Economist (Markets and Trade)

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• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

Organizational Setting

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat
hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.

The assignment will be carried out within the framework of an FAO project implemented in cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan to strengthen agricultural market analysis, food supply chain resilience and evidence-based decision-making. The project focuses on improving the availability and use of reliable data on agricultural production, storage infrastructure, logistics and trade, and on strengthening approaches to commodity balance analysis for selected agricultural products.

The project includes a pilot implementation in Akmola Region, where FAO will support the inventory and mapping of warehouse and vegetable storage infrastructure, analysis of selected commodity supply chains and balances, and development of practical methodologies and tools for data collection, analysis and monitoring. The pilot is expected to generate recommendations and approaches that can inform further strengthening and potential scaling-up of agricultural market and food supply chain management in Kazakhstan.

The assignment is 30 working days (including 8 days of field mission).

Reporting Lines

The Economist (Markets and Trade) will work under the overall supervision of the National Professional Officer of the FAO Country Office in Kazakhstan, the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), and in close coordination with the Project Coordinator and relevant FAO technical officers and project team members.
The incumbent will work in close collaboration with the International Consultant on Commodity Balance and Supply Chain, national consultants, relevant government counterparts and other project stakeholders.

Technical Focus

The Economist (Markets and Trade) will provide specialized economic and market expertise to support the analysis of selected socially significant food products in Kazakhstan.
The assignment will focus on domestic and international market dynamics, price formation and transmission, trade flows, market efficiency, and the economic factors affecting commodity availability and market stability.
The incumbent will contribute to the development of an integrated analytical framework linking commodity balances, supply chains, market indicators and trade dynamics and will formulate evidence-based recommendations to strengthen market stability, transparency and resilience.

Tasks and responsibilities

• Conduct a detailed analysis of domestic and international market dynamics for selected socially significant food products, including supply-demand interactions and price formation mechanisms.
• Analyse historical and current price trends, including seasonal variations, regional disparities and price transmission mechanisms across domestic and international markets.
• Assess trade flows for selected commodities, including import and export volumes, major trade partners, trade dependence and relevant trade and market policies affecting domestic market stability.
• Identify market inefficiencies, structural distortions and barriers affecting market competitiveness, transparency and effective price formation.
• Support the identification and assessment of supply chain bottlenecks, post-harvest loss risks and infrastructure gaps that may affect commodity availability, market stability and price formation.
• Contribute to the integration of relevant economic, market, price and trade indicators into the commodity balance analysis framework developed under the project.
• Assess the role and effectiveness of relevant market stabilization instruments and policies, including strategic food reserves, price stabilization mechanisms and trade policy measures.
• Develop evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at strengthening market stability, improving market transparency and supporting informed decision-making, including recommendations related to strategic reserves management, price stabilization mechanisms and trade policy adjustments.
• Design and undertake at least one mission to Kazakhstan of approximately eight working days, with the support of the project team, to consult relevant government institutions, market actors and other stakeholders and collect the information required for the analysis. The mission will be undertaken jointly with the International Consultant on Commodity Balance and Supply Chain, to the extent feasible.
• Participate in stakeholder consultations, technical meetings and discussions with relevant national and subnational authorities, private-sector actors and other stakeholders, as required.
• Provide technical inputs to and support capacity-building workshop(s) focused on economic, market, price and trade analysis.
• Work closely with the International Consultant on Commodity Balance and Supply Chain to ensure consistency between market and trade analysis, commodity balance assessment and supply chain analysis.
• Prepare and submit periodic progress updates and technical inputs in accordance with the agreed work plan.
• Contribute to the preparation of the project's final technical report, including analytical findings, conclusions and policy recommendations related to markets and trade.
• Perform other relevant tasks as required to support the effective implementation of the project.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• For Consultants: Advanced university degree in economics, agricultural economics, international trade, development economics, agribusiness, food economics or a related field from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO. For consultants, a bachelor's degree may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree in combination with two additional years of relevant professional experience.
For PSAs: University degree in economics, agricultural economics, international trade, development economics, agribusiness, food economics or a related field from an institution recognized by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO.
• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in agricultural economics, food markets, commodity market analysis, international trade, price analysis, food security economics or related fields.
• Working knowledge (Level C) of English.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Demonstrated experience in economic and market analysis, particularly related to agricultural commodities and/or food markets.
• Strong knowledge of supply-demand analysis, commodity markets, price formation and price transmission mechanisms.
• Demonstrated experience in analyzing domestic and international trade flows, including imports, exports, trade partners and trade policy measures.
• Experience in quantitative analysis of market, price and trade data and in interpreting economic indicators for policy purposes.
• Knowledge of commodity balance methodologies, food supply-demand balances and/or related analytical frameworks would be an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to identify market inefficiencies, structural constraints and factors affecting market competitiveness and stability.
• Experience in developing evidence-based policy recommendations related to food markets, agricultural trade, price stabilization, strategic reserves or food security.
• Experience in conducting field missions, stakeholder consultations and technical discussions with government institutions, private-sector actors and development partners.
• Strong analytical, drafting and report-writing skills, including the ability to translate complex economic analysis into clear and actionable policy recommendations.
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams and coordinate analytical work with international and national experts.

Selection Criteria

• Extent and relevance of professional experience in agricultural economics, food markets, commodity analysis and international trade.
• Demonstrated experience in analyzing price trends, price transmission, market structures and supply-demand dynamics.
• Experience in analyzing trade flows and the impact of trade and market policies on domestic food markets.
• Experience with commodity balance analysis, agricultural supply chains and/or food security analysis.
• Experience in Central Asia, Kazakhstan or comparable transition and emerging-market contexts would be considered an asset.
• Previous experience with FAO, other United Nations agencies, international financial institutions or international development organizations would be considered an asset.
• Demonstrated experience in providing policy advice to government institutions on agricultural markets, food security, trade or price stabilization would be an asset.
• Excellent analytical, communication and report-writing skills.
• Ability to deliver high-quality technical outputs within agreed timelines.
• Knowledge of Russian would be considered an asset.

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application

• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/. These qualifications should be in alignment with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) mappings.

• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
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• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
• We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

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