The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation comprised of 38 member countries, that works to build better policies for better lives. Our mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.  Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, we work on establishing evidence-based international standards, and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, we provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) helps local and national governments unleash the potential of entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), promote inclusive and sustainable regions and cities, boost local job creation, and implement sound tourism policies. It includes the Secretariat serving the Regional Policy Development Committee (RDPC) and its three Working Parties on Urban Policy, Rural Policy and Territorial Indicators and the Expert Group on Multi-level Governance, the Committee on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (CSMEE), the Tourism Committee and its Working Party on Tourism Statistics, and the Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Directing Committee. 

In CFE, the Division for Regional Development and Multilevel Governance (RDG) advises governments on policies to enhance regional and competitiveness, improve well-being of residents, address regional and rural inequality, and tackle environmental challenges. It produces evidence, analysis and standards on a range of regional and rural policies and carries out reviews and thematic policy dialogues at as subnational level across regions and countries. RDG focuses extensively on multi-level governance arrangements for effective regional development policy, regional and local governance, subnational capacity building and local finance. RDG serves the Regional Development Policy Committee (RDPC), its Working Party on Rural Policy (WPURB) and its expert group on Multi-level Governance and Multi-level Governance and Public Investment for Regional Development. RDG also coordinates the World Observatory on Subnational Finance and Investment, covering 135+ countries.

RDG is looking for one or more Research and Data Officers with strong statistical and analytical skills, good knowledge of data visualisation tools, and proven ability to communicate complex results. The successful applicant will participate in the elaboration of data and analytical work to support regional and rural policy reviews. This work may involve both cross-country and country-specific analysis with a particular focus on  the new global environment driven by megatrends such as digitalisation, population ageing and climate change. The role will examine the key drivers of regional and rural development including innovation, skills, services and institutions. Working in a dynamic team of economists and policy experts, the successful candidate will contribute to delivering high-quality empirical analysis under the supervision of one of RDG’s Heads of Unit.

RDG is looking for one or more Research and Data Officers with strong statistical and analytical skills, good knowledge of data visualisation tools, and proven ability to communicate complex results. The successful applicant will participate in the elaboration of data and analytical work to support regional and rural policy reviews. This work may involve both cross-country and country-specific analysis with a particular focus on the new global environment driven by megatrends such as digitalisation, population ageing and climate change. The role will examine the key drivers of regional and rural development including innovation, skills, services and institutions. Working in a dynamic team of economists and policy experts, the successful candidate will contribute to delivering high-quality empirical analysis under the supervision of one of RDG’s Heads of Unit.

Main Responsibilities

Data collection and analysis

• Independently and proactively collect and process international regional and rural datasets, including publicly available data sources and internal data collections (OECD Regional Database, MUNIFI and RGOFI). Compile data and create indicators using Excel and developing scripts in R and Stata.
• Support regional and rural data dissemination and develop scripts in R or Stata to automate the update of key tables and graphs; work creatively to suggest new chart types and data visualisation functionalities, including dashboards.
• Keep up to date on of newly developed indicators and work developed by CFE’s Economic Analysis, Data and Statistics Division as well as contributions from regional and rural development experts.
• Conduct descriptive and econometric statistical analysis, using both micro-level and aggregated data.
• Ensure data quality data quality, integrity, and security by following established data governance policies and procedures.

Data dissemination and documentation

• Contribute to the drafting and editing of the analytical sections of reports, national, regional, local or thematic territorial and rural policy reviews.
• Contribute to development of visuals and infographics to effectively communicate OECD’s work on regional and rural development, supporting dissemination both internally and across member and partner countries.

Other duties

• Keep updated on new data sources, and non-standard data sources, and the work of other international and national organisations on topics relevant to research and data analysis in regional and rural development.
• Participate in and provide support to WPRUR, the RDPC and related conferences and events.
• Collaborate with colleagues within the CFE and across other OECD Directorates contributing to horizontal and multi-disciplinary projects and outputs as needed.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background

• Master's degree or equivalent, preferably in statistics, economics, demography, econometrics, mathematics, engineering or a scientific field, and a good knowledge of statistical databases and information technology.

Professional Background

• At least one, preferably 3 years’ professional experience in a similar role.
• Good knowledge of the OECD’s substantive work, particularly on regional and rural development.
• Experience in the production and/or use of statistics including documentation on data sources, definitions, coverage, methodology, reliability and comparability gained in a national or international organisation.
• Experience in analysing large sets of survey data (notably national and European labour force and social surveys, administrative and Census data would be an asset)
• Skilled in performing basic statistical analysis using standard techniques such as descriptive statistics, interpreting statistical outputs, and drawing conclusions from the data.
• Experience in statistical models including econometric techniques.

Skilled in creating basic visualisations using standard tools and techniques, capable of presenting data in simple charts, graphs, and dashboards for basic analysis.

Tools

• Excellent programming skills in Stata or R (experience in Python would also be an asset).
• Good knowledge of the main frameworks for data visualisation (in particular, ggplot2), data processing (dplyr, pandas), machine learning (scikit-learn), or willingness to learn those frameworks.
• Experience in managing and querying large databases and practical experience with relevant software and programming languages.
• Excellent command of Microsoft Office software, especially Excel (including macros and pivot tables).
• A good knowledge of geographical information systems is an advantage.

Core Competencies

• OECD staff are expected to demonstrate behaviours aligned to six core competencies which will be assessed as part of this hiring processes: Vision and Strategy (Level 1); Enable People (Level 1); Ethics and Integrity (Level 1); Collaboration and Horizontality (Level 1); Achieve Results (Level 2); Innovate and Embrace Change (Level 2)
• To learn more about the definitions for each competency for levels 1-3, please refer to OECD Core Competencies.

Languages

• Fluency in one of the two OECD official languages (English and French) and knowledge of the other, with a commitment to reach a good working level.

Closing Date

• This vacancy will be filled as soon as possible, and applications should reach us no later than 15 December 2024 23h59 (Paris time).

Contract Duration

• Thirteen months fixed term appointment, with the possibility of renewal.

What the OECD offers

• Depending on level of experience, monthly salary starts at 4432.75 EUR, plus allowances based on eligibility, exempt of French income tax.
• Click here to learn more about what we offer and why the OECD is a great place to work.
• Click here to browse our People Management Guidebook and learn more about all aspects relating to people at the OECD, our workplace environment and many other policies supporting staff in their daily life.
• Please note that the appointment may be made at one grade lower in the specified job family, based on the qualifications and professional experience of the selected applicant.

Selection Process

For retained candidates, the selection process may include a video-recorded interview, job-based assessment and panel interviews.

The OECD is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes the applications of all qualified candidates who are nationals of OECD member countries, irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, opinions or beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health or disabilities.

The OECD promotes an optimal use of resources in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Staff members are encouraged to actively contribute to this goal.