Data Scientist

Company Description

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation comprised of 38 member countries, that works to build better policies for better lives. Our mission is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world. Together with governments, policy makers and citizens, we work on establishing evidence-based international standards, and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. From improving economic performance and creating jobs to fostering strong education and fighting international tax evasion, we provide a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.

The OECD Centre on Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE) WISE generates new data and policy approaches to improve people's well-being and reduce inequalities, mapping how economic, social and environmental outcomes that matter for people, planet and future generations are impacted by ecological, digital and demographic transitions. The Well-being Data Insights and Policy Practice Unit has extensive experience in conceptualizing and assessing well-being, building on the pioneering OECD Well-being Framework, and is supporting a growing number of OECD countries that are implementing well-being policy processes, strategies and tools.

WISE’s Well-being Data Insights and Policy Practice Unit is looking for a Data and Knowledge Scientist to contribute to its workstreams on benchmarking societal progress in OECD member countries beyond traditional macroeconomic indicators, including via the OECD How’s Life? Well-being database, the How’s Life? Series of flagship reports and related country and topical studies. The successful candidate will report to the Head of the Well-being Data Insights and Policy Practice Unit and contribute to the wider work of the WISE Centre as relevant.  

Job Description

Main Responsibilities

Data Infrastructure Development and Management

• Design, develop and maintain automated data pipelines (backend and frontend) for the OECD How’s Life? well-being database on the OECD Data Explorer, ensuring robust quality assurance processes
• Manage regular data updates (at least quarterly) for the How’s Life? database and the Better Life Index.
• Coordinate the data collection process for the Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy, including drafting requests and engaging with national statistical offices
• Stay abreast of emerging data science and AI tools and methods, and assess their potential application to well-being data infrastructure, visualisation and analysis

Data visualization and design for policy impact

• Maintenance and further development of the OECD Well-being Data Monitor, the WISE Centre’s interactive well-being data hub, including front-end design, integration with the Data Explorer backend, and alignment with the OECD’s web architecture
• Create compelling and accessible data visualisations to enhance the visibility and uptake of WISE Centre outputs among policy makers and other stakeholder groups, ensuring scalability across knowledge products
• Closely collaborate with the WISE communications team and other OECD communications units as needed

Capacity building and internal knowledge sharing

• Engage with relevant communities of practice within the OECD’s data science network to share expertise and contribute to innovation
• Provide training and technical guidance to the WISE team on best practices in data science, automation, and data visualization

Well-being policy analysis and reporting

• Analysis and drafting for selected WISE statistical and policy publications related to well-being topics. Examples might include the How’s Life? flagship report, well-being country studies, and topical reports on issues such as identifying policy factors for happy, healthy and connected ageing across OECD countries
• Analyse well-being outcomes using statistical techniques, including econometric modelling and microdata analysis, across economic, social, and environmental domains., and identify trends that merit policy attention in the context of rapidly evolving economic, ecological, digital and demographic transitions
• Present findings and policy implications to internal and external stakeholders, including national governments and international partners
• Project management, supported by the Head of Unit, of the analysis, drafting and publication process of these WISE knowledge products

Qualifications

Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background

• An advanced university degree in Economics, Statistics, Data Science, or a related field with a strong quantitative focus

Professional Background

• At least four years of relevant experience on applied policy research and/or data science
• Experience conducting econometric analysis and working with microdata
• Proven track record in developing and maintaining scalable data infrastructure and automated workflows
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in well-being-related topics is desired.

Tools

• Strong proficiency in R (preferred) or similar statistical programming languages
• Experience with version control systems (e.g. Git)
• Familiarity with web development (e.g. JavaScript) and data viz tools
• Familiarity with, or interest in, AI-assisted data analysis and automation tools (e.g. use of large language models for code development, data cleaning, or drafting support

Skills

• Strong drafting skills in English, with demonstrated experience in applied policy research
• Openness to adopting new technologies and workflows, including AI-assisted tools, to improve productivity and analytical rigor

Core Competencies

• OECD staff are expected to demonstrate behaviours aligned to six core competencies which will be assessed as part of this hiring processes: Vision and Strategy (Level 1); Enable People (Level 1); Ethics and Integrity (Level 1); Collaboration and Horizontality (Level 1); Achieve Results (Level 2); Innovate and Embrace Change (Level 2).
• To learn more about the definitions for each competency for levels 1-3, please refer to OECD Core Competencies.

Languages

• Fluency in one of the two OECD official languages (English and French) and a knowledge of, or a willingness to learn, the other.

Additional Information

Closing Date

• This vacancy should be filled as soon as possible, and applications should reach us no later 30 September 2026 at 23:59hrs (Paris time).

Contract Duration:

• Open-ended appointment, with no foreseen end date.

Please note that our Rules and Regulations stipulate that the mandatory retirement age is 67.

What the OECD offers

• Monthly salary starts at 6 008.38 EUR, plus allowances based on eligibility, exempt of French income tax. Click here to visit our Salary and Allowances Calculator.
• Click here to consult the Staff Regulations applicable to officials of the OECD. Please note that from 1 July 2025, all Official appointments will be made under the OECD’s new contractual modalities.
• Click here to learn more about what we offer and why the OECD is a great place to work.  
• Click here to browse our People Management Guidebook and learn more about all aspects relating to people at the OECD, our workplace environment and many other policies supporting staff in their daily life.
• Please note that the appointment may be made at one grade lower in the specified job family, based on the qualifications and professional experience of the selected applicant.
• This vacancy may be used to create a pool of candidates for comparable positions, both for open-ended and fixed-term functions. 

Selection Process

The recruitment process may entail an aptitude test, including activities designed to evaluate cognitive abilities such as problem-solving and logical reasoning, as well as analytical thinking and transferable skills aligned with our Core Competencies Framework.  Please refer to the aptitude test guidelines to help you prepare.   

For further retained candidates, the selection process may include a video-recorded interview, written assessment and a panel interview.

We highly encourage candidates to monitor their inbox, including spam and junk folders, for updates regarding the application status.

The OECD is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes the applications of all qualified candidates [who are nationals of OECD member countries], irrespective of their racial or ethnic origin, opinions or beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health or disabilities.

The OECD promotes an optimal use of resources in order to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Staff members are encouraged to actively contribute to this goal.