Format job description JPO/ASSOCIATE EXPERT/APO



Request from:

DESA - Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Statistics Division (UNSD)

Economic Statistics Branch

National Accounts Section

JOB DESCRIPTION

INT-022-08-P165-01-V (July 2009)

General Information

Title: Associate Expert in: Economics/National Accounting

Duration: 1 year (with possible extension for another year)

Date required: as soon as possible

Duty Station (location, sector): New York

Supervision

Title of the supervisor: Chief of the National Accounts Section

Content and methodology of the supervision: National Accounts, Database Management . The supervisor will be responsible for providing guidance on preparing technical material on national accounting and related economic statistics, organizing and preparing background documentation for expert meetings and training workshops.

Duties, responsibilities and output expectations:

• Assist in the management of the UN National Accounts Database, i.e. data operations, validation, dissemination.

• Participate in the development of software related to the UN NA database, e.g. internet user interface, electronic questionnaire.

• Communicate with international organizations and national statistical offices to facilitate data exchange and validation;

• Participate in international and regional discussions on national accounts methodology as part of the international updating process of the SNA 1993.

Qualifications and experience

Qualifications: Advanced university degree in economics or statistics. Good conceptual understanding of the 1993 System of National Accounts. Fluency in English required, working knowledge of French, Spanish, Russian or Arabic an asset.

UN competencies (Refer to OHRM guidelines):

Professionalism – demonstrated skills necessary to identify, extract, analyze and disseminate statistical data.

Planning and Organizing – ability to establish priorities and to plan, co-ordinate, and monitor own work plan.

Commitment to continuous learning – willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the field of statistics

Technological awareness – solid computer skills and their application to statistical work

Teamwork – Good interpersonal skills; ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity

Client orientation – ability to understand the needs of data users and focus priorities accordingly

Communication – Ability to write in English in a clear and concise manner and to communicate effectively orally; demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with counterparts in related functional areas and with staff providing support services.

Work experience:

Some work experience with writing of specifications for software, preferably database applications. Familiarity with design of relational databases. Basic understanding of applications.

Learning Elements

After the assignment the ASSOCIATE EXPERT will be able to

▪ Understand database management

▪ Assess national accounts data integrity and reliability

▪ Draft specifications for database software applications

▪ Create and organize project related and administrative documentation according to UN standards

▪ To monitor progress in improving data availability in the UN national accounts database and the implementation of the 1993 SNA

Background information

The UN Statistics Division (UNSD) is a division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). It has a coordinating role in the international statistical system and is responsible for promoting the production and dissemination of national official statistics and indicators and its international comparability in the economic, social, demographic and environmental fields.

The National Accounts Section of the Economic Statistics Branch of the UN Statistics Division, among other things, operates and maintains the UN National Accounts Database. This database is the foundation for calculating the UN member countries’ contributions to the regular budget of the UN, and it serves international organizations, countries and the general public that use internationally comparable national accounts data. The operation of the database is politically strictly independent and requires a high degree of accountability and integrity.

The database currently counts around a million data records, has been operated for several decades, and serves as the source for the UN national accounts yearbook called “National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables”. Its structure is determined by a set of tables based on the SNA 1993 (System of National Accounts) and the UN National Accounts Questionnaire (NAQ). Each year data are collected directly from around 150 countries, or uploaded from the databases of UNECE and the OECD. The database is running on Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

An database management software has been designed, programmed, and successfully launched by UNSD in 2003. The new software enables the designated staff members to validate and amend new and historical data series that go back to the 1950s. It has facilitated a complete data series alignment across the tables of the NAQ for 207 countries of the world.

The Associate Expert will be active in investigating existing records, research data sources, analyze data for their likelihood, complement and adjust data, and thus contribute to the quality of the database. Moreover, he will contribute to the definition, specification, and implementation of software, created to improved database content and facilitate its wider use. He will contribute to the development of an on-line user interface for the database, which will give world wide live access to the database by users world wide. Development of a new mode of data collection, an electronic questionnaire, is currently planned. This tool is intended expedite data collection exchange world-wide, and minimize tabulating errors.

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