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Census and Survey Officer, Statistics for Development Division, located at its headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia


SPC invites applications for the position of Census and Survey Officer, Statistics for Development Division, located at its headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia.

SPC is the Pacific Island region’s principal technical and scientific organisation. It delivers technical, scientific, research, policy and training support to Pacific Island countries and territories in fisheries, agriculture, forestry, water resources, geoscience, transport, energy, disaster risk management, public health, statistics, education, human rights, gender, youth and culture. For more information, visit www.spc.int.

In applying, candidates should be guided by SPC’s vision, mission and corporate values, the role and profile of the position and the key result areas and selection criteria.

SPC’s vision for the region is a secure and prosperous Pacific Community, whose people are educated and healthy and manage their resources in an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable way.

Our mission is to help Pacific Island people position themselves to respond effectively to the challenges they face and make informed decisions about their future and the future they leave for the generations that follow.

Our corporate values are underpinned by the principle of ‘making a positive difference in the lives of Pacific Island people – putting people first’. They include accountability, integrity, respect, transparency, sustainability, people-centredness, gender equality and cultural sensitivity.

The Statistics for Development Division is managed from SPC’s headquarters in Noumea, New Caledonia. The division employs around 20 staff, the majority of whom are based in Noumea, with two in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, and two in Suva, Fiji. Its goal is to ‘strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems and social and economic planning agencies to provide policy-makers and analysts with a wide range of demographic, economic and social indicators to support planning and decision making’. To achieve this goal, the division’s 2011–2014 strategic plan, addressing Phase 1 of the regional Ten Year Pacific Statistics Strategy 2011–2020, focuses on six objectives as follows:  (i) undertaking key statistical collections; (ii) producing the agreed core set of statistics across key sectors; (iii) developing or accessing capacity to undertake agreed core and specialist statistical functions; (iv) improving access to and use of national and regional statistics; (v) introducing new and innovative statistical tools and systems; and (vi) contributing to effective and efficient national and regional statistics governance.

The role – The Census and Survey Officer is accountable to the Team Leader, Census and Household Surveys. The position is based in Noumea, New Caledonia, and is responsible for survey and census planning. This involves preparing census and survey operational  plans in collaboration with designated subject matter specialists; updating and developing census and survey manuals, training census and survey field supervisors and enumerators; contributing to the analysis of the demographic component of population censuses and demographic and health surveys and preparing analytical reports; conducting data utilisation workshops to improve the utilisation of survey results; and assisting in the maintenance of the division’s National Minimum Development Indicator database, for quality assurance of demographic and social indicators. The appointment is for three years, renewable subject to performance and funding availability.

The profile – SPC seeks a qualified demographer/social statistician with experience in supporting census and survey field operations, working collaboratively with peers and stakeholders, ideally in a regional or developing country setting. Attributes will include skills in project planning, training and demographic analysis. He/she will be a consultative team player, with excellent representational, interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders and partners, and in a dynamic, innovative, results-oriented team.

Key result areas – The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate strong ability, and potential to progress, in the following four key result areas of the position:

1.         Survey and census planning – Ensure best-practice survey preparation is adhered to, working collaboratively with content, sampling and project management specialists. Prepare census and survey operational plans involving project activity-time scheduling, resource costing and budgeting. Ensure ongoing project monitoring throughout census or survey operation.

2.         Field operations and capacity building Train census and survey field supervisors and enumerators. Develop and update training materials. Introduce quality assurance procedures to enable effective monitoring of field operations.

3.         Census and Survey products – In collaboration with demography and population and development subject matter specialists, participate in the analysis of the demographic component of population censuses and demographic and health surveys. Prepare reports and conduct data utilisation workshops to improve the utilisation of census and survey results.

4.         Dissemination and communication of development statistics and key indicators – Contribute to the ongoing maintenance of the division’s National Minimum Development Indicator database. Assist countries in regular production of outputs in demographic and social statistics and contribute to divisional publications.

Key selection criteria – Candidates will be assessed against the following selection criteria:

  1. Results-oriented problem solving – Able to develop solutions to deliver tangible results for SPC, its members and other stakeholders.
  2. Influencing and relationship building skills – Able to influence and guide others to achieve divisional and organisational goals. Demonstrate strong negotiation, communication and advocacy skills and excellent interpersonal skills. Contribute to building productive relationships and partnerships across the organisation and with stakeholders.
  3. Qualifications – Post-graduate qualification in demography, population studies or related discipline.
  4. Technical expertise – Demonstrate sound knowledge and expertise in census and survey planning, training of national census and survey field staff, and proven ability to contribute to demographic analysis and the preparation of census and survey reports
  5. Language skills – Proficient in English, with a working knowledge of French being an advantage.
  6. Cultural awareness – Cultural sensitivity and demonstrated understanding of developing country environments, with knowledge of Pacific Island countries and territories being an advantage.

Remuneration – The Census and Survey Officer is a Band 10 position within SPC’s 2013 salary scale, with a salary range of 3,131 – 4,503 SDR (special drawing rights) per month, which currently converts to approximately XPF 446,414–642,071 (USD 4,700–6,800; € 3,700–5,300). An offer of appointment for an initial contract will be made in the lower half of this range, with due consideration given to experience and qualifications. Progression within the salary scale will be based on annual performance reviews. SPC salaries are not subject to income tax in New Caledonia at the present time.

Benefits – SPC provides subsidised housing in Noumea. An establishment and relocation grant, removal expenses, airfares, home leave, medical insurance and education allowance are available for eligible employees and their recognised dependants. Employees are entitled to: 25 days annual leave and 30 days sick leave per annum, life insurance, and access to SPC’s Provident Fund (contributing 8% of salary to which SPC adds a matching contribution).

Work environment – SPC has a standardised computing environment based on Microsoft Office. Smoking is not permitted in the work place.

Equal opportunity – SPC recruits on merit, but if two interviewed candidates are ranked equal by the selection committee, preference will be given to Pacific Islanders.

Application procedure – The closing date for applications is 29 April 2013Candidates MUST provide: a detailed curriculum vitae; a written response stating their claims against the key selection criteria; and contact details, including email addresses and telephone numbers, for three referees.

Apply online – Please use SPC’s online recruitment system at http://www.spc.int/job.html. Important note: prepare and save your curriculum vitae, response to key selection criteria and referee information as Microsoft Word documents BEFORE attempting to submit your application online. It is not possible to partially complete your application via the online system, save it and return to complete it later. Can’t access the online recruitment system? Apply via email: recruit@spc.int; fax: + 687 26 38 18; or post to Sally Clark Herrmann, HR Adviser (Recruitment and Training), Secretariat of the Pacific Community, P.O. Box D5, 98848 NOUMEA CEDEX, New Caledonia. Need assistance? Contact SPC at recruit@spc.int or telephone + 687 26 20 00.

Background – SPC was established in 1947 and employs over 570 staff. Its headquarters are in Noumea, New Caledonia, with other offices in Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands. SPC has 26 member countries and territories including its founding members, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United States of America, which contribute a large proportion of its funding. Other major development partners are the European Union; Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; United Nations agencies; Asian Development Bank; World Bank and Global Environment Facility, to name a few.

Languages: SPC’s working languages are English and French.

Organisational structureSPC is led by the Director-General supported by the senior management team, which includes three Deputy Directors-General and the Director of the Strategic Engagement, Policy and Planning Facility. Also contributing to SPC’s executive management are the directors of the seven technical divisions (Applied Geoscience and Technology; Economic Development; Education, Training and Human Development; Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems; Land Resources; Public Health; and Statistics for Development); the directors of Finance, Human Resources and the North Pacific Regional Office and the coordinator of the Honiara country office.