Work for the IMF. Work for the World.

The IMF’s Statistics Department (STA) is seeking a Projects/Data Officer to join its Financial Institutions Division (STAFI), with a focus on the Financial Access workstream, including the Financial Access Survey (FAS) database. This is a one-year contractual position with the possibility of extension for up to four years. The division works closely with other Fund departments on analytical, policy, and operational activities to support the IMF’s bilateral, multilateral, and financial sector surveillance.

STA provides global leadership in macroeconomic and financial statistics methodologies and standards for the IMF, its member countries, and the broader international statistical community. It works closely with other Fund departments, donors, and external partners to meet data needs for surveillance and lending. STA supports these activities through capacity development aimed at strengthening countries’ statistical capacity to produce and disseminate statistics for sound policy analysis and effective policymaking.

STAFI operationalizes the IMF’s role as the global standard setter for the Financial Access Survey (FAS), alongside Monetary and Financial Statistics (MFS) and Financial Soundness Indicators (FSIs), by developing and updating internationally agreed methodologies that ensure high-quality, consistent, and cross-country comparable data. It leads the development, maintenance, and dissemination of the global FAS database, which supports analysis of global financial inclusion. STAFI also manages STA’s capacity development program for the FAS, providing technical assistance and training to IMF member countries worldwide, while contributing to broader updates of international statistical methodologies on emerging financial sector issues and to related STA and IMF initiatives.

The FAS provides a unique supply-side database on access to and use of financial services, covering more than 190 economies, with over 120 series and historical data dating back to 2004. The FAS dataset includes both traditional and non-traditional financial services data. Selected series are disaggregated by type of financial service provider, type of customer (e.g., households and SMEs), gender and income group. These cross-country comparable statistics help policymakers and financial institutions identify gaps in financial inclusion, design targeted interventions, and monitor progress toward enhancing access to and use of financial services. The statistics are sourced from financial sector authorities. 

Duties and responsibilities

The successful candidate will contribute to STAFI’s work on data management and analysis, statistical methodology, and capacity development for the FAS aimed at implementing the division’s work program. The selected candidate will work under the general supervision and guidance of STAFI management.

 More specifically, the selected candidate will be involved in the following activities within STAFI’s work program:

• Under the supervision of senior staff, assist in data management, data analysis, and chart preparation for the maintenance and development of the annual FAS rounds and provide advice on methodological aspects.

• Maintain, enhance, and disseminate the FAS data, including contributing to the survey’s revamp—with a focus on frontier issues such as consumer protection, competition, merchant payments, fintech, and financial health—to strengthen financial sector and macro-financial surveillance.

• Contribute to STAFI’s capacity development program for the FAS, including training and technical assistance.

• Support other Fund departments in multilateral and bilateral surveillance through methodological advice, data provision, capacity development, and analytical work.

• Contribute to the division’s analytical work agenda, including data management, development of charts, and support for data analysis, to further STA’s objectives and showcase STA databases or use them for evidence-based policymaking.

• Contribute to work on the G20’s Data Gaps Initiative 3, with a focus on fintech-enabled financial inclusion.

• Participate in other divisional/departmental activities as appropriate, including review of relevant policy/country documents and data related issues and the development and utilization of other STAFI databases.

• Collaborate with other international organizations and external stakeholders.

Minimum qualifications:

Educational development, typically acquired by the completion of an advanced university degree, or equivalent, in economics, finance, statistics, computer science, or a related field of study is required; or a university degree, or equivalent, supplemented by a minimum of six (6) years of relevant professional experience; Alternatively, a minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience at Grade A08, or equivalent, is required.

Additional qualifications:

• An advanced degree in Economics, Finance, Statistics, or a related field is required.

• The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in data management, demonstrated through proficiency in R, Stata, and Power BI; familiarity with Python is a distinct advantage. Expertise in time series analysis and econometrics is expected.

• Knowledge of quantitative methods, including data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, would be a plus.

• In addition to quantitative skills, experience in supporting data analysis for published research and a solid foundation in financial inclusion would be valuable assets.

• Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a quantitative test in/or R, Stata, Power BI, and Python as part of the selection process.

• In addition to the technical skills described above, the candidate should possess excellent written and oral communication skills in English, as well as strong interpersonal skills to foster effective working relationships with country authorities and to collaborate effectively within teams.

• The candidate should be dynamic and highly motivated, with a strong results orientation, a proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team and have an appetite for innovation.

• The candidate must also be capable of managing a wide range of assignments and working under tight deadlines.

• A working knowledge of Spanish, French, or Arabic would be an additional asset.

This is a one-year contractual appointment. Contractual appointments at the IMF are renewable for up to four years of cumulative contractual service, pending incumbent's performance, budget availability, and continuous business need.

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The IMF is guided by the principle that the employment, classification, promotion, and assignment of staff shall be made without discrimination against any person. We welcome requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities during the selection process. Information on how to request accommodations will be provided during the application process.