Statistics Specialist (Nutrition Database Manager), (P-3), Fixed Term, Data & Analytics, DAPM, Florence, Italy #85106

Note: The duty station is currently listed as New York, USA, but is expected to shift to Florence, Italy, by summer 2024. Therefore, there is no expectation for the incumbent to be installed in New York.

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, data

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.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Senior Advisor, Monitoring and Statistics of the Nutrition Unit in DAT, the Statistics Specialist (Nutrition), is responsible for the conceptualization, implementation and management of the team’s overall database structure and processes and specifically responsible for the ongoing maintenance of UNICEF’s multiple global databases related to child anthropometry, micronutrients and diets of young children. Further, the incumbent will work closely with other Unit team members to integrate new nutrition databases on women and school-age children and adolescents, and new databases based on country administrative data into the overall database architecture and undertake or facilitate related analyses.  The incumbent works closely with country and regional offices to consult national authorities and compile data from around the world, and provides technical support to strengthen the capacity of national stakeholders to collect and analyze nutrition data for the purposes of national use and global reporting. Work responsibilities will be performed in close collaboration with all Unit team members as well as other staff in the section and the division, UNICEF’s Programme Division, other UN agencies, organizations and inter-agency groups.

Summary of results-based key functions/accountabilities:

1. Data collection, analysis, use and quality assurance on issues related to nutrition

1. Develop and implement strategies for an efficient system to maintain global databases and implement analyses from multiple survey sources across domains.
2. Support UNICEF global, regional and country level data collection and analysis mainly at the outcome/impact levels of relevant indicators.
3. Carry out analysis and interpretation of data relevant to nutrition, including contributions to the UNICEF flagship publications, other global and regional reports, internal documents and meetings, as well as the preparation of peer reviewed journal articles.
4. Support dissemination of data, estimates, analyses and other products to maximize the use for advocacy, programming and planning purpose.
5. Provide technical support to field offices, countries and partners on data collection, analysis, use and quality assurance
6. Serve as focal point for cross-sectoral data gathering and validation exercises such as the Country Reporting and Validation Exercise (CRAVE) and support other country consultations as needed related to SDGs and global nutrition targets.

2. Methodological development

1. Support the methodological development of indicators for measurement and monitoring of emerging areas and interventions related to nutrition.
2. Contribute to the on-going improvement in data availability and quality. In collaboration with main partners, modify existing analytical tools and develop new tools where appropriate. Test tools, and support the development of guidelines for their use and provide support for implementation at country level. 

3. Capacity development and country support

1. Contribute to the capacity development of countries to monitor nutrition and build efficient database systems. The incumbent will develop training materials (and presentations), facilitate/coordinate regional workshops, give presentations at these workshops and provide technical support as applicable
2. Contribute to developing the capacity within the organization for evidence-based policy, planning, programming and advocacy by developing/presenting materials on nutrition data systems used by the Unit team.

4. Partnerships and representation

1. Contribute to regular sharing of data and related products with partners at the global, regional, and country levels
2. Represent or participate as a member of the UNICEF D&A nutrition team at UN inter-agency meetings, international meetings and other technical meetings as relevant.
3. Collaborate with various UNICEF colleagues in HQ and across the organization, as needed on joint products or projects.

5.  Data dissemination and advocacy

1. Develop and regularly update visualizations of nutrition related data to increase the visibility and understanding of the data and analysis internally and externally.
2. Support the updating of technical content through relevant websites and data portals.
3. Support innovative, effective and efficient ways to prepare and disseminate products, to make data, codes, analyses findings, publications, and other relevant products accessible and available through a variety of channels that target different audiences.

6. Software and IT tools
   1. Train team on
      1. Use of Git and GitHub for research
      2. Workflows to automate the creation of reports and research outputs
   2. Advise team on
      1. How to efficiently manage GitHub accounts and repositories
      2. Adoption of cloud software for research tasks
7. Data Workflow Methodologies – from data collection to publication
   1. Guide team on efforts to
      1. Document current data management practices
      2. Develop solutions to current bottlenecks in data workflow
   2. Identify processes that can be improved by
      1. Reducing sources of human errors
      2. Workflow automation
      3. Increasing collaboration and synergy effects through standardization
   3. Promote further discussions within D&A units on processes standardization
   4. Continuously collaborate with D&A units to support and listen to feedback to continuously improve methodologies suggested
   5. Lead the institutionalization of checks to ensure reproducibility of all results generated

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in public health, nutrition, economics, public policy, epidemiology, statistics, computer sciences or in one of the social sciences with strong quantitative training and experience.
• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in nutrition, statistics, economics, public policy and specifically child anthropometry or other relevant fields. This should include at least 2 years’ experience in analyzing household survey data (DHS, MICS, LSMS) and other sources.
• Experience in database management, data visualization, data analysis, methodological development and other areas of applied statistics, data interpretation and use would be preferred.
• Demonstrated experience building databases and conducting statistical analysis.
• Experience working with nutrition data, specifically anthropometry data, and familiarity with data visualization tools, would be an asset. 
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), databases (Access), statistical programming and statistical analysis software (Stata, SPSS, R).
• Strong experience with data visualization tools, i.e. Shiny (preferred), Tableau or PowerBI.
• Experience working with GitHub and designing data pipelines and workflows is an asset.
• 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: UNICEF Values

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:

Note: The duty station is currently listed as New York, USA, but is expected to shift to Florence, Italy, by summer 2024. Therefore, there is no expectation for the incumbent to be installed in New York.

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

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.

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