Individual Contractor – Technology for Development Specialist (Data Science), UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO), Bangkok, Thailand

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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 fulfilling 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 better future

UNICEF works to ensure the rights of all children in the East Asia and Pacific Region. This means the rights of every child living in this country, irrespective of their nationality, gender, religion or ethnicity, to:

• survival – to basic healthcare, peace and security;
• development – to a good education, a loving home and adequate nutrition;
• protection – from abuse, neglect, trafficking, child labour and other forms of exploitation; and
• participation – to express opinions, be listened to and take part in making any decisions that affect them

How can you make a difference?

The Regional ICT and Digital Innovation Section, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office (EAPRO) is seeking an individual contractor to support the use of data technologies and techniques to drive impact, gather insights, and ensure integrity, as UNICEF Programmes increasingly leverage digital means for effective programme delivery, systems strengthening and monitoring. The Contractor will liaise with stakeholders to build a preferred set of solutions with the aim to lower the barrier of entry into data science initiatives and increase solution portability from one country to the other. S/he will aid in the identification of sustainable and scalable data technology solutions best suited for the programme at hand within its current ecosystem, while prioritizing UNICEF’s portfolio approach and use of digital public goods.

Work Assignment:

Description of the Assignment:

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Technology for Development (T4D) Manager, and in close collaboration with the country T4D focal points, and UNICEF’s Digital Center of Excellence and DAPM Data Science team, the contractor will perform tasks including:

1. Technical and programmatic support to data science and technologies

1.1. Business Relationship Management Liaise with the regional office to undertake Business and Programme Relationship services to define high-level requirements; document and match requirements and guide the development of appropriate data science solutions. Provide data-driven recommendations to business stakeholders.

1.2. Portfolio Coordination Work closely with the regional office in deploying a portfolio approach to data science, adapting common solutions prioritized for UNICEF programming (e.g., Digital Public Goods).

1.3. Support and assist in the design, development, and scaling of data science Provide support and technical assistance to the Regional and Country Offices in the identification, selection, concept design, deployment, and sustainability of data science interventions to address bottlenecks towards the achievement of programme results.

1.4. Study, explore, and evaluate new and existing data sources to determine their effectiveness and accuracy for use in decision making, and assess their suitability for actionable output.

1.5. Design and build predictive data science products such as visualizations, models or AI/ML algorithms for initial simulations or prototypes and subsequent ingestion into mainstream software applications.

1.6. Identify and assess data science technologies and techniques Assist programme sections to identify and assess digital public goods for new data science initiatives, or new phases of on-going initiatives, with immediate potential to improve UNICEF programming.

1.7. Liaise with technology stakeholders to access infrastructure, software and services needed to develop and deploy data science products.

1.8. Solution procurement and evaluation Assist the review of technical data science solutions to ensure UNICEF standards are followed; contribute to project management processes, generation, and review of terms of reference and vendor selection.

1.9. Deployment advice and support Assist with implementation strategy of data science initiatives, including technical oversight, troubleshooting and the documentation of challenges and resolutions.

1.10. Design thinking Support human/user-centered design methods to enable user-acceptance testing, evaluation, documentation, and analysis.

2. Advisory and Quality Assurance to data science initiatives and system strengthening

2.1. Quality Assurance Assist with development and quality assurance during planning and deployment of data science initiatives; participate in establishing and maintaining standards, documentation, and support mechanisms for data science.

2.2. Guide compliance with data science best practices Support compliance of data science initiatives with the Principles for Digital Development (http://digitalprinciples.org/) and UNICEF T4D best practices; Encourage the use of the Technology Playbook by the country offices for integration of appropriate data technologies into UNICEF programming.

3. Engage and maintain partnerships and networks

3.1. Internal Coordination Provide coordination and support internally, including with UNICEF’s ICT Division at headquarters, DAPM, and the Office of Innovation, to identify and package data science solutions building blocks that can be packaged and scaled across the region.

3.2. Maintain partnerships and networks Support the development of partnerships and networks with global and local solution providers and data owners, innovators, NGOs, the private sector, and academia to negotiate access to key datasets, build and provide a space to nurture and test new and innovative uses of data, and build local capacity.

3.3. Advocacy and communications Participate and support representation in external, inter-agency or partner forums on data, Digital Development and Technology Innovation.

3.4. Promote use of data science solutions by showcasing the products to business stakeholders; Plan the dissemination of data products to key stakeholders, raise awareness of available data products.

3.5. Proposal and partnership development Identify opportunities for resource mobilization and new partnerships and lead proposal and partnership development efforts in close collaboration with the regional and country offices, where applicable.

3.6. Provide advice and support to programme partners Provide inputs to technical and operational support to a wide range of stakeholders and partners on UNICEF policies, practices, standards, and norms on data technologies and data science.

3.7. Standards and procedures for ownership Work with stakeholders to help develop standards, procedures, and partnerships for data science activities and their transition to relevant Government and Civil Society Institutions.

3.8. Transfer and skill-sharing for programme partners Help maintain partnerships with government counterparts and national stakeholders through active sharing and transfer of knowledge, skills, and tools to foster and facilitate technology-enabled data science programming.

3.9. Document partners and profiles Contribute updates to a catalogue of potential regional and global T4D partners and their profiles/areas of engagement to promote and enhance UNICEF goals for outcomes for children through the use of Technology for Development. Assist in the writing of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Terms of Reference (TORs) for external vendors and consultants.

3.10. Long-Term Agreements Participate in and facilitate the establishment of strategic long-term engagements (such as LTAs, PCAs and MoUs) with strategic partners regionally and globally.

4. Knowledge Management

4.1. Share lessons learned Help identify, capture, synthesize and share lessons learned from data science initiatives for integration into broader knowledge development planning, advocacy, and communication efforts.

4.2. Landscape mapping Assist in maintaining an inventory of Technology and Innovation interventions, assets, resources, and networks.

4.3. Monitoring, evaluation, and learning Develop products, tools and processes to periodically validate the effectiveness of data science products and their expected and observed benefits. Assess impact using key performance indicators; Iteratively improve products based on findings.

4.4. Contribute to Peer Support Networks Contribute and share to regional and global data, digital development, and technology innovation networks and activities.

5. Capacity Building

5.1. Co-create appropriate solutions

Work directly with programme teams and partners to adapt data science initiatives appropriate to the country programmes.

5.2. Provide training to stakeholders and end-users Participate as resource person in capacity building initiatives to enhance the competencies, capacity and knowledge within the programmes on data science; encourage and promote learning by UNICEF staff, partners, government counterparts and other end users in data science techniques and technologies.

Work Schedule:

Work plan and schedule will be agreed upon start of the contract by the consultant and contract’s supervisor.

End Product(s):

The Contractor is expected to integrate data science solutions into UNICEF’s planning and decision making, and make substantive decisions on coordination, planning, assessment, implementation, and/or operation of data science activities within the framework established by the Regional Office, ICTD and the Innovations for Results cone. The Contractor is expected to demonstrate timely delivery of outputs in accordance with overall objectives and policies, and to play a lead role in identifying significant issues with the uptake of data science techniques across the organization, and developing well-reasoned, innovative approaches to deal with these issues.

Deliverables include:

• Coordination, development, implementation, and project management of data science initiatives being deployed across the region.
• Data science strategies and frameworks for effective programmatic response.
• Meeting highlights and agreements on data science initiatives.
• Packages that help communicate the insight and value of the data products.
• Design, development, and validation of the effectiveness of data science products for UNICEF.
• Technical assistance and support provided to Country and Regional Offices in the area of data science, technology and advanced analytics.
• Standards, procedures, and partnerships for data science initiatives developed for adopting regionally and globally.
• New data science initiatives, or new phases of ongoing initiatives are identified and assessed for country offices with potential to improve the UNICEF programmatic and emergency response.
• Reports on existing data science initiatives and solutions including lessons learnt from various programmes.
• Participation in proposals and partnership development.
• Webinars/Training sessions to programme colleagues and/or partners for capacity building in data science and advanced analytics.
• Monthly report on data science technical and programmatic support.
• Any other activity/output as required.

Duration of Contract: 11.5-month throughout the period of November 1st 2021 through October 15th 2022.

Official Travel****:

Due to the current travel restrictions, the consultant will work from his/her premises. If travel restrictions are lifted before the end of the contract, there might be a need for the contractor to be located in the Bangkok UNICEF Regional Office.

Any required travel and logistics related to this assignment will be discussed with the supervisor in advance and agreed upon mutually.

Working Location:

Due to the current travel restrictions, the contractor will work from his/her premises. Priority will be given to candidates either located in Bangkok, Thailand or in a time zone location within 6 hours of GMT+7 (Bangkok).

If travel restrictions are lifted before the end of the contract, there might a need for contractor to be located in the Bangkok UNICEF Regional Office. Any required travel and logistics related to this assignment will be discussed with supervisor in advance and agreed upon mutually. Contractor to use own laptop and other necessary infrastructure/equipment.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education:

An advanced university degree is required in Statistics, Data Science, ICT Management, Computer Science, Innovation, Digital Development, or another relevant technical field.

A first-level university degree in a relevant field combined with ten years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of eight years of professional experience applying data science in a large international organization and/or corporation with multi stakeholder projects with demonstrable results, and stakeholder satisfaction is required.
• Experience of data Science tools such as Jupyter, Matlab, Knime, SPSS, SAS, or similar Statistical Programming Languages such as R, Python, Javascript or related is required.
• Experience designing, leading, and deploying in production data science projects for decision-making is required.
• Experience with the use of big data, including for instance from social media, is highly desirable.
• Experience with the use of machine learning, computer vision and satellite imagery is highly desirable.
• Experience identifying, designing, and implementing solutions for large-scale data science projects, including supervising external vendors and software developers; responsibility for business analysis, budgets, contracts, project management and procurement, etc. is highly desirable.
• Exposure to UNICEF, UN or other INGO programmatic areas, including (but not limited to) health, nutrition, child protection and/or education, and experience in applying technical solutions to address programmatic issues is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated strong writing and presentation skills. Strong analytical and interpersonal communication skills, attention to detail. Ability to translate business needs into technical requirements and translate complex concepts in a simple manner for a non-technical audience is highly desirable.
• Prior experience working with a multilateral or UN organization is desirable.
• Experience in coordination with multiple stakeholders like government agencies, academic institutions, research organizations, private sector, etc. in implementing ICT projects and exploring space for collaboration and partnerships is desirable.
• Project management skills including task prioritization, workflow coordination, and results-driven strategies is desirable.
• Relevant work experience related to knowledge management, development of training programmes/materials focusing on data action, impact and integrity is desirable.
• Ability to foster excellent work relationships and build alliances with multi‐cultural and multi‐disciplinary stakeholders simultaneously is desirable.
• Ability to manage and execute multiple tasks with little supervision while meeting sometimes inflexible deadlines is desirable.
• Demonstrated creativity, ability to think systematically, willingness, and ability to incorporate innovative solutions is desirable.
• Experience working with the social impact and international development space is desirable.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language or local language of the duty station is considered as an asset.

Interested candidates are requested to submit CV or P-11, full contact information of minimum 3 references, availability, and proposed monthly professional fee in USD by 7 October 2021****.

FORM P11.doc

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People, and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

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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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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.

UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

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Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org