Junior Professional EFTA Statistical Office

Are you passionate about contributing to an ambitious international organisation dedicated to fostering free trade and economic integration? The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is seeking a Junior Professional to join the EFTA Statistical Office in Luxembourg. As a Junior Professional you will have the opportunity to experience and participate in the work of the Association and learn about the inner workings of e.g. the EEA Agreement, participate in high-level events, etc.

The EFTA Statistical Office (ESO) is responsible for international statistical cooperation both within and outside the framework of the EEA Agreement. ESO coordinates the work of the Working Group of the Heads of the EFTA National Statistical Institutes, and its main objective is to promote the full participation of the EFTA Member States in the European Statistical System (ESS). Statistics is a horizontal policy area in the EEA Agreement. Although ESO’s focus is on legal and institutional affairs and data dissemination, some smaller statistical publications are also published from time to time depending on interest and resources availability.

Division EFTA Statistical Office Location Luxembourg Lattitude 49.6330232 Longitude 6.1688843 Duration of Appointment 11 months Start Date 2 September 2024 Closing Date 09-06-2024 Job Reference VA 10-2024 Role Description

The EFTA Statistical Office (ESO) Junior Professional’s main tasks are to identify EU legislative acts to be incorporated into the EEA Agreement, to liaise with the National Statistical Institutes of the EFTA Member States and with the Commission (Eurostat), to monitor and report on the inclusion of EFTA data in Eurostat’s dissemination channels, and to contribute to the information and communication work of ESO. In addition, the Junior Professional is expected to provide general assistance to the EFTA Secretariat and to the EFTA Member States on various issues concerning official statistics and in the daily work of the ESO team.

ESO is located on the same premises as Eurostat in Luxembourg, and its staff work closely with Eurostat’s staff. ESO consists of six staff members including two Junior Professionals. The Junior Professional Programme at ESO offers opportunities to gain insight into the workings of the ESS and of the EEA Agreement, to learn about technical cooperation in the field of statistics with non-EU partner countries, to prepare, attend, and ensure the follow-up of ESS and EFTA meetings, and to get acquaintance with communication work.

Essential Skills

• University degree in Economics, Statistics, Political or Social Science, International Relations, etc. or final year students due to complete their degree prior to 1 September 2024.
• Comfort with numbers, knowledge of or interest in official statistics and their use for public policy making and monitoring as well as the EEA Agreement
• Excellent command of spoken and written English
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office

Ideal Skills

• Work experience of 1-2 years in a governmental service and knowledge of the EEA agreement or EFTA free trade agreements would be an advantage
• Intermediate knowledge of R is desirable.

Employment Terms

Nationality requirements

The Junior Professional programme at the EFTA Secretariat is open to nationals of the EFTA Member States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland).

What we offer

• Junior Professionals receive a monthly stipend of EUR 1 790;
• Accommodation in spacious individual furnished flats will be provided;
• Health, life and invalidity and travel insurance cover;
• Reimbursement of travel costs upon taking up and leaving the programme;
• The opportunity to join language classes;
• Training courses on various topics.

Note: The stipend and benefits received by Junior Professionals do not fall under the same privileges applying to EFTA officials. The relationship with the respective tax authorities is the Junior Professionals own responsibility and the taxation decision lies with the competent tax authority.

More information about our Junior Professional Programme can be found here.

Application procedure

Only applications submitted via the EFTA online recruitment tool will be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by phone and interviews are normally conducted online via Teams in the weeks following the deadline.

Please be aware of the following:

• Your application will only be considered if you are a national of one of the EFTA Member States;
• All requested information on education, work experience, motivation, etc., should be filled in on the application form;
• Applications submitted by e-mail will not be taken into consideration.

In the interest of offering this valuable experience to the broadest pool of individuals possible, former ESA, EFTA Court and EFTA Secretariat Junior Professionals/trainees will not be eligible to apply for this Junior Professional Programme.

For any further information, please contact EFTA Human Resources: hr.support@efta.int

Deadline for application: 9 June 2024.