Senior Data Analysis Advisor for National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN)

Contract

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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 fulfill 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 fair chance

Uganda is one of the over 190 countries and territories around the world where we work to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease, and discrimination place in a child’s path. Together with the Government of Uganda and partners we work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the objectives of the Uganda National Development Plan, and the planned outcomes of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

Visit this link for more information on Uganda Country Office https://www.unicef.org/uganda/

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of the assignment is to contribute to improved availability, quality and use of nutrition data for policy and programming purposes. The primary objective of the work is to support UBOS on its lead role to strengthen the capacity of government institutions to analyze the existing data and inform the work that the NIPN Policy Advisory Unit is carrying out at the OPM.

The Advisor will work within the NIPN Analysis Unit, at UBOS, and will provide expert technical advice, training and guidance to staff working within and outside the NIPN Analysis Unit, including sectors and partners. The consultant will strengthen the capacities of staff on how best to analyze quantitative and qualitative information and data to better understand the causes of malnutrition, the reasons for improvements in nutrition over time, the reasons for differences in nutritional status within the country and the effectiveness of interventions to improve nutrition.

Background:

In the last two decades, Uganda recorded a notable reduction in prevalence of under-nutrition among women and children and its resultant effects on the socio-economic growth, early childhood development, child survival and maternal mortality. Despite this significant progress, malnutrition continues to hinder the national development efforts of the country as more than 2.1 million children still remain stunted in 2016. Undernutrition in women reduced by 3 percent between 2006 and 2016. The childhood anaemia reduced by 20 percent in the same period while anaemia in women has reduced only by 5 percent. However, the progress in reduction of malnutrition is uneven with wide disparities by geography, wealth, education and gender.

A significative amount of data is available for Uganda on the nutritional status of the population and the factors that influence undernutrition, there is still a gap in data availability and use by decision-makers for policy and programming. In addition, nutrition-related research is not adequately coordinated through national or sector-based research agencies and information is not easily accessible for the purposes of policy formulation. Improved institutional capacity is needed to increase the use of evidence in policy making, including the norms dictating the process, types of evidence and sectoral incentives used for evidence-based decision-making. Recognizing the importance of data for decision making, Uganda launched the National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) in 2018. NIPN is an initiative led by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and co-led by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). NIPN is an international initiative of the European Union (EU) that is being implemented in ten countries with support from the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The NIPN in Uganda also receives financial and technical support from UNICEF.

In Uganda, NIPN is an initiative led by the Strategic Coordination and Implementation Directorate (SCID) at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and co-led by the Socio-Economic Surveys Directorate (SES) at the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS). UNICEF provides technical assistance to this EU funded project.

NIPN aims to strengthen the capacity of government institutions to access and analyze data that can be further used for evidence-based policy formulation, programme development and implementation. Since the inception of the project, the NIPN core group has made great strides in setting up the NIPN units both at OPM and UBOS and has progressed in terms of developing the nutrition dashboard, establishing the centralized nutrition data repository, mapping the data sources and engaging the sectors for NIPN. These achievements have greatly been made by UNICEF’s technical support through secondment of the Senior Data Analysis Advisor at the Analysis Unit at UBOS. The OPM is taking the lead related to policies, programmes and interventions and existing information with support from sectors, the UBOS is taking the lead on the analysis of the existing data available, through Analysis Unit. The position of Sr Data Analysis Advisor is crucial to functionalise the Analysis Unit at UBOS and contribute in achieving results for the overall NIPN.

UNICEF, in collaboration with UBOS, recruited a consultant for the position of Senior Data Analysis Advisor, who was seconded to UBOS in January 2019. This ToR is developed for the recruitment of the consultant for a period of ten months.

KEY TASKS:

The consultant will undertake the following.

• Conduct data source mapping in non-state actors
• Data harmonization and recode manual generation periodically uploaded in the repository
• Conduct at least 2 capacity building sessions with sector partners on nutrition data processes/analysis following introductory sessions in 2020
• Conduct data source mapping workshop
• Analysis of additional indicators and updating the nutrition dashboard in Excel format and supporting web hosting
• Produce analytical reports to fill key nutrition research gaps
• Provide a written update in the prescribed format to the NIPN Management Team every 2 weeks

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

Education requirements: A Master’s degree or a PhD in nutrition epidemiology, statistics, data science, bioinformatics, econometrics, health data science, public health, health service research, or any related subject

Employment experience:

• If holding a Master’s degree, at least 8 years’ experience in the management, analysis and reporting of nutrition and/or multi-sectoral data, ideally including data on human nutrition.
• If holding a PhD, at least 5 years’ experience in the management, analysis and reporting of biomedical and multi-sectoral data, ideally including data on human nutrition. Experience in capacity strengthening will be an asset
• At least 8 years professional experience in designing and implementing health and nutrition capacity assessment, design of nutrition surveys in low-income settings and analysis of large-scale datasets to prepare different knowledge and communication materials
• Proven track record of working on documentation of nutrition projects and publication of best achievements and lessons.
• Experience in developing nutrition policies, strategies and guidelines is required. Familiarity with system strengthening to improve nutrition outcomes.
• Expertise in managing assessment processes by engaging and working through local teams.

Language requirement: Fluency in English required

Required skills and expertise:

• Experience in managing, organising, creating, analysing and archiving data sets.
• Experience of analysing panel data from surveillance systems or multiple data sets of cross-sectional surveys. Proven experience in using Stata statistical software (STATA/SPSS/SAS).
• Proven ability to write technical reports, documents or papers in English.
• Experience in capacity strengthening and facilitation of trainings will be a great asset.
• Experience of using R, ARC-GIS, and nutrition data software; such as WHOAnthro, WHO anthro plus and ENA; would be useful.

Others:

• The consultant will be based at the UBOS.
• The consultant will not be provided with lodging and/or meals.
• The consultant will provide technical support to the NIPN Analysis Unit at the UBOS with close collaboration and communication with the Nutrition Unit under the CSD Section of UNICEF UCO.
• The consultant will not be provided with UNICEF office materials or have access to the UNICEF systems i.e. computer, V-Drive, printers etc.
• The consultant is authorized to have access to UNICEF transport for work related travel.
• Plan for schedule of payment: Payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of the deliverables as per proposed schedule. Endorsement and certification of all deliverables will be done by UNICEF supervisor before processing the payment.
• The consultant will not be paid during days off and while on sick leave.

• The consultant will be paid daily subsistence allowance for all field travels outside of Kampala during the assignment as per UNICEF’s DSA rates

• Approval of deliverables will be done by the UNICEF Nutrition Manager as per recommendation from the Nutrition Specialist (Information Management) and Director of SES, UBOS.

Application Procedure/Call for Proposals

Interested candidates are required to submit a technical proposal on how they intend to approach the work. The proposal should include a timeline, and methodology, based on the Terms of Reference. The proposal must also include detailed CV of the consultant, as well as a financial proposal, clearly indicating daily rate for professional fees. The financial proposal must be all-inclusive of all costs (consultancy fees and where applicable air fares, airport transfers, daily living expenses). This is an international level consultancy and competitive market rates should apply.

Evaluation of Candidate:

The consultant will be competitively selected from a list of applicants based on their past experience of doing similar work (extensive experience in writing donor reports, in compiling and editing annual reports for various UNICEF offices).

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The competencies required for this post are….

View our competency framework at

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

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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks:

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