Data Engineer
Develop and maintain Arab Development Portal Data Ecosystem.
Overview
Develop and maintain Arab Development Portal Data Ecosystem.
You have:
- A high school diploma with a certification or degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Statistics or related area is required.
- A minimum of 2 years of professional experience with Python, SQL, cloud environments (Azure), container orchestration (Kubernetes), and DevOps automation is required.
- Strong familiarity with semantic modeling, knowledge graphs, and AI/ML integration for data systems is desirable.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills is required.
- Knowledge in database design, and development using MS SQL Relational Database is required.
- Fluency in English is required and knowledge of Arabic is desirable.
Contract
This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.
Result of Service
The Data Engineer is expected to fulfill the following deliverables: - Completed project plan at project inception. - Technical documentation and user manuals for assigned tasks, including dataflow and entity relationship diagrams. - Progress reports with time sheets reflecting task fulfillment and project progress. - Final source code, design assets, documentation and all related components to pipelines and applications are being developed. - Other related deliverables as needed, following UN ICT or ESCWA’s strategy.
Work Location
UN-House ESCWA
Expected duration
6 months
Duties and Responsibilities
Background: This position is located in the Decision-Support and Data Science Division. The Decision-Support and Data Science Division is part of ESCWA’s broader modernization and innovation efforts, providing advanced analytics and decision-support services within ESCWA, other UN entities, and Member States. Aligned with the UN 2.0 agenda and grounded in strategic foresight, DSDSD leverages data-driven insights, emerging technologies, and scenario-based planning to anticipate trends and proactively inform policymaking and operations. Its core functions include data integration and management; data quality assurance; advanced analytics and modeling; machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions; real-time dashboards and performance reporting; and data visualization and business intelligence and the design and development of specialized digital decision-support tools. Through these capabilities, DSDSD empowers evidence-based decision-making, fosters organizational efficiency, and catalyzes strategic innovation across the region, supporting sustainable development outcomes regionally and globally. In this context, the Data Engineer will be responsible for developing and maintaining Arab Development Portal (ADP) Data Ecosystem following UN established standards for web development, IT technologies, programming languages, and tools. The contractor will prepare, maintain, and reference project-based technical, user, and functional specifications and documentation. Duties and responsibilities: The Data Engineer will perform the following tasks: - Design, build, and maintain ETL/ELT pipelines. - Automate data ingestion from various sources (databases, APIs, streaming services). - Implement data validation and quality checks. - Use platforms like Azure for cloud-based data solutions. - Work with Data Scientists and Full stack Web Developers to provide clean, reliable data. - Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation, including user manuals, training materials, and product specifications, also developing functional specifications. - Provide ongoing support for deployed pipelines including version control, data recovery processes, and deployment strategies. - Research emerging technologies and industry trends, staying up to date with developments in the field, and actively assisting in testing and evaluating new products, tools, and technologies.
Qualifications/special skills
A high school diploma with a certification or degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Statistics or related area is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 2 years of professional experience with Python, SQL, cloud environments (Azure), container orchestration (Kubernetes), and DevOps automation is required. Strong familiarity with semantic modeling, knowledge graphs, and AI/ML integration for data systems is desirable. Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills is required. Knowledge in database design, and development using MS SQL Relational Database is required.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English is required and knowledge of Arabic is desirable. Note: “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 Information
Not available.
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.
Potential interview questions
| Can you describe your experience with designing ETL/ELT pipelines? | This question aims to assess your practical skills in creating data pipelines. | Provide examples of past projects where you designed such pipelines. |
| What strategies do you use for data quality assurance? | The interviewer wants to understand your methods for ensuring data reliability. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you stay updated with emerging technologies in data engineering? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Can you explain a challenging problem you solved using Python? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Describe your experience with cloud environments and any specific projects you have worked on. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| How do you ensure the security of data when managing ETL processes? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| Give an example of how you collaborated with Data Scientists in your previous roles. | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |
| What is your approach to troubleshooting data ingestion issues? | Pro members can see the explanation. | Pro members can see the explanation. |