Research Assistant (Data Management & Analysis)

Mid

Contract

This is a G-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as General Service and related categories. It is normally only for nationals. It usually requires 4 years of experience, depending on education. More about G-4 contracts.

The essential experience has been slightly amended

PURPOSE OF POSITION

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization. The objective of the IARC is to promote international collaboration in cancer research.

The goal of the Nutrition and Metabolism Branch (NME) is to provide robust scientific evidence on the role of nutrition, obesity, and metabolic dysfunction in cancer development that can translate to both clinical and population-level interventions and to public health policy. NME aims to go beyond what may be considered the traditional domains of nutrition in cancer research and fully exploit methodological advances in molecular techniques to implement an integrated, multidisciplinary programme of research. Given the potential for advances in molecular profiling to help overcome methodological challenges in nutrition research and delineate the underlying biological pathways, emphasis is placed on conducting molecular epidemiological research that integrates metabolomics, hormone measurements, the microbiome, and genomics, within population-based cohorts and intervention studies.

The aim of the position is to:

§ Manage, harmonize and consolidate epidemiological and molecular data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study, and other projects within the Nutrition and Metabolism (NME) branch;

§ Assist NME scientists in the acquisition, management, and analysis of epidemiological and molecular data;

§ Identify, develop and apply software tools for efficient data management, integration, analysis and visualization for mining diverse types of biological data;

§ Exchange with IARC and external collaborators;

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

Under the supervision of NME scientists, including the NME Branch Head, the incumbent will perform the following tasks:

1. The management of complex databases from large international epidemiological studies coordinated by the Branch. The task will include:

i. the centralization of epidemiological and molecular (biomarkers and -omics) sets of data through regular contacts with external collaborators;

ii. the harmonization according to defined protocols;

iii. the finalization of internal consistency via data quality control checks.

2. The organization of databases for downstream analyses integrating multiple data types, including epidemiological and molecular data. This task will include:

i. the documentation of data structure and contents;

ii. the creation of study datasets by writing ad hoc programmes and merging the necessary data;

iii. the dissemination of study datasets to the collaborators in agreement with FAIR principles and data protection policies

3. The assistance to NME scientists in statistical analyses of epidemiological data, through the use of classic statistical software (e.g. R, SAS, Python) to

i. the computation of descriptive statistics;

ii. the generation of graphs and tables for data visualization in scientific reports and grant applications;

iii. the finalization of additional quality control based on data analyses.

4. Perform any other related duties assigned by the supervisor.

WHO COMPETENCIES

· Producing results*

· Teamwork*

· Communication*

· Moving forward in a changing environment

· Technical expertise

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

Essential: Graduation from secondary school or equivalent, and subsequent training (BTS, DUT or equivalent) in the field of bioinformatics, life sciences, computer science/programing, statistics or related field.

Desirable: University degree in bioinformatics, computer science, statistics or related field.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Essential: At least three years’ experience with data management or statistical analysis of epidemiological data using scripting/programing languages (e.g., R, Python, SAS, SQL).

Desirable: Experience in research environment. Experience in other programming languages using Unix/Linux environment.

USE OF LANGUAGE SKILLS

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable: Intermediate knowledge of French.

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

· Data management of epidemiological, clinical and large sets of biomarker and -omic data.

· Knowledge of scripting/programing languages for data management and statistical analyses (e.g., R, Python, SAS, SQL) and their application in appropriate computational environments.

· Hands-on knowledge of large sets of health-related data analysis.

· Ability to work with external collaborators.

· Ability to learn new tools for database management statistical analyses.

· Ability to adapt to a rapidly changing computing environment.

· Ability to create documentations, figures, slides for documentations and publications.

· Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team with people of diverse cultural backgrounds.

OTHER SKILLS ( IT SKILLS)

· Excellent knowledge of Microsoft 365 package.

REMUNERATION

The fixed remuneration for the above position currently amounts to EUR 3,396 per month, and is expressed net of income tax but before deduction of the employee share contributions for mandatory participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF) and in the Organization’s private insurance plans covering health, accident, illness and disability.

Other benefits include different types of leave and allowances for dependent family members.Employment status is that of an international civil servant.

Note: due to the legal status of WHO/IARC as an international organization, its staff do not contribute to and do not generate benefits in French mandatory schemes for health insurance (“assurance maladie”), pension (“assurance vieillesse/retraite or unemployment (“Pôle-Emploi”) throughout their period of employment with the Agency.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

· This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level or lower.

· This post is subject to local recruitment and will ideally be filled by persons residing within the local commuting area of the duty station.

· Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

· A written test and/or presentation/seminar may be used as a form of screening.

· If your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. IARC/WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

· According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

· Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules, and Manual noting that first year of fixed term contracts is a probationary period which may be extended subject to performance evaluation.

· For information on IARC’s operations please visit: https://www.iarc.who.int, and for more general information on WHO's operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

· IARC/WHO is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The IARC/WHO recruits and employs staff regardless of disability status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, race, marital status, religious, cultural, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds, or any other personal characteristics.

· IARC/WHO is committed to achieving gender parity and geographical diversity in its staff. Women, persons with disabilities, and nationals of unrepresented and underrepresented Participating States https://www.iarc.who.int/equity-diversity-and-inclusion-at-iarc are strongly encouraged to apply for IARC/WHO jobs. Persons with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to enable participation in the recruitment process. Requests for reasonable accommodation should be sent through an email to reasonableaccommodation@who.int

· An impeccable record for integrity and professional ethical standards is essential. IARC/WHO prides itself on a workforce that adheres to the highest ethical and professional standards and that is committed to put the IARC/WHO Values Charter https://www.iarc.who.int/about-iarc-who-ethics into practice.

· IARC/WHO has zero tolerance towards sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment and other types of abusive conduct (i.e., discrimination, abuse of authority and harassment). All members of the IARC/WHO workforce have a role to play in promoting a safe and respectful workplace and should report to IARC/WHO any actual or suspected cases of SEA, sexual harassment, and other types of abusive conduct. To ensure that individuals with a substantiated history of SEA, sexual harassment or other types of abusive conduct are not hired by the Organization, IARC/WHO will conduct a background verification of final candidates.

· IARC/WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

· IARC/WHO also offers wide range of benefits to staff, including parental leave and attractive flexible work arrangements to help promote a healthy work-life balance and to allow all staff members to fully express and develop their talents.

· The statutory retirement age for staff appointments is 65. For external applicants, only those who are expected to complete the term of appointment will normally be considered.

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Added 3 months ago - Updated 2 months ago - Source: who.int