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 for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) helps national, regional and local and governments unleash the potential of entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), promote inclusive and sustainable growth in regions and cities, boost local job creation and implement sound tourism policies.

The SME and Entrepreneurship Financing Unit provides guidance to governments and financial institutions to strengthen finance and non-financial support to SMEs and entrepreneurs. The Unit collects data, monitors trends and policy developments, and conducts research and policy dialogue on a range of SME finance issues and instruments.

Job Description

Role

The Young Associate will contribute to various projects of the SME and Entrepreneurship Financing Unit, including the production of the flagship SME and entrepreneurship financing Scoreboard, research and analyses on global trends in debt and equity and sustainable finance. They will contribute to efforts to bridge data gaps to gain a better understanding of the challenges specific types of businesses face in accessing finance, including for their investments in greening.

The Young Associate will work under the supervision of the Head of the SME and Entrepreneurship Financing Unit and relevant policy analysts.

Main Responsibilities

Research and analysis

• Conduct research on topics relevant to the work of the Unit, including SME access to debt, asset-based finance, and equity and quasi-equity instruments, Fintech solutions and sustainable and transition finance for SMEs. Participate in international data collection and analysis.
• Draft technical and policy documents on the above-mentioned topics.
• Participate in country-level work, including specific country/regional/sector-level analysis, possibly with field missions.
• Keep abreast of research on SME financing policies, and identify emerging issues in the field of sustainable finance for SMEs.
• Develop key messages and visuals to feed blogs, web pages, podcasts, etc.

Coordination and liaison

• Establish and maintain professional contacts with stakeholders, including policy makers, financial institutions, SME associations and others.
• Contribute to the organisation of webinars, meetings, conferences and other events organized by the Unit.
• Prepare briefs, speeches and other inputs for presentations by senior management.

Qualifications

Ideal Candidate Profile

Academic Background

• Undergraduate degree in economics, finance, statistics, or a related discipline (graduation date between 1 January 2023 and 1 September 2024). Applications from candidates who already hold or are enrolled in a Master’s, PhD, or equivalent degree will not be considered.
• Required coursework in finance, economics, statistics, quantitative methods, and public policy.

Skills

• Strong writing and analytical skills.
• Solid quantitative analysis skills and a good understanding of statistics.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.

Languages

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

Core Competencies

• For this role 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 1); Innovate and Embrace Change (Level 1).
• There are three possible levels for each competency. The level for each competency is determined according to the specific needs of each job role and its associated grade.
• To learn more about the definitions for each competency, please refer to OECD Core Competencies.

Additional Information

Closing Date:

Applications should reach us no later than midnight 21 December 2023 (CET).

Contract Duration

Two-year fixed term appointment

Starting Date

September 2024

Before applying, we encourage you to check your eligibility by answering a few short questions here.

What the OECD offers

• Monthly base salary is 3,663 EUR, exempt of French income tax, plus allowances based on eligibility. 
• 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.

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. Applications from candidates who are not OECD Member country nationals will not be considered.

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.