Data visualization and mapping

Volunteering

Overview

Develop high-quality static and interactive maps and dashboards for humanitarian program.

You have:

• Master’s degree in data science, GIS, Geography, Statistics, Information Management, Computer Science, or a related field
• At least 3 years of experience in data visualization, geospatial analysis, mapping, or information management, preferably in humanitarian contexts
• Strong technical proficiency in relevant tools such as Power BI, Tableau, QGIS/ArcGIS, Excel, and/or data visualization libraries such as Python, R, or similar
• Proven ability to translate complex datasets into clear, user-friendly visual products for non-technical audiences
• Experience managing, cleaning, and validating datasets from multiple sources
• Familiarity with humanitarian data standards, indicators, and coordination mechanisms is an asset
• Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs under tight deadlines
• Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications
• Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision
• Desirable: valid national driver’s license and proven ability to drive manual gear 4x4 over rough terrain
• Sound security awareness
• Affinity with or interest in UNFPA Humanitarian Action, volunteerism, and the UN System

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), established in 1967 as the UN Agency for sexual and reproductive health, works in more than 150 countries to promote gender equality and ensure universal access to reproductive health services, guided by its mission to achieve a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA advances global and national development priorities by supporting countries to end preventable maternal deaths, addressing unmet need for family planning, and eliminate gender-based violence and harmful practices, in line with the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Program of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNFPA has operated in South Sudan since 2006 and established a full Country Office in 2012, working closely with government institutions, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and development partners to strengthen health systems, expand access to quality reproductive health services, train midwives, improve population data for planning, and prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Within humanitarian and recovery settings, UNFPA delivers life-saving sexual and reproductive health interventions and coordinates technical and protection initiatives to support women, girls, and young people. This online volunteering assignment forms part of UNFPA program portfolio in South Sudan, supporting national priorities and UN cooperation frameworks to enhance rights, resilience, and wellbeing across the country.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of UNFPA South Sudan Emergency Coordinator, the Online Volunteer will carry out the following duties:

· Develop high-quality static and interactive maps illustrating humanitarian program coverage, service availability, population needs, and humanitarian response indicators.

· Produce user-friendly dashboards, infographics, and visual summaries to support analysis, reporting, and decision-making.

· Compile, clean, and harmonize datasets from humanitarian team, implementing partners, clusters, and secondary sources to ensure consistency and usability.

· Support spatial analysis of needs, gaps, and service delivery coverage to inform planning, prioritization, and targeting.

· Generate visual products for situation reports, donor reports, presentations, advocacy materials, and inter-agency coordination platforms.

· Maintain and update geospatial datasets, shapefiles, and mapping layers relevant to UNFPA program areas.

· Collaborate with humanitarian and monitoring teams to identify priority indicators and visualization needs.

· Contribute to data quality assurance processes by identifying inconsistencies, gaps, or anomalies and proposing corrective measures.

· Support inter-agency information management initiatives and ensure alignment with common humanitarian data standards where applicable.

· Develop simple templates, guidance notes, or tools to standardize visualization formats across teams and partners.

· Provide mentorship or technical support to implementing partners on basic data visualization and mapping techniques.

· Ensure all visual products adhere to UNFPA branding, data protection, and ethical data use standards.

Results/expected outputs:

As an active UNFPA team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNFPA and its beneficiaries in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:

o Production of a core set of standardized maps showing program reach, service coverage, and priority humanitarian indicators for use in reporting, planning, and coordination.

o Delivery of user-friendly dashboards or visual reporting tools that enable humanitarian and Monitoring teams to interpret data quickly and support evidence-based decision-making.

o Improved availability and organization of program datasets through consolidated, cleaned, and documented data files ready for analysis and visualization.

o Regular visual data products such as maps, charts, and infographics produced for situation reports, donor updates, presentations, and advocacy materials.

o Strengthened spatial analysis capacity within the Country Office demonstrated through use of mapping products in planning discussions, proposals, and coordination forums.

o Updated and maintained geospatial database including administrative boundaries, service locations, and program indicators relevant to UNFPA interventions.

o Improved inter-agency coordination through contribution of maps and visual products to cluster or sector information-sharing platforms.

o Increased data quality through identification of inconsistencies and provision of recommendations for data improvement.

· Master’s degree in data science, GIS, Geography, Statistics, Information Management, Computer Science, or a related field.

· At least 3 years of experience in data visualization, geospatial analysis, mapping, or information management, preferably in humanitarian contexts.

· Strong technical proficiency in relevant tools such as Power BI, Tableau, QGIS/ArcGIS, Excel, and/or data visualization libraries such as Python, R, or similar.

· Proven ability to translate complex datasets into clear, user-friendly visual products for non-technical audiences.

· Experience managing, cleaning, and validating datasets from multiple sources.

· Familiarity with humanitarian data standards, indicators, and coordination mechanisms is an asset.

· Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills.

· Ability to work independently and deliver high-quality outputs under tight deadlines.

· Experience in or familiarity with a humanitarian setting is a major asset.

· Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills.

· Accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing.

· Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development.

· Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.

· Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment.

· Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines.

· Desirable: valid national driver’s license and proven ability to drive manual gear 4x4 over rough terrain; (if not applicable, delete).

· Sound security awareness.

· Have affinity with or interest in UNFPA Humanitarian Action, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 3 months ago - Updated 2 months ago - Source: unv.org