The Strategy, Policy, and Review Department's (SPR) Macro-Risk Unit works on assessing global and domestic risks across a range of economic sectors for all countries in the membership. The group is fast-paced, innovative, and technology-focused. Research assistants (RAs) provide critical support to the unit, ingesting and managing data, developing and interpreting cutting edge analytical tools for risk assessment, and creating and maintaining a suite data visualization tools to communicate complex machine-learning model output and other analytical work internally and externally. The successful candidate will be the lead of other RAs in the unit and coordinate work across dedicated and part-time RAs.
Main Responsibilities:- Design, build, document, and maintain systems to ingest and transform external and in-house data series with careful attention to source definitions, transformations, and vintages.
- Import, process, consolidate, and transform data sets within and between databases using statistical and/or econometric techniques, typically requiring programming.
- Analyze economic, financial, or statistical relationships in databases, identifying key relevant data series and novel datasets.
- Use of text analysis and natural language processing techniques to retrieve relevant information from documents.
- Develop and maintain innovative data visualization tools to communicate complex nonlinear model results to economists.
- Participate in the design and estimation of innovative risk assessment models to track emergent global and country-specific risks.
- Prepare Power Point presentations collecting the work of the unit.
- In addition to the above, the selected candidate may carry out other assignments as instructed by the Unit Chief or Deputy Unit Chief.
The successful candidate will have the following: - Educational development, typically acquired by the completion of a university degree, or equivalent, in economics, finance, statistics, computer science, or a related field of study is required.
- Proficiency in Excel and strong Word and PowerPoint skills are a necessity.
- Strong programming skills in Python, R, Stata, and MATLAB.
- Expertise in empirical forecasting, especially with tree-based and boosted models, ideally with experience in Machine Learning time series panel estimation, model design, and evaluation.
- Knowledge of macroeconomic theory and concepts is required, with experience in macroeconomic and financial crises a plus.
- Strong knowledge of data visualization tools, especially PowerBI.
- Any experience contributing to academic or policy-oriented economic research is a plus.
- Innovation, creativity, strong communication skills, and drive for results.
- Ability to lead a team of dedicated and part-time RAs through complex, multi-stage processes and prioritize key work processes and objectives.
Only candidates who are currently residing in the Washington DC metro area will be considered.
This vacancy shall be filled by a 3-year Term appointment in accordance with the Fund's employment rules. This term position, while extendable for up to 3 years, is not viable for conversion to open-ended staff.
All applicants are expected to include a Statement of Interest as an attachment to the application, which may be used in the screening process for this vacancy.
Department:SPRAI RU Strategy, Policy, and Review Dept. Immediate Office Macro Risk Unit
Hiring For: A06, A07, A08
