Consultant on Trade Analysis Support for Saudi Arabia

Result of ServiceThe objective of this consultancy is to support the development of the three interconnected trade simulators by contributing to database development and balancing, model’s building, user friendly interfaces development, and capacity building activities. Work LocationUN House ESCWA Expected duration3 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground The Ministry of Economy and Planning MEP of Saudi Arabia have been playing a more proactive role in shaping the country's economic vision and navigating the complexities of an increasingly interconnected regional and global economies. As Saudi Arabia deepens its integration into global trade networks and pursues economic diversification under Vision 2030, the ability to evaluate new trade policies and external economic shocks in a timely, data-driven, and systematic manner has become critical. In this context, ESCWA partnered with the MEP to strengthen its technical capacity for trade policy analysis. One of the key pillars of this effort is the development of advanced trade simulators at global, regional and national levels that can inform strategic decision-making on optimal future integration schemes. Duties and Responsibilities The following activities will be implemented by the consultant: 1. Support the building of the new global trade simulator interface through the development of the updated and tailored new global database for the new reference year, the baseline scenario, the selection of functional parameters, and testing of the model and its interface. robustness. 2. Undertake simulations at the request of the MEP using the new model and its interface, extract results and prepare notes on impacts of trade reforms and shocks. 3. Prepares methodological notes, user guides, and training content to support national teams in effectively using the trade simulation interfaces. 4. Support the development of trade negotiations scenarios for simulation purpose through translating detailed negotiation offers at HS10 to GTAP’ sectors using appropriate tools such as TASTE, GTAP, and other data aggregation techniques. Qualifications/special skillsA Bachelor's degree in Economics, Finance or Applied Economics is required. A Master's in Economics or Finance is desirable. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Four years of experience in trade research and policy analysis are required. At least three years of experience in using trade aggregation tools such as SAS or/and TASTE to map tariffs from product levels (HS) to sectoral level and expertise in global trade data (trade flows and trade barriers from TradeMap, MacMap, COMTRADE, GTAP database and model in Trade analysis) and their integration in trade models are required. At least two years of experience in ex-ante assessment of trade agreements and policy scenarios with proven experience in using global CGE models and corresponding software (GEMPACK, GAMS) are required. Experience in writing technical documentation, methodological summaries and policy-oriented research outputs and Familiarity with sectoral mapping techniques used in input preparation for trade simulation. in addition to Exposure to capacity-building or technical support activities for government officials is required. Knowledge of programming software for data analysis and visualization (e.g., Python, R) is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations secretariat and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in Arabic is required, as most documents to be provided by the Ministry are in Arabic. Fluency in English and Arabic is required. Knowledge of French is desirable. Notes: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.