Statistics & Monitoring Specialist (Administrative Data), P-4, DAPM

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 171,387 USD and 220,969 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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 future

At UNICEF, we believe that smart demand, supply and use of data helps us drive better results for children. By asking the right questions, collecting and analyzing data can help us understand the experience of every child. And when the right data are in the right hands at the right time, decisions can be better informed, more equitable, and more likely to protect children’s rights.

Administrative data, that is data collected through the routine provision of government services, are a critical source of information for both monitoring the situation of children, and ensuring that services are reaching those who need them most in order to achieve progress against the SDGs. UNICEF has a strong history of partnering with national government to strengthen sectoral systems that are important for children – such as those in health, education, civil registration, social welfare and child protection. Over the last several years – we have also been working with sectoral colleagues and partners to strengthen our cross-sectoral approach to administrative data landscapes – both to encourage the sharing and transfer of good practices, and recognizing that many of the key elements that determine whether a system is robust and effective lie beyond the individual sector (such as legislative, infrastructure, or data culture aspects). We are also working to strengthen our capacity to utilize and support cross-sectoral data linkage and analyses to fill critical data gaps for children and provide insights that support real world impact. This work has led to the development of an administrative maturity model (https://data.unicef.org/resources/the-administrative-data-maturity-model-adamm/) that aims to support our work with national governments to benchmark the maturity of administrative data for children, prioritize investments across the data landscape for impact, and ensure the capacity to fully absorb and benefit from sectoral investments.

The importance of administrative data in addressing data needs for children has been recognized in both the 2022-2025 UNICEF strategic plan and the recent UN Data Strategy. Administrative data has significant potential to address persistent data gaps in areas such as in gender statistics, and to support improved inclusion. Current work in the program is focused on both supporting country and regional offices to strengthen their engagement and support to cross sectoral approaches to administrative data, and providing specialized technical advice on common issues that affect data systems related to children. This includes the roll out of guidance on the use of admin data in gender statistics, building resilience and responsiveness into administrative data systems so they can flex to better meet changing data needs in the event of an emergency or humanitarian setting, and examining how the maturity model can be adapted and used to strengthen inclusion. There is also an ongoing program of work around the technology used to identify children in routine data systems and supporting the responsible use of data and data technology.

Job organizational context

The Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) was established in 2019 to drive decision making and organizational learning, improve effectiveness and achievement of results of UNICEF and its partners to realize the rights and improve the life of every child. DAPM promotes the use of data and monitoring to achieve transformative impact on lives of children.

The Division is responsible for driving, shaping and guiding UNICEF’s evidence-informed analysis, strategic planning, programme monitoring and organizational performance management. As such, DAPM enables the organization to deliver on results in a more coherent manner, based on agile and contextualized programming process, and on data, evidence, and analysis, as well as the application of human-rights based and results-based management approaches.

Within DAPM, the Data & Analytics Team (DAT) is the global go-to for data on children. It leads the collection, validation, analysis, use and communication of the most statistically sound, internationally comparable data on the situation of children and women around the world. For this purpose, both traditional and innovative data and analysis – including administrative and household survey data as well as geospatial analysis, big data and machine learning – are used. DAT upholds the quality, integrity and organization of these data and makes them accessible as a global public good on the data.unicef.org website.

DAT provides leadership, strategic and normative guidance and technical support to generate data and evidence on children. The team works together with other teams within UNICEF as well as partner organizations, to support statistical systems strengthening at the country level. DAT is also fostering a data-driven transformation in how UNICEF works internally and together with partners that includes positioning UNICEF as a leader on data for children, protecting children through governance of data and building an organization-wide culture of data.

The Statistics Specialist (Administrative Data) sits within the newly formed Data Governance and Strategy team in the Office of the Chief Data Officer. This team is responsible for building data capacity within the field, supporting a responsible data culture and compliance with required data protection standards, coordinating knowledge management and sharing activities for data, and encouraging a strategic approach to data planning and activities. The role will involve close collaboration with sectoral data specialists under the Chief Statistician (DAPM) and sectoral program managers in the Programme Division, as well as coordinating with and supporting regional and country teams.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose for the job

This is a specialized technical post that is responsible for leading UNICEFs cross sectoral work on administrative data, building the community of practice around admin data use and leveraging opportunities to build on existing sectoral programs and relationships, supporting country offices to enable them to advocate for and support the development of improved routine data systems and inclusion for children, and building capacity to work with administrative data more effectively.

Specifically the role will be responsible for:

• Leading the roll out and uptake of the Administrative Data Maturity Model to strengthen UNICEFs cross-sectoral approach to administrative data
• Growing strong relationships with sectoral colleagues across UNICEF working with administrative data to encourage cross-sectoral collaboration, engage critical technical oversight and input into work planning and products.
• Building strategic partnerships and leveraging UNICEFs comparative advantage as a key partner of national governments in sectoral administrative data system development to position UNICEF as a leading voice on routine data sources, their quality and responsible use for children.
• Positioning UNICEF as a leader in the strategic thinking on strengthening the use of identity and identifiers in routine data systems to improve the quality and availability of data for children to address development priorities, while encouraging the uptake of responsible data for children principles and protection of child rights.
• Advocate for and mobilize resources to support the cross-sectoral administrative data work.

The role will also be responsible for building and leveraging external partnerships such as with the UN Legal Identity Agenda Group (and Biometrics Working Group), the UNSD/GPSDD led Administrative Data Collaborative, and the Biometrics Institute.

Summary of results-based key functions/accountabilities:

This position will play a key role in strengthening the availability, quality and use of administrative data to deliver for children through:

1. Leading the roll out and supporting the use of the administrative maturity model by country and regional offices to strengthen cross-sectoral administrative data engagement for children

• Provide technical support to regional and country offices, including training, capacity building and development of supporting materials as appropriate, review and input to regional projects, and translation of key concepts to specific applications.
• Providing input to LTA and contract development to support ADaMM assessments.
• Support selected country offices to undertake/ support a national administrative data maturity assessment and priority setting exercise.
• Support the documentation of best practice case studies – in particular to address gaps in key concepts and characteristics – as reflected in the resource library.
• Oversee the creation of a web-based interactive site to support the use of the model and access to associated guidance and resources, collate existing guidance in the resource library against model characteristics, and ensure that these are periodically reviewed and updated to reflect best practice.
• Oversee the development of guidance and tools to address key gaps in existing guidance – with a priority on regional and country led needs and emerging issues. Suggested topics include targeted guidance on understanding administrative data quality based on the UNICEF data quality framework, the readiness for administrative data based census collections and potential impacts for children, the role of administrative data systems in validating findings from big data analysis (Validation and triangulation) and unpacking emerging data linkage trends – including specific case examples, risks and benefits.
• With the Gender Data Specialist and Inter-agency expert group on Gender Statistics – support the piloting of the recently released guidance document on administrative data for improving gender statistics in selected countries.
• Strengthen the external awareness and use of ADaMM - including through the development and maintenance of the public website and resource library, engagement with networks and partners such as the Administrative Data Collaborative, and advocacy as opportunities arise
• Engaging with colleagues in DAPM (and in particularly the Data Collection Unit and DAIU) to support improved integration of this work with sectoral work plans.

2. Leading the adaption of the model/ creation of additional guidance materials to support inclusion of refugee children in national systems and improved capacity to use administrative data in fragile and humanitarian settings.

• Lead the work with UNHCR under the UNICEF & UNHCR Blueprint (and upcoming MOU) to adapt ADaMM (and/or related supporting material) to reflect the specific needs of refugee and IDP children to improve inclusion and data availability.
• In collaboration with regional offices – support the completion of selected case studies on what it means for administrative data systems to be able to “flex” to changed conditions; and synthesizing key learnings on resilience and responsiveness in an overarching discussion document or guidance.
• In collaboration with UNHCR -develop a guidance note and review the application of the model to support refugee inclusion in national systems.

3. Build strategic partnerships and leverage UNICEFs comparative advantage as a leading partner in sectoral administrative data system development to position UNICEF as a leading voice on routine data sources, their quality and responsible use for children.

• Provide expert technical advice and represent UNICEF in fora including the UN Legal Identity Agenda, the UNSD/GPSDD led Administrative Data Collaborative, and collaboration with industry groups such as the Biometrics Institute.
• Engage with discussion on the UN Data Strategy to reflect key priorities into the administrative data work program, and identify priorities to leverage or impact work across the UN family to support development of routine data systems for children
• Identify critical gaps in knowledge/ challenges in administrative data availability, quality and use, and potential solutions/ responses.
• Engage and develop active partnerships with sectoral data and program specialists to build a collaborative approach to capacity building and country office support.

4. Strengthen administrative data partnerships and contribute to fundraising for the data function and for strengthening (administrative) data systems in particular

• Identify potential partnerships contributing to (administrative) data systems strengthening in regions and countries
• Convene the Admin Data Task Team, bringing together sectoral colleagues from across Data and Analytics, Programme Division and Emergency operations -as well as key regional and field colleagues to provide strategic guidance and oversight of the work program and products.
• Represent DAPM in key partner forums including UN LIA, the GPSDD Administrative Data Collaborative, UN Data Strategy working groups, etc as needed.
• Identify potential partners for resource mobilization, prepare presentations, pitch documents and donor proposals for fundraising and contribute to negotiations with potential donors (public / private), when needed

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Official Statistics, or equivalent *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant professional experience in official statistics
• Strong experience working with administrative data systems (in health, education, civil registration, social welfare etc.), including broad system evaluation, functional identity and data linkage. This should include leading and overseeing system design, evaluation and data use across at multiple sectors.
• Experience in assessment and strengthening of CRVS, legal identity and/or identification systems and technology – including the use of identifiers in administrative data systems
• Proven experience coordinating/ building partnerships in data related projects.
• Strategic planning skills, work planning and contract management, including previous experience supervising staff and/or contractors.
• Proven research skills (including qualitative analysis and study design) and demonstrated record of peer-reviewed publications and/or technical publication.
• Strong experience in training or advocacy on data related issues, including the development of guidance and materials.
• A solid understanding of UNICEF's core areas of work and familiarity with the UN statistical community
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

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: https://uni.cf/UNICEFValues

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. 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 is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

This position offers the possibility to work full-time remotely.

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children. For this position, eligible and suitable programme country nationals are encouraged to apply.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.