Senior Statistician

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Senior Statistician (Job No: ACT 08-0408)
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Chief Commodity Analyst Branch
Canberra
$92,601 - $107,766

ABARE is the largest applied economic research organisation in Australia. It provides economic and statistical analysis and advice to government and to Australia’s agricultural, forestry, fishing, mineral resource and energy industries.

ABARE conducts a major program of annual surveys of rural industries to monitor and research their economic performance. Statisticians in the Chief Commodity Analyst branch design surveys and analyse collected data.

Statisticians at ABARE work in a team environment applying innovative statistical techniques. They design surveys and undertake data analysis. In addition, senior statisticians supervise and develop junior staff and are expected to develop new ideas to assist ABARE and its clients in the statistical aspects of their work.

The successful candidate will design ABARE surveys and maintain a high standard of data collected. This will require extensive experience in the field of survey design and quality assurance. They will develop and apply innovative statistical techniques to develop weights for sample surveys.

They will be required to manage the integration of ABARE and ABS farm data collections and assist in the development of ABARE’s spatial statistics program to meet user requirements for spatially linked data. They will increase the access to, and usefulness of, ABARE data sets to other users with the additional aim of reducing the respondent burden of farmers and others by reducing the need for other data collections.

Ideally, the successful candidate will have a degree in statistics or related field from an Australian university or equivalent qualification.

They will have an interest in data and data issues; be a person with SAS programming experience, some knowledge of UNIX and of databases; have a knowledge of designing surveys; be a person with an understanding of the importance of detail, a commitment to excellence, and a willingness to learn about the issues facing the Australian agricultural sector. An understanding of the Australian agricultural sector is desirable but not essential.

Applications close 16 October 2008. For more information please contact Jammie Penm on 02 6272 2030. To apply go to http://daff.nga.net.au/fnt_jobs_list.cfm?mode=daff