Title:  Statistical Data Consultant

 ​​Requisition ID: 6676 
Grade: ISA-P2 
Country: Austria 
Duty Station: Vienna 
Category: International Consultant 
Type of Job Posting: External
Employment Type: NonStaff-Regular
Contract Duration: 1 year
Application Deadline: 28-Nov-2025, 11:59 PM (Vienna, Austria time)

Vacancy Announcement
TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT OF PROJECT PERSONNEL
Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability.  The mission UNIDO, as described in the Lima Declaration adopted at the fifteenth session of the UNIDO General Conference in 2013 as well as the Abu Dhabi Declaration adopted at the eighteenth session of UNIDO General Conference in 2019, is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States. The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development is recognized by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies to a greater or lesser extent to all SDGs.

The medium-term programme framework (MTPF) is UNIDO’s core strategic document. As the Organization moves from the 2022–2025 cycle to the 2026–2029 MTPF, it sets a renewed vision to support Member States shape their industries for development. The new priorities include renewable and clean energy, sustainable access and climate action, ending hunger through innovation and local value addition, and fair and sustainable global and regional supply chains. Cross-cutting priorities focus on industrial and economic policy advice, skills development, fostering digitalization and artificial intelligence, gender equality and the empowerment of women, supporting youth, promoting cleaner production and circular economy, and leveraging private sector investment and development finance.

Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation. Such core functions are carried out in Divisions/Offices in its Headquarters, Sub-regional Offices and Country Offices.

The Directorate of Strategic Planning, Programming and Policy (SPP) is responsible and accountable for UNIDO’s strategic planning and programming through the provision of coordinated and cohesive frameworks and policy advice. It plays the central role for UNIDO regarding the engagement in South-South and Triangular Cooperation matters, the strategic positioning of UNIDO within the United Nation system, strategic engagement in multilateral fora including BRICS, G20 and G7. It also leads the promotion of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women through mainstreaming gender considerations at the institutional and programmatic level. In addition, the Directorate oversees the Organization’s industrial policy research, statistics and SDG 9 reporting activities, and normative function, and ensures a cohesive and consistent approach to Knowledge Management (KM) in UNIDO.

Within the Directorate, the Division of Industrial Policy Research and Statistics (SPP/IPS) is responsible for delivering the Organization's research and statistics programme on industrial development. It is responsible for analysing trends in industrial development and trade, and producing UNIDO's flagship publication, the Industrial Development Report; for the compilation, storage and dissemination of worldwide industrial statistics; and for reporting on the industrial statistics indicators of SDG 9. In collaboration with other organizational entities, the Division ensures that policy advice provided, statistical data collected and analysed, and research conducted and disseminated, contributing to the Organization’s strategic planning, programming and policy approaches. The outputs of the Division in the form of policy briefs and other publications are disseminated and promoted to Member States and the wider industrial development community, complying with the Organization’s industrial development normative function. The Division comprises of two units: Industrial Statistics and SDG 9 Reporting (ISR) and Industrial Policy Research (IPR).

This position is located under the Industrial Statistics and SDG 9 Reporting Unit (SPP/IPS/ISR), responsible for the compilation, storage and dissemination of worldwide industrial statistics and reporting on SDG 9. It provides analyses of such data to other organizational entities, taking into account observed trends, requests from Member States and demand from the Organization’s technical entities. In doing so, it also facilitates that statistical data collected are fed into the Organization’s work.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Project Summary/Project Purpose>

UNIDO has an international mandate in the field of industrial statistics. To this end, the Organization provides technical assistance to its member States to enhance their statistical capacity and improve the quality of data produced. Currently, UNIDO is implementing the second phase of the regional project “Improvement of industrial statistics and development of indicators of industrial performance for policy-relevant analysis in selected countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia” (SAP 190319), with the main objective of improving industrial statistics system. In this phase, the project continues to assist the recipient countries to improve the quality of industrial statistics that are relevant in the context of the emerging demands of data for SDG indicators and the economic integration of countries to regional and global markets, with special focus on productivity, digital economy and women’s empowerment. In continuation of the technical work commenced by the previous phase, this project further emphasizes the implementation of UN recommendations related to general industrial statistics, index numbers of industrial production, business dynamics and entrepreneurship, and statistics of small industrial enterprises.

FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Chief Statistician, the incumbent will contribute to the implementation of project activities related to industrial productivity and performance measurement. Specific responsibilities include:

• Assist in documenting national experiences in calculating industrial productivity indicators, including data sources, methodologies, and institutional arrangements.
• Contribute to the development of technical guidelines and best practices for producing industrial productivity measures, drawing on UNIDO’s work and international recommendations, with a focus on applicability in the regional context.
• Support the feasibility assessment of a potential international database on industrial productivity, including preliminary research and contributions to a pilot version if applicable.
• Assist in analyzing the implications of the updated UNIDO Competitive Industrial Performance (CIP) Index for countries in the region and support the preparation of guidance materials tailored to national contexts.
• Prepare background documentation, presentations, and related materials for workshops and seminars organized under the project.
• Provide technical and administrative support to other project components as required, including data collection, literature review, and coordination with stakeholders.
• Respond to ad hoc requests from the supervisor and contribute to other substantive activities within the scope of the project.

MINIMUM ORGANIZATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Education: Advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in economics, statistics, data science, computer science, or other relevant discipline with a specialization in statistics is required.

Technical and functional experience:

• A minimum of three (3) years of practical experience in statistics, particularly in the field of official statistics, are required.
• Strong knowledge of UN recommendations on industrial statistics, as well as the System of National Accounts, are required.
• Substantial work experience in countries from Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and exposure to the statistical needs, infrastructure and challenges in developing countries, would be desirable.
• Strong programming skills in R or/and Python are required.

Languages: Working knowledge of English is required. Fluency in written and spoken Russian is required.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

Core Values

WE LIVE AND ACT WITH INTEGRITY: work honestly, openly and impartially.

WE SHOW PROFESSIONALISM: work hard and competently in a committed and responsible manner.

WE RESPECT DIVERSITY: work together effectively, respectfully and inclusively, regardless of our differences in culture and perspective.

Key Competencies

WE FOCUS ON PEOPLE: cooperate to fully reach our potential –and this is true for our colleagues as well as our clients. Emotional intelligence and receptiveness are vital parts of our UNIDO identity.

WE FOCUS ON RESULTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: focus on planning, organizing and managing our work effectively and efficiently. We are responsible and accountable for achieving our results and meeting our performance standards. This accountability does not end with our colleagues and supervisors, but we also owe it to those we serve and who have trusted us to contribute to a better, safer and healthier world.

WE COMMUNICATE AND EARN TRUST: communicate effectively with one another and build an environment of trust where we can all excel in our work.

WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND INNOVATE: To stay relevant, we continuously improve, support innovation, share our knowledge and skills, and learn from one another.

This appointment is limited to the specified project(s) only and does not carry any expectation of renewal.
Employees of UNIDO are expected at all times to uphold the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity, both at work and outside. Only persons who fully and unconditionally commit to these values should consider applying for jobs at UNIDO.

All applications must be submitted online through the Online Recruitment System. Correspondence will be undertaken only with candidates who are being considered at an advanced phase of the selection process. Selected candidate(s) may be required to disclose to the Director General the nature and scope of financial and other personal interests and assets in respect of themselves, their spouses and dependents, under the procedures established by the Director General.

Visit the UNIDO website for details on how to apply: www.unido.org

NOTE: The Director General retains the discretion to make an appointment to this post at a lower level. 

Notice to applicants:
UNIDO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. If you have received a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Vacant positions within UNIDO are advertised on the official UNIDO website. Should you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of UNIDO and requesting payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unido.org