Database Officer

VN Category (INT / EXT / EOI):

External

31-07-2024

Grade 6

Job Category:

Professional

Fixed-term

CHF89,334.00

This is an external vacancy notice open to external candidates and WTO staff. It is posted on the WTO internal as well as external career site. Eligible WTO staff on short-term, fixed-term or regular contracts and interns must apply through the Workday internal career site.

This is a Fixed-term contract funded through the regular budget. The duration will be two years with the possibility of extension, unless specified in the vacancy notice.

The recruitment policy of the WTO is to seek to attract and retain staff members offering the highest standards of competence, efficiency and integrity. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, the WTO gives full regard to merit and diversity.

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The Secretariat of the WTO is seeking to fill a Database Officer position in the Trade and Environment Division (TED).

The Trade and Environment Division services the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade and, inter alia, all matters at the intersection of trade and environment at the WTO. This includes the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) and the TBT Committee in formal and informal sessions. 

This vacancy relates to the work of the Division on environment, specifically the Environmental Database (EDB) maintained by TED. The database collates the environment-related content from notifications across all WTO agreements and information from the Trade Policy Review reports of WTO members on an annual basis.    

GENERAL FUNCTIONS

Under the overall supervision of the Director and direct supervision of a senior official in the Division, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

• Contribute to the updates and maintenance of the WTO Environmental Database (EDB).  Data collection and entry of environment-related measures from WTO notifications (over 4000 on an annual basis) and the Trade Policy Review reports of WTO members.

• Draft and assist in the preparation of the annual EDB report with a thematic/topic specific focus to support the discussions of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE). 

• Presentation of the EDB and its topic-specific trade and environmental data to WTO bodies, including the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE).

• Assist in the coding of legacy data to complete the transition of EDB reports (1997-2008) to the online EDB database format.

• Test, verification, fine-tuning of the EDB online dissemination and data entry platforms, working in collaboration with the IT Division/software developers.

• Respond to user feedback and queries from WTO members’ and other stakeholders.  Develop online user manual(s) and video tutorial(s), social media posts or other outreach materials.

• Preparation of EDB training modules and accompanying training materials for Geneva-based, national and regional capacity building activities.

• Use EDB data to prepare briefing notes for senior management, charts and contribute to publications of the WTO and/or other partners (e.g. UNEP, OECD, World Bank etc.). 

• As needed, and within the range of knowledge and expertise expected from a database officer, help with any other duties or tasks of the Division.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

An advanced university degree, preferably in economics, international relations, law or a related field, preferably with courses on WTO, international trade and/or environment. Professional qualifications or certification gained in any of the following areas: computer programming, statistics, data science, or database management.

Knowledge and skills:

Technical knowledge and skills:

Good knowledge and understanding of the trade and environment relationship, WTO agreements and trade-related environmental measures would be a distinct advantage.

Experience working with Office 365 (with advanced Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint skills).

Knowledge of STATA or Python, R, SQL, JavaScript or similar software, for use in data mining, data cleaning, statistical analysis, and data visualization would be an asset.

Experience working with databases and familiarity with analytical tools (including common data querying languages).

Knowledge of web-content management systems (such as Drupal; WordPress) and multi-directional workflows would be an advantage.

Behavioural skills:

Detail-oriented and quality-focused.

Good communication and presentation skills.

Good writing and analytical skills with the ability to draft in a clear and concise manner. 

Ability to work independently and take initiative while handling existing and new tasks.

Team player able to maintain and build working relationships both within and outside the organization.

Highly developed tact and discretion with good judgement to determine the environmental content of the data and the reliability of the analytical methodology used.

Ability to work under pressure and respect timelines; to multi-task, plan and set priorities.

Capability to work in an international, multi-cultural environment.

Work experience:

At least two years of relevant work experience, preferably in an international and/or multi-cultural environment. Experience in data management and analysis would be an advantage. 

Languages:

Excellent knowledge of English (level corresponding or equivalent to a minimum of level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Knowledge of any other WTO official language (French or Spanish) will be an asset.

Additional Information:
 
Only applications from nationals of WTO Members will be accepted. 

The recruitment process will be undertaken as per Administrative Memorandum No. 976 (OFFICE(16)/15) on Staff Promotions and external recruitment through Vacancy Notices.

The initial fixed-term contract for positions up to grade 10 shall normally be two years, which shall be probationary, as per Administrative Memorandum No. 997 (OFFICE(23)/4) on Probation Policy. For Director positions, the Policy on evaluation of directors apply as per Administrative Memorandum No. 978 (OFFICE(17)/29).

The WTO may use various communication technologies such as video or teleconference for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. The recruitment process may also involve the use of various forms of testing, assessment centres, interviews and reference checks. 

Applicants may be required to sit a written examination. 

Applicants will be contacted directly if selected for an interview. 

Candidates not selected whose performance in the selection process nevertheless shows them to be suitable for a similar position may be kept on a roster for up to 24 months, and may subsequently be called upon as and when the need arises for additional resources.

All applicants are encouraged to apply online as soon as possible after the vacancy has been posted and well before the closing date – Geneva (Switzerland) time – stated in the vacancy announcement. 

PLEASE NOTE THAT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. 

The WTO is a non-smoking environment.