PhD Traineeship Programme ECB - European Central Bank

The Macroeconomic Statistics Division forms part of the Directorate General Statistics (DG/S) of the European Central Bank (ECB) and is seeking two recent graduates engaged in post-graduate studies for its PhD Traineeship Programme in 2014.
DG/S is responsible for developing, compiling and disseminating the statistics and related statistical indicators that the ECB needs to conduct its monetary policy, and which enable the other functions of the ECB, the Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) to be carried out. DG/S
also provides statistical support to the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).
For this purpose, DG/S cooperates closely with other business areas within the ECB, the national central banks of the Member States of the European Union (EU), the European Commission (especially Eurostat), European and national supervisory authorities, international organisations, the
national statistical institutes of EU Member States and the statistical departments of certain international institutions.
Within the Macroeconomic Statistics Division, the Sector Accounts and Fiscal Statistics Section is responsible for, among other tasks, compiling and disseminating the quarterly integrated euro area accounts.
The General Economic Statistics Section is responsible for supporting economic analysis by disseminating a wide selection of economic data at the monthly and quarterly frequency, including main economic aggregates (prices and national accounts aggregates), labour market statistics and
opinion surveys, as well as by compiling these where they are not already made available by other institutions.
Trainees will be expected to:
participate actively in the work of the Division;
gain an insight into conceptual, methodological and operational work on statistics in a policy-oriented environment;
work independently, under the guidance of a mentor, but able to use their initiative and to interact with other members of staff;
complete a conceptual or empirical study, suitable for presentation at an internal seminar.
The following two positions are available:

• General Economic Statistics Section: the trainee will work on real estate statistics, in particular, to enhance an ECB experimental data set on indicators of commercial property prices;
• Sector Accounts and Fiscal Statistics Section: the trainee will work on developing volume and price measures by institutional sector, and will contribute to the implementation of revised international statistical standards.
• Both positions involve the practical application of knowledge, in improving the quality of large datasets through validation, imputation, interpolation, nowcasting, backcasting and reconciliation.

Qualifications and experience
Applicants must have the following knowledge and competencies:

• a PhD level university qualification in economics, econometrics, statistics, mathematics, or other relevant disciplines (e.g. computer science or real estate and planning),or proof that studies are close to completion;
• a sound knowledge of mathematical software packages (with a preference for Matlab);
• alternatively a sound knowledge of statistical software for microdata analysis;
• a good knowledge of applied mathematics, economic statistics, econometrics or spatial econometrics;
• competence in the use of statistical or mathematical software packages (with a preference for Matlab), time series databases (for instance, FAME or similar) and related computer programming experience, as well as knowledge of economic statistics and/or international statistical, accounting or supervisory standards would also be a major asset.
• knowledge of international statistical standards would be a major advantage;
• a fluent command of English with proven drafting ability;
• a good knowledge of at least one other official language of the EU;
• good IT skills and a sound knowledge of MS Office (in particular Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access);
• ideally, knowledge of, or experience in, financial instruments, institutions and markets, as well as in statistical methods;
• knowledge of economic statistics and/or international statistical standards would be important additional assets;
• familiarity with data analysis and/or data management would be an asset.

Competencies

• The successful candidate will have the following behavioural competencies:
• examines issues critically and applies relevant approaches geared towards finding successful solutions;
• analyses complex datasets from a variety of sources;
• communicates ideas in an effective manner and ensures mutual comprehension;
• supports team members without assuming responsibility for their work;
• shares information and supports team members in the achievement of common goals;
• is comfortable working without close supervision, but knows when to involve others;

Closing Date for Applications: 05.02.2014
Further Information
PhD traineeship for a period of three to six months, with the possibility of an extension up to 12 months in total.
How to apply
Applications are to be made in English and submitted using our online application form. An "Applicants' Guide" can be downloaded from our recruitment pages.
The recruitment process may include a pre-screening exercise and a telephone interview.
Before applying, applicants should check that they meet the conditions set out in Article 3 of the rules governing the traineeship programme:
http:// www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/jobs/pdf/traineeship_programme.pdf.
Further information on the ECB's traineeships can be found at
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/ecb/jobs/apply/html/index.en.html.
Applicants are accepted from nationals of the Member States of the European Union.
The requirements laid down in the vacancy notice must be met by the closing date for applications.