analyzing, and disseminating statistical data, along with a working knowledge of English.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes an advanced university degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Data Science, Finance, or related disciplines from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO. For those applying as Consultants, a bachelor's degree is acceptable if accompanied by two additional years of relevant professional experience. For PSA.SBS roles, a university degree or technical degree/certificate in the aforementioned fields is required.

Experience:
Candidates should possess at least one year of relevant experience in the field of statistical data management, which includes collecting, manipulating, analyzing, and disseminating statistical data. This experience is crucial for ensuring that the incumbent can effectively contribute to the quality assurance and dissemination of microdata and metadata within the FAM catalogue.

Languages:
A working knowledge of English is mandatory for this position. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, enhancing the candidate's ability to communicate and collaborate with diverse stakeholders.

Additional Notes:
The job does not specify a deadline for applications, nor does it indicate the contract duration or seniority level. It is important to note that the position may involve working with international teams and stakeholders, and candidates should be prepared for a collaborative work environment. Compensation and benefits details are not provided in the job description.