Economic Research Assistant

The objective of this individual contractor is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of a national development plan through: the collection and analysis of macroeconomic, sectoral and socioeconomic data; application of econometric and statistical techniques to develop plausible counterfactual scenarios; assessment of progress toward development objectives.

UN-House ESCWA

2.5 months

Background The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) supports member States in designing, implementing and evaluating development strategies through evidence-based economic analysis. As countries increasingly rely on medium-term development plans to foster sustainable growth, economic diversification, fiscal resilience, productivity, employment and social development, there is a growing need for rigorous assessments of policy interventions while accounting for external shocks, structural factors and changing economic conditions. Duties and Responsibilities The individual contractor shall undertake the following tasks:

• Review plan documents and related policy material;
• Identify relevant indicators, targets and evaluation questions;
• Collect, compile, clean and harmonize macroeconomic, sectoral and socioeconomic datasets from national and international sources;
• Develop databases and documentation suitable for quantitative analysis;
• Design an evaluation framework and analytical methodology;
• Apply econometric techniques, including time series and panel data analysis, as appropriate;
• Support ESCWA’s broader analytical work and outputs, as needed;
• Assess performance across key macroeconomic and sectoral indicators;
• Conduct robustness checks and sensitivity analysis;
• Prepare reports, technical notes, presentations and policy recommendations;

A Bachelor's degree in Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Development Economics, Data Science, or a related field is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 2 years of professional work experience in macroeconomic analysis, applied economics, econometrics, development planning, economic modelling or policy evaluation is required. Demonstrated experience working with macroeconomic and socioeconomic data is required. Proficiency in Stata, R, Python, EViews or similar analytical software is required. Experience in the Arab region is desirable. Experience in preparing analytical reports for governments, international organizations or research institutions is desirable. Strong knowledge of econometric methods, including time-series and panel-data analysis, is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in both Arabic and English are required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Recruitment for this position is on a local basis. The incumbent is required to have the legal right to live and work in the specified working location.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.