Consultancy: Data Engineer, ICTD Digital Core, Valencia, Spain (Remote Based)

Contract

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a connected world.

The Information and Communication Technology Division (ICTD) of UNICEF covers the development, implementation and management of innovative, effective, and secure IT integrated business solutions and technology infrastructure in support of the Organization’s strategic objectives.

Launched in 2019 as a joint initiative between UNICEF and International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Giga has set the ambitious goal to connect every school in the world to the internet. Half of the world’s population has no regular access to the Internet. Millions of children leave school without any digital skills, making it much more difficult for them to thrive and contribute to local and global economies. This has created a digital divide between those who are connected and those who are not, a divide that has become even wider during the Covid-19 pandemic. The goal of Giga is to address this new form of inequality.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is currently looking for a Data Engineer, Giga Focal Point. The Data Engineer will work under the supervision of the ICT Manager, Solution Engineering and will play an integral role in team to build solutions managing and organizing data as part of an exciting transformation to improve Giga’s technology operations and systems. On a day-to-day basis, the person will actively work to improve and build robust and integrated data infrastructure for UNICEF as well as Giga team data scientists, software developers, external partners and product owners. Join us to create new solutions that drive the innovation Giga needs to connect every school to the Internet, and every young person to information, opportunity and choice: https://gigaconnect.org/

Key Deliverables:

• Design, build and maintain data integration solutions and data management architecture. • Build infrastructure required for optimal extraction, transformation, and loading of data from a wide variety of data sources. • Collaborate with Giga application teams in building data pipelines and solution architecture meeting the required data processing needs. Have objective and vision to create a truly open-source model for distributing the solution. • Be responsible for implementing and ultimately expanding Giga’s Minimum Viable Product system components so that subsystems function according to their solution architecture definitions • Under the guidance of database administrators build, implement and implement High Availability and Disaster Recovery for giga backend systems using Multi-Site clusters and Replication. • Assist in housekeeping activities of database systems including building data pipelines and tools to reduce barriers, decrease manual testing and speed up delivery of data science solutions as well as customer-facing products such as https://projectconnect.unicef.org/about. • Follow established environmental change control processes for promoting changes from development to production, providing the Giga team with guidance to ensure code can be scaled., standardized and whenever possible, automated • Provide technical support (Tier3), including root cause analysis & solutions to fix problems/requests. • Document processes, procedures for completed solution to ensure continuity. Provide recommendations on near and long-term plans to improve efficiency and performance across Giga data science and product.

Skills and Qualifications

Minimum qualifications: • University degree in Computer Science, Information systems management or related field. • 5+ years of hands-on experience in software development, data engineering or data science field. Developing and deploying integrated solutions, with concrete understanding of core Microsoft Azure Integration Services to connect a mixture of on-premises, SaaS, and cloud-hosted applications. Experience supporting database and application architecture for deployment in hybrid cloud environments is a plus • 2+ years of experience in Python programming and solution development using Apache airflow, as well as serverless, low-code Azure Integration offerings including Azure Logic Apps, Azure Data Factory, and Azure Functions. • 3+ years of experience with SDLC/Agile methodologies and release management • Experience configuring MySQL, Mongo, PostgreSQL and/or Microsoft SQL Database systems. • Proficient in SQL and NoSQL Database systems. • CI/CD process leveraging ARM Templates and Azure DevOps, including git, DevOps pipelines and migrations from development to production environments. • Deep understanding of large-scale, distributed systems. • Experience with Big Data Technologies (Hadoop, Spark…). • Good knowledge of Data formats as well as structured, unstructured storage, and orchestration tools in Docker Swarm or Kubernetes • Strong understanding of open API standards particularly, REST, SOAP and GraphQL, as well as ability to research develop, deploy and integrate with custom internal and third-party APIs. Knowledge of JSON, REST, and XML a plus. • Experience and comfort working and collaborating with highly cross-functional teams. Must have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

Language Requirements: • Fluency in English is required. • Knowledge of additional UN languages (Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian) is an asset.

Duration and Location

This consultancy will be off-site for a period of 11.5 months.

Relevant links

• https://projectconnect.unicef.org/map • https://gigaconnect.org/scaling-ai-to-map-every-school-on-the-planet/ • https://gigaconnect.org/giga-and-mapbox-map-schools/ • https://gigaconnect.org/nic-br-and-unicef-to-measure-school-connectivity/

Evaluation Method

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant or vendor whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical skills and financial proposals specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight: [70%]

Financial Criteria weight: [30%].

Application Instructions

Please indicate your ability, availability, and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

Remarks

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

Due to the high volume of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.