Project Associate

Volunteering IT & Telecom

Overview

Support climate change data initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa

You have:

• Degree in computer science, information technology or related field.
• Professional experience in software and application development.
• Working knowledge of Content Management Systems, including Drupal, PHP, and MySQL.
• Excellent drafting and reporting skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and database management tools.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Familiarity with community engagement techniques and developmental communication.

Contract

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

This United Nations Volunteer (UNV) assignment is part of the UNEP’s project “Informing Policy on Climate, Nature, and Pollution through strengthening national, regional, and global indicator frameworks, and environmental economic accounting on the environment” under Output C “Tools and training for capacity building to measure, monitor and report on the environment and SDGs”. The duration of the project is from 2024 to 2027. Climate change is one of the three major environmental crises, which, in line with many other commitments, requires “providing scientific information that measures progress towards carbon neutrality and resilience and assesses the potential and risks associated with the measures applied” and “helping countries meet their transparency and other reporting obligations”, as outlined in the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy 2022–2025. The needs for climate change and disaster-related statistics must be met through improved data collection, increased use of geospatial data sources, modelling, and citizen science as well as enhanced national capacity to turn data into statistics. National statistical systems are faced with the challenge of incorporating this information into their official statistical system necessitating new and innovative approaches to national geospatial and other information management, implementing integrated evidence based decision-making solutions, and maximizing and leveraging national information systems that are tailored to individual country’s situations and circumstances. Considering the current country demand, UNEP, in collaboration with other international partners, is making efforts to provide support to countries.

The activities of this United Nations Volunteer (UNV) will contribute to increasing the understanding of climate-change and disaster-related statistics in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular trough:
−Development of digital products supporting national reporting on Sendai Framework in Togo, Kenya, Burundi, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. −Engagement of Community of Practice and Visibility. Within 6 months, this UNV, under the supervision of the Programme Management Offices from the SDG and Environment Statistics Unit of the Early Warning and Assessment Division of UNEP, and in close collaboration with relevant colleagues from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), will: −Digitalise a self-assessment tool that countries can use to analyze data availability and identify data gaps on disaster-related statistics. −Digitalize the toolkit to support implementation of the roadmap to enhance reporting in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 including recommendations on how to ensure sustainability of government efforts in reporting and engage and increase partnerships at regional and national levels with UN agencies, academia, governments. −Support preparation of a flyer with the description of the project, and communication material such as social media cards. −Update the UNEP SDG portal with relevant information.

•Planning and organizing: setting goals and targets for yourself or others; prioritizing the delivery of work; adjusting work or project priorities to take account of changing circumstances; organising the time and resources necessary to deliver work; setting detailed project plans or plans for an area or service; monitoring the delivery of work against a plan; delivering one’s own workload in an organized and time efficient manner. •Teamwork: working within an established team; supporting colleagues; sharing responsibility for decision making and results; encouraging others to contribute; forming a new team; collaborating with colleagues across work units, departments or divisions; establishing or developing a team culture, or standards of behavior within a team. •Creativity: developing new programmes or services; improving existing programmes or services; adapting existing programmes or services for application in new and different environments; finding new solutions to address operational or strategic problems; participating in projects to develop organizational structures, systems or strategy; working on activities, or in environments, which are new for the UN; responding to the demands of stakeholders for new approaches to be adopted. •Technological awareness: using new technology, hardware, and software packages to complete key tasks; investigating and evaluating new technology, hardware, and software packages to be used to support key work activities; providing support to others in how to use and apply new technology, hardware and software; developing or managing new office systems or procedures which use technology; ensuring the effective and cost effective use of technology within a department or division.

computer science, information technology or other relevant programmes; experience with UNEP is an asset, as is experience working in the UN or other international development organization; •Professional working experience in the area software and application development and database management; working knowledge of Content Management System e.g. Drupal, PHP programming language and MySQL Relational database; •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 Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, among others), email, and internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; •Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; •Sound security awareness; •Have affinity with or interest in UNEP, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN system.

The Republic of Kenya is an equatorial nation on the coast of East Africa, neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has two levels of Government; National Government and 47 sub-national Governments called Counties. Counties are further divided into sub-counties. Kenya is a multi-party state with Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Kenya’s population of more than 40 million is growing at an annual rate of 2.2%. The country’s GNP per capita estimated at purchasing power parity (PPP) is $975, and the GNP is growing at an average rate of 0.1% annually. More than 26% of Kenya’s people live below the international poverty line of $1 per day. Kenya’s main food crops are “maize, wheat, pulses, roots and tubers.” (FAO).

Nairobi is a modern metropolitan city where most basic goods and services, health facilities, public transport, telecommunication and banking services and educational facilities are readily available. The city is widely connected through its main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and the smaller Wilson Airport. Air transport is also available to many up-country destinations. The city is home to some 3,000 UN personnel mainly attributed to the fact that it serves as the headquarters for both the UN HABITAT and UNEP.

The socio-economic and cultural background of the immediate society the UNV would be living and working in is diverse and prevailing security conditions at the place of assignment is modest. The topographic and climatic features of the assignment location is highland cool and warm tropical climate.

Link to the Entitlement Calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org