Information Management Officer

Contract

This is a UNV National Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Specialist contracts.

The CRD, once adopted, will serve as a platform for UNCT to develop different peace and development scenarios, assist in articulating needs assessments/a theories of change, and design of programs. By regularly tracking indicators and contextual risks captured in the CRD, the direction of the current and future projects could also be strategically navigated. It will also support the existing monitoring and evaluation tools to better understand effectiveness and progress of the current projects in the country. Moreover, it could also help the UNCT explore cross-sectoral solutions to manage existing and potential risks.

In order to address the need for continued and systematic analysis of contextual risks in the Gambia, the Country Office has developed the design of a Crisis Risk Dashboard (CRD) with the support of UNDP Crisis Bureau. The CRD is an online platform for data aggregation and visualization, aimed at facilitating the identification, tracking and analysis of contextual risks by the UNDP Country Office and potentially the wider UN Country Team.

UNDP Crisis Bureau and the Country Office will work together on developing, maintaining and using the CRD. As a next step, the Country Office and Crisis Bureau are seeking to recruit an information management officer (IMO) who will lead on key aspects of the CRD design and finalization, especially related to data management and technical support.

The UN Volunteer will work under the supervision of the Team Lead for the Accelerator Lab and Peace Development Advisor to the UNDP Resident Representative and Deputy Resident Representative, in the key functions listed below. He/she will work closely with the UNDP Accelerator Lab and with the Peace and Development Team in the Resident Coordinator’s office, as well as with the Regional Information Management Officer, as part of the UNDP-UNV Tandem Teams Initiative . Summary of key functions: • Conflict data Capture, Management and Analysis • Data Visualization, Reporting and Application • Technical Support Data Capture, Management and Analysis: • Identify key data gaps for informed crisis risk tracking in the country. • Propose a strategy and implementation plan for capturing required primary data • Develop a process for and understand primary data gathering (e.g. designing and con-ducting periodic perception surveys) • Identify and integrate additional primary and secondary data into the Crisis Risk Dash-board as required by evolving needs including the development, implementation and management of new indicators and corresponding data that are associated with the crisis risk model; • Propose revisions and improvements to the overall design framework and data re-quirements for the risk tracking system, using as the key tool the Crisis Risk Dash-board (CRD) – a purpose-designed platform developed by CRU for online information management and data visualization - and ensure content is current, comprehensive, and follows relevant metadata standards; Data Visualization, Reporting and Application: • Produce and update information products such as maps, charts, and infographics by turning data into graphical products to convey messages and a storyline as well as support strategic and operational decision-making; • Explore ways of presenting crisis risk profiles and early warning more effectively through visual representations (charts, graphs, tables and diagrams) through the CRD; • Provide technical assistance in translating data and other program information into easy visual representations, in accordance with data visualization best practices; • Consolidate operational information on a regular schedule to support analysis and de-sign and implement sustainable information management and dissemination systems for data collections for the CRD, where required. Training and Technical Support: • Provide substantive input on information management toward the development of guidance and training materials in support of the Country Office / Country Team appli-cation of the CRD; • Provide maintenance and end-user technical support in issues relating to the CRD in-formation management use, including troubleshooting for data entry and access to the existing database; • Provide technical assistance in order to build capacity of staff on how to integrate data visualization approaches into their work as well as how to update and monitor existing dashboards.

Functional competencies: • Demonstrable understanding of conflict risk data gathering, processing and visualizing • Intimate understanding of designing and conducting primary data gathering and re-search including survey design and implementation, facilitating focus groups, research interviews, etc.; • Looks at experience critically, drawing lessons, and building them into the design of new approaches; • Possesses strong analytical and research capabilities, including the ability to produce high quality reports and knowledge products; • Knowledge of UNDP’s mandate, systems and tools in the area of conflict prevention, DRR, crisis preparedness and response; • Creates an environment that fosters innovation and innovative thinking; • Makes the case for innovative ideas from the team with own supervisor; • Designs management systems based on established best practice; • Formulates strategy for the implementation of systems; • Review systems performance to support rigorous development of systems standards and modes of operation; • Ability to coordinate and conduct trainings, ensure knowledge management, identify and share best practices.

Core Competencies: • Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents; • Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation; • Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication; • Creating an emotionally intelligent organization; • Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge shar-ing and learning; • Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

• A minimum of three years of progressively responsible experience in information man-agement, information systems, geographic information systems (GIS), database de-velopment, web management, visualization, or other related areas; • Strong experience in conducting primary research, particularly in crisis contexts; • Experience managing information in international development or humanitarian context as well as relevant experience within the UN system is highly desirable; • Strong knowledge of best practices for data visualization and dashboards; • Experience in providing excellent client/customer services; • Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to the management of information in an international development or humanitarian context; • Ability to conduct data collection using various methods; • Conceptual analytical and evaluative skills to conduct independent research and anal-ysis, including familiarity with and experience in the use of various research sources, including electronic sources on the internet, intranet and other databases; • Ability to quickly establish and maintain effective working relations with people of differ-ent cultural backgrounds and languages. • Candidates with long-term experience are encouraged to apply. Provided that the re-spective requirements are met, the assignment might be considered as UN Volunteer expert (15 years of experience), including 40% additional VLA or as UN Volunteer Sen-ior Expert (15 years of experience incl. international experience), including 100% addi-tional VLA.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials