Research / Information Management Analyst

This is a contractual appointment for one year, renewable for up to four years of cumulative contractual service, depending on the business need and performance of the incumbent.

The IMF follows a hybrid work schedule. However, analyst positions must be filled with candidates physically residing in the local Metropolitan Washington, DC area (DC/MD/VA).

Background:

The Data and Information Systems Section (DISS) in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Research Department builds and maintains the Common Surveillance Databases (CSD), which supports economic research for the World Economic Outlook (WEO)—the IMF’s flagship publication featuring global economic forecasts as well as thematic analytical chapters.

In this role, the Information Management / Research Analyst will work at the intersection of data engineering, economic research, and data analysis. The position involves managing data pipelines that collect and validated country-level macroeconomic data, reviewing the data to identify and correct data issues, and contributing to the WEO publication through research support and preparation of tables and charts.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• CSD data and metadata operations. Process and review CSD data and metadata submissions and clearly communicate economic data or system issues to economists and research analysts across the IMF.
• Standards and quality control. Support the enhancement of CSD standards and quality-control checks by reviewing existing validation processes and developing new rules, tools, and reports.
• System and workflows. Contribute to the development and maintenance of CSD systems, including programming, debugging, workflow design, and automation of data pipelines.
• Stakeholder support. Coordinate with cross-country teams, prepare webpages, communications, user documentation, and responses to CSD-related inquiries.
• WEO analytical support. Provide research support for the World Economic Outlook report by collecting, transforming, and harmonizing data from multiple sources (including timeseries data, geospatial data, survey data, text analysis), producing tables and charts, and performing quantitative analysis.

Qualifications: 

Education and technical skills. Candidates must have the equivalent of a university degree in Information Systems, Data or Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, Finance, Statistics, or a related field. They should also demonstrate familiarity with database management and economic programming, including the ability to:

• Access, manage, and manipulate databases from a range of sources, including cloud-based services and API queries.
• Use standard econometric and database management tools such as Stata, Python, R, SQL, and VBA.
• Demonstrate familiarity with Microsoft products such as Power Automate, PowerBI, and Office products.
• Provide data management, analytical, and technical support in a research or operational setting.

Preferred experience. More competitive candidates will demonstrate strong technical expertise, including advanced programming skills (particularly in Python), experience working with data workflows and systems (particularly Power Automate and Power BI), and familiarity with emerging technologies such as AI/LLMs and API-based data access. Knowledge of macroeconomic concepts and ability to identify, analyze, and clearly communicate complex data or system issues to economists and research analysts is also highly valued.

Personal qualities and work expectations. The successful candidate should bring accuracy, attention to detail, resourcefulness, flexibility, and strong verbal and written communication skills. This role requires the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, manage multiple requests under significant time pressure, and deliver high-quality output on schedule. During peak periods, the candidate may be expected to work evenings, weekends, or holidays, sometimes at short notice.