Chief of Section, Data Innovation Section

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 208,877 USD and 261,770 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

Org. Setting and Reporting This position is located in the Data Innovation Section, Data Innovation and Capacity Branch, Statistics Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Chief of Section reports to the Chief of Branch. The Statistics Division is committed to the advancement of the global statistical system. The Division compiles and disseminates global statistical information, develops standards and norms for statistical activities, and supports countries' efforts to strengthen their national statistical systems. Further information is available on the following website: https://unstats.un.org/.

Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the Chief of Section will be responsible for the following:

•Provides policy guidance to the Chief of Branch, on conceptual strategy development and management of the implementation of overall strategies and intra and inter-divisional/departmental policies and procedures regarding data innovation. •Plans and oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Section; ensures that substantive work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion, coordinating diverse projects in the Section, and, in liaison with other organizations of the United Nations System, donors and agencies as appropriate. •Manages, supervises and carries out the work programme of the Section under his/her responsibility. Co-ordinates the work carried out by the Section; provides programmatic and substantive reviews of drafts prepared by others. •Provides substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Statistical Commission. •Contributes to the reporting to intergovernmental bodies on programmatic/ substantive issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports. •Ensures that the outputs produced by the Section maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the Section under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates. •Prepares inputs for the work programme of the Branch, determining priorities, and allocating resources for the completion of outputs and their timely delivery. •Reviews and manages procedures to ensure the optimal extraction, transformation, and loading of data from a range of sources into existing data pipelines; conceptualizes and manages the creation of data management tools for analytics and data scientist teams to better build and optimize products; collaborates with data scientists and data analysts to identify relevant data features and effective ways of extracting these features from complex data sets; and regularly reviews and manages updates to data governance, protection, and security requirements •Carries out programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the Section, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates. •Recruits staff for Unit/Section taking due account geographical and gender balance and other institutional values. •Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision. •Fosters teamwork and communication among staff in the Unit/Section and across organizational boundaries. •Represents the Organization at inter-agency meetings, seminars, etc. on substantive-related issues. •Participates in international, regional or national meetings and provides programmatic/substantive expertise on an issue or hold programmatic/substantive and organizational discussions with representatives of other institutions.

Competencies Professionalism: Knowledge of official statistics in general and specifically of data innovation and modernization of official statistics. Knowledge of Agile Software Development methodologies. Ability in managing and communicating data warehouse plans to internal clients. Excellent problem solving and troubleshooting skills. Ability to direct and guide teams. Ability to convey complex / difficult data science topics to clients in a relatable manner. Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

•Planning & Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

•Creativity: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks "outside the box" ; Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

•Leadership: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

•Managing Performance: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

Education Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in statistics, economics, computer science, applied mathematics, data management, information systems, information science or a related quantitative field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in statistics, information technology, data management or related field is required.

Experience in programming languages such as Python, Scala or R is required.

Experience with database programming languages (SQL, etc.) is required.

Experience with modernization of official statistics and related data innovation is desirable.

Experience working with Cloud technology like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services, new IT architecture, data lakes or data interoperability is desirable.

Experience in delivering Big Data use cases, including projects using technology such as Apache Spark, Hadoop or others is desirable.

Experience in developing and implementing the machine learning models and Artificial intelligence such as natural language processing and computer vision is desirable.

Experience working with self-service analytics applications like Microsoft PowerBI, Tableau, Qlik and others for data discovery is desirable.

Experience in architecting and building highly available real-time or batch data systems at scale and supporting services is desirable.

Experience building Big Data pipelines and predictive modeling is desirable.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice - This position is temporarily available starting as soon as possible for six months, with a possibility of extension. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment.

• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post.

• Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station.

• This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15.

• Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply.Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation.

• Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as "retirement." Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

  United Nations Considerations According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.

Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.

The paramount consideration in the appointment, transfer, or promotion of staff shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. By accepting an offer of appointment, United Nations staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and assignment by him or her to any activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). In this context, all internationally recruited staff members shall be required to move periodically to discharge new functions within or across duty stations under conditions established by the Secretary-General.

Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee THE 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.