JOB DESCRIPTION
| Job Title: | Socio-Economic Data Analysis Assistant |
|---|---|
| Division/Programme and Section/Project (if any): | Land Resources Division |
| Location: | Suva, Fiji |
| Reporting to: | Research for Development Adviser |
| Number of Direct Reports: | 0 |
| Purpose of Role: | To support the completion of data analysis for the Vulnerability Assessment of the Pacific Agriculture and Forestry to Climate Change publication and contribute to the development of a priority framing note that will guide actions to strengthen the provision of agriculture and forestry statistics from LRD to the PICTs. |
| Date: | September 2026 |
Organizational Context and Organization Chart
Reliable and up to date data is important and needed to guide decision making to enable risk predictions, identify priority areas of vulnerability and build evidence for investment in the agriculture and forestry space to continue to support our communities build resilient farming and forestry systems. As one of the Pacific Community’s (SPC) oldest Divisions, the Land Resources Division (LRD) has been providing scientific and technical expertise to build resilience and food security to Pacific Island Counties and Territories (PICTs). This technical and scientific advice has been in the areas of genetic resources, sustainable agroforestry and landscapes, sustainable agriculture and markets and trade. The Land Resources Division has recently received funding support from Australia to support with enhancing data availability for agriculture and forestry decision making in Pacific Islands. This funding support will enable the comprehensive review, analysis and update of the publication on Vulnerability Assessment of the Pacific Agriculture and Forestry to Climate Change. This work is important as not only the technical information pertaining to climate science and production will be appraised, but also socio-economic impacts of climate change on communities will be reviewed and analysed. As an outcome of this review, SPC will also produce an assessment and develop a priority framing note to guide SPC’s actions towards improving a pathway for the provision of agriculture and forestry statistics from LRD to the PICTs.
The socio-economic data analysis assistant will sit within the Enabling Services team within the Office of the Director of the Land Resources Division. The Socio-Economic Data Analysis Assistant will support the Research for Development Adviser and the lead authors of the publication to finalise the respective chapters, support with data extraction for infographics as well as to support in finalizing the referencing database for the information collected.
Key Result Areas (KRAs):
- KRA 1: Data checking, organisation and reference management (50%)
- KRA 2: Data extraction and publication support (30%)
- KRA 3: Administrative and coordination support (20%)
The performance requirements of the Key Result Areas are broadly described below
| Jobholder is accountable for | Jobholder is successful when |
|---|---|
| KRA#1 Data checking, organisation and reference management (50%) | - Support in consolidating all the relevant data extracted into a referencing database. - Assist the review team to organise socio-economic and other technical information for the respective chapters. - Undertake defined data cleaning, tabulation and basic analysis using agreed methodologies and templates. - Compile relevant data for consideration in the priority framing note. |
| KRA#2 Data extraction and publication support (30%) | - Compile data, references and supporting information for use by the review team in drafting the socio-economic sections of the publication. - Assist the Research for Development Adviser and the infographics team in extracting relevant data for individual chapters. |
| KRA#3 Administrative and coordination support (20%) | - Assist with scheduling and coordinating meetings between the review team, consultants, and contributing authors of the Vulnerability Assessment of Pacific Agriculture and Forestry to Climate Change publication. - Draft minutes for circulation and approval by the review team. |
|---|
The above performance requirements are provided as a guide only. The precise performance measures for this job will need further discussion between the jobholder and supervisor as part of the performance development process.
Most Challenging Duties Typically Undertaken (Complexity):
- Ensuring data, references and supporting records are complete, accurately organised and traceable across multiple publication chapters.
- Working with information received in different formats and identifying missing or inconsistent information for referral to the appropriate technical lead.
- Managing competing administrative and data-support requirements within agreed publication deadlines.
- Maintaining accuracy when extracting information.
Functional Relationships & Relationship Skills:
| Key internal and/or external contacts | Nature of the contact most typical |
|---|---|
| External - Authors of the respective chapters - Representatives of SPC Networks and Technical Working Groups - Scientific and research institutions. - Infographics consultants | - Exchange and follow-up of information under the guidance of the Research for Development Adviser - Confirmation of sources and references - Coordination of inputs and provision of approved data for publication and infographic development |
| Internal - LRD enabling team members. - LRD Data Governance Technical Working Group. - Programme Heads and team members | - Organising meetings - Collection and verification of information |
Level of Delegation:
Routine Expenditure Budget: EUR 0
Budget Sign off Authority without requiring approval from direct supervisor: EUR 0
Personal Specification:
This section is designed to capture the expertise required for the role at the 100% fully effective level. (This does not necessarily reflect what the current position holder has.) This may be a combination of knowledge / experience, qualifications or equivalent level of learning through experience or key skills, attributes or job specific competencies.
Qualifications
| Essential: | Desirable: |
|---|---|
| Tertiary qualification in agriculture, agriculture economics, agribusiness and or equivalent body of knowledge and experience | A bachelor's degree from a recognised university in the area of agriculture, agriculture economics or agribusiness. |
Knowledge/Experience
| Essential: | Desirable: |
|---|---|
| - At least 2 years of relevant work experience within the Pacific region. - Experience organizing, cleaning or extracting data and maintaining references or research records. - Experience providing administrative or coordination support for meetings involving diverse stakeholders. - Good communication and interpersonal skills, creative thinker and ability to work independently. | - Ability to use a diverse range of statistical tools for data analysis |
Key Skills/Attributes/Job Specific Competencies
The following levels would typically be expected for the 100% fully effective level:
| Expert level | - Conduct literature review and extraction of relevant data. |
|---|---|
| Advanced level | - Attention to detail in data extraction, reference management and document control. - Organisation of information and records against agreed requirements and deadlines. |
| Working knowledge | - Literature searches and extraction of relevant data from approved sources. - Microsoft Excel and basic data-management or statistical tools. - Preparation of basic tables, summaries and supporting information. - Research referencing and source documentation. |
| Awareness | - SPC Regulations and Policies |
Key Behaviours
All employees are measured against the following Key Behaviours as part of Performance Development:
- Change and Innovation
- Interpersonal Skills
- Teamwork
- Promotion of Equity and Equality
- Judgement
Personal Attributes
- High level of professional integrity and ethics
- Friendly demeanor
- Demonstrated high level commitment to customer service
Change to Job Description:
From time to time it may be necessary to consider changes in the job description in response to the changing nature of the work environment – including technological requirements or statutory changes. Such change may be initiated as necessary by SPC. This Job Description may also be reviewed as part of the preparation for performance planning for the annual performance cycle.