Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through the FAO Strategic Framework, 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. The Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) lead FAO's response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development through the identification, planning and implementation of FAO's priority activities in the region, in line with the FAO Strategic Framework.  Based on priorities agreed by the FAO Regional Conference for Europe, REU focuses on family farming and smallholder development, agrifood systems transformation, sustainable natural resource management, and food security and nutrition.

In close collaboration with the Office of the Chief Statistician / Statistics Division (ESS) and other relevant technical units at FAO Headquarters, REU supports member countries in strengthening national capacities for the production, analysis and dissemination of high-quality statistics related to agriculture, food security and nutrition, rural development and sustainable management of natural resources.

In the Republic of Moldova, FAO works with the Government, in particular the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), to strengthen national agricultural statistical systems and to advance their alignment with European Union standards. Within this context, FAO mobilizes international and national expertise to contribute to capacity building initiatives aimed at improving the methodological soundness, quality and comparability of agricultural statistics in line with EU requirements.

Reporting Lines

The Agriculture Statistician will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative in the Republic of Moldova, technical supervision of the REU Statistician and in close collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova and other relevant national stakeholders.

Technical Focus

The incumbent will act as key resource persons for provision of technical assistance (TA) and training on the topics related to all stages of the agricultural statistics production cycle: survey planning and preparation, development of survey instruments, organisation of data collection, analysis, data processing, preparation of dissemination products, They will support the organization, monitoring and coordination of capacity development activities (technical assistance and training) at the regional and country level.

Tasks and responsibilities

The incumbent will undertake tasks that include, but could be not limited to the following:
•     Support of capacity development activities by facilitating in-country training workshops (virtual or in-person) and working on action points and next steps in the following fields: 
        o    Preparation of planning of agricultural census and surveys;
        o    Organization of agricultural sample surveys;
        o    Sample frame and sampling design;
        o    Development of Computer Assisted Person Interview (CAPI) application;
        o    Processing and analysis of results using statistical software;
        o    Computation of indicators based on survey data;
        o    Preparation of dissemination products for agricultural surveys, including statistical disclosure control for micro-data sharing;
•     Assist the coordination and planning of capacity development activities with beneficiary country. 
•     Contribute to the preparation of methodological notes
•     Any other support required for the effective implementation of the project.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•     University degree from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO  in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics or other relevant fields. PhD would be desirable
•     At least 3 years of experience in the areas related to Agricultural statistics/Economics, including organization of farm-based surveys, processing and dissemination of agricultural survey data or implementation of training programs; 2 years of work experience are sufficient with a pertinent PhD
•     Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English (level C) or Russian.

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Ability to draft quickly, clearly and concisely and to communicate effectively in English 
•     Ability to work independently, with minimum supervision 
•     Extent and length of work experience in national institutions, international organizations, dealing with statistical data production including survey design, data collection organisation, data processing, statistical analysis, report writing and capacity development 
•     Statistical and GIS programming languages, such as R, GIS software, experience with Google Earth Engine 
•     Previous work experience with FAO and its partners in the above-mentioned statistical domains and tasks will be considered an asset 
•     Limited knowledge (level B) of another FAO official language (English, French, Russian or Spanish) would be an asset.