International UNV Specialist - Management Information System (MIS)

Contract

This is a UNV International Specialist contract. This kind of contract is known as International UN Volunteer. It is normally internationally recruited only. More about UNV International Specialist contracts.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programmes, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Chief of Social Policy and Chief of Social Behaviour Change or their designated mandated representative(s), the UN Volunteer (MIS Specialist) will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Technical assistance for the development and deployment of a national management information system for social transfer programs, including: a. Ensure quality and assurance throughout the development and testing process of the MIS (web and mobile application) • Organize and coordinate weekly meetings between contractor and the UNICEF team to monitor the application development process. • Coordinate training for UNICEF staff and government partners in coordination with the service provider. • Participate and contribute to testing of the application in collaboration with the service provider. b) Technical assistance to the Government for the deployment and the management of the mobile and web application • Database management including data cleaning and archiving. • Provide basic and advanced technical assistance to all users for the use of the MIS • Document all incidents as well as the steps to resolve them. • Ensure the capacity building of staff including new users through training sessions on the use MIS. c) Identification and analysis of capacity building needs of government partners in system management: • Perform a capacity gap assessment of ICT teams of government stakeholders and make recommendations in terms of capacity building and provision of human and material resources. • Perform a diagnostic and analysis of technical skills and propose a detailed implementation plan to address the capacity gap in short, medium and long term. The plan must contain: (i) results matrix (all interventions and their results); (ii) chronology (start and end); (iii) roles and responsibilities.

2. Management of the HOPE (Humanitarian Cash Operations & Program) management information system: a) Data processing and analysis • Write, manage and update scripts in Python and other relevant languages to consolidate, analyze, clean and prepare external data to be imported into HOPE. • Consolidate data from different sources such as KoBo, RapidPro and different types of data such as payment lists, post-distribution monitoring (PDM) surveys data and other monitoring data (complaint data and feedback, etc.) analysis and comparison purposes, including longitudinal analyses. • Detect errors/incomplete entries when importing into HOPE and make appropriate corrections. • Spot-check and ensure the quality of data stored in HOPE and other digital platforms used. • Perform advanced statistical analysis for report writing. • Contribute to the development of tools to monitor the data processing and program evaluation. • Produce analytical reports to guide program managers in decision-making. • Participate in data collection and build the capacity of government partners in data collection, processing and synchronization with the server.

b) Personal data management • Ensure the appropriate use of HOPE by UNICEF and its partners. • Establish a payment and reconciliation protocols between HOPE and financial service providers • Inform the Head of section on the risks related to the management of personal data. • Ensure quality of data analysis, reporting, third-party monitoring, complaints management mechanisms and data protection standards. • Monitor the use of personal data to ensure effective and efficient payment of beneficiaries. • Coordinate with other UN agencies in any data interoperability initiatives. • Coordinate with the HOPE team at UNICEF headquarters for technical support needs.

c) Ensure that the management of personal data is aligned with the UNICEF data protection policy. • Coordinate with technical counterparts at headquarters to ensure timely conclusion and signing of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with UNICEF implementing partners, financial service providers and other entities who will need access to personally identifiable information about UNICEF beneficiaries. • Ensure that UNICEF partners comply with relevant data protection legal tools, such as non-disclosure agreements, and are trained in the principles of data protection and children personal data.

3. Data management for social and behavior change (SBC) a) Quality assurance in planning • Harmonize the SBC indicators collected as part of the different interventions implemented in the country. • Ensure alignment of sectoral indicators with indicators validated at national and global levels. • Ensure evidence-based planning in SBC program documents.

b) Data collection and analysis • Develop and implement data collection tools to collect social and behavioral data from a variety of sources (government and humanitarian organizations). • Setup and manage social and behavioral databases. • Monitor daily the availability of social and behavioral data through the different mechanisms implemented in the country and during special interventions (AAP, response to public health emergencies, humanitarian emergencies and other emergencies). • Prepare data analysis protocols, and design and implement a data analysis automation systems to identify relevant trends and categories. • Produce strong analysis to produce relevant information to support the development of policy documents and to strengthen evidence-based decision-making.

d) Data visualization and reporting • Set up dynamic dashboards for the visualization of data allowing the monitoring of SBC and Cash transfer indicators. • Ensure the dissemination of the results of data analysis to various stakeholders through SitReps and periodic bulletins.

e) Management of the accountability system towards vulnerable populations (AAP - ) • Develop and implement quantitative and qualitative data collection tools for the management of feedback and complaints from various sources (governmental and humanitarian services) • Ensure the cleaning and consistency of the data collected.

• Professionalism: political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of UNICEF in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills in French, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations as necessary. • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance, and commitment towards UNICEF’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values. • Genuine commitment towards to UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

relevant professional experience; • Knowledge and experience in developing management information systems for social protection programs. • Proven experience in informatic systems development and integration. • Experience in overseeing software development, implementation and understanding the requirements. • Mastery of database software (Ms Access and Excel, and MySQL); • Proficiency in programming languages such as Visual Basics, ASP.net, VBscript, JavaScript, PHP ExtJs / GXT and C #. • Experience using mobile data collection applications such as OpenDataKit (ODK) and Kobo toolbox, as well as programming data collection forms and fixing bugs. • Experience using GIS software such as ArcGIS and online application services such as Google's App Engine tools (Google documents, forms, maps, etc.) is an asset. • Experience using Application Program Interface (API). • Experience using online data consolidation on servers. • Experience working with UN agencies (UNICEF experience preferred) is desirable.

CAR is a post-conflict country. From 2013, a bloody conflict between the Seleka and the Anti Balaka armed groups, over almost the entire territory of the country. Fearing the risk of genocide, the United Nations decided to send peacekeepers to the country, to protect civilians and restore peace.

The clashes having ended, entire areas of the country are always occupied by armed groups which continue to commit abuses against populations. Following the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation signed on February 6, 2018 between the 14 Armed Groups and the Government of CAR, the State started to deploy its services, in particular the Armed Forces, the police, the gendarmerie, justice in several regions of the country.

The CAR has only one international airport (Bangui M’poko) which provides all air links with the outside and regions of the country. There are aerodromes in the 16 capitals of each Prefecture and in some of sub-prefectures. The road network is very poor, since there is only one main road that connects CAR to Cameroon which is paved.

Two seasons alternate the climate in CAR. A dry season and a rainy season spread over 6 months each. The most feared disease is malaria, which kills many people every year.

The hotel network is experiencing increasing growth but is still very expensive. In terms of food, there is a wide variety of local and imported products in Bangui and in some of cities of the country. But access to these products is different in parts of the country. All these difficulties make the cost of living more expensive. It is the same for services like banks, hospitals, electricity etc. which access is very limited and concentrated only in Bangui the capital.