Consultancy – Data Processing Consultant, Health and HIV Unit, D&A Section, DAPM NYHQ (remote-based)

Consultancy Title: Data Processing Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Health and HIV Unit, Data & Analytics (D&A) Section, DAPM, UNICEF NYHQ (remote-based)

Duration: estimate 19 June 2024 to 31 March 2025

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world’s leading children’s rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children’s survival, protection and development. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The Immunization team within the Health and HIV Unit, Data and Analytics Section, Division of Analysis, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) of UNICEF New York Headquarters is developing an integrated package to promote data use for decision-making, and provide timely and actionable data analytics to support global, national, and subnational advocacy and immunization delivery efforts. The package consists of a set of analytical products including subnational and monthly-level administrative datasets, and slide decks for visualizing subnational and monthly analytics, triangulated with other immunization-related data. These products will be used by a wide range of stakeholders for activities related to monitoring, planning and advocacy.

When working with administrative data, there are often multiple data quality challenges that need to be addressed. As such, there is a need for support with cleaning data from administrative systems, compiling and reconciling shapefiles, and production of cleaned subnational and monthly-level databases to materialise this vision.  The consultant will work under the guidance and supervision of the Statistics and Monitoring Specialist (Immunization) of the Data and Analytics Section, DAPM to support the development of these data packages and provide technical support as required.

Scope of Work:

The consultant will actively contribute to improving the accuracy and consistency of immunization databases and related geographic information systems data from countries.

Under direct supervision of the Statistics and Monitoring Specialist (Immunization) of the Data and Analytics Section, DAPM, the consultant will focus on improving quality and consistency of geographical information included within global immunization and other health-related databases. The role involves conducting a detailed review and correction of existing immunization data, particularly addressing inconsistencies in administrative area names, and compiling and integrating shapefiles with the latest geographical boundaries. The consultant will develop internal guidelines to standardize naming conventions, identify the origins of newly established districts, and ensure the accurate reflection of subnational boundaries in alignment with subnational immunization data reported by countries. Additionally, the consultant will support the expansion and integration of the database to include related health indicators, and climate and environment indicators which may affect immunization coverage. The overarching goal is to improve the database’s reliability and applicability as a dynamic tool for comprehensive, near real-time global health reporting and analysis.

 Terms of Reference / Deliverables

In close collaboration and working with the Statistics and Monitoring Specialist, the incumbent is responsible for the following deliverables:

Deliverable 1: Review, improve and expand subnational Immunization databases in 20 countries.

• Identify inconsistent admin 1 and admin 2 region names. Complete the provided data cleaning template and R code to correct the inconsistent names

Deliverables/Outputs: Cleaned dataset with consistent names of admin 1 and 2 areas

Delivery deadline:  31 July 2024

• Compute subnational immunization and health related estimates and confidence intervals using survey microdata.

Deliverables/Outputs: Database of subnational immunization and health related survey estimates and confidence intervals

Delivery deadline: 31 Aug 2024

• Reconcile appropriate country-specific subnational shapefiles and develop the integrated dataset with immunization data, map, stock-out and outbreak data.

Deliverables/Outputs:  Integrated immunization database including immunization coverage, subnational-boundary information, stock-out, and outbreak.

Delivery deadline: 31 Sept 2024

Deliverable 2: Review, improve and expand subnational Immunization databases in 20 countries.

• Identify inconsistent admin 1 and admin 2 region names. Complete the provided data cleaning template and R code to correct the inconsistent names.

Deliverables/Outputs: Cleaned dataset with consistent names of admin 1 and 2 areas

Delivery deadline: 31 Oct 2024

• Compute subnational immunization and health related estimates and confidence intervals using survey microdata.

Deliverables/Outputs: Database of subnational immunization and health related survey estimates and confidence intervals

Delivery deadline: 30 Nov 2024

• Reconcile appropriate country-specific subnational shapefiles and develop the integrated dataset with immunization data, map, stock-out and outbreak data.

Deliverables/Outputs: Integrated immunization database including immunization coverage, boundary information, stock-out, and outbreak.

Delivery deadline: 31 Dec 2024

Deliverable 3: Review, improve and expand subnational Immunization databases in 20 countries.

• Identify inconsistent admin 1 and admin 2 region names. Complete the provided data cleaning template and R code to correct the inconsistent names.

Deliverables/Outputs: Cleaned dataset with consistent names of admin 1 and 2 areas

Delivery deadline: 31 Jan 2025

• Compute subnational immunization and health related estimates and confidence intervals using survey microdata.

Deliverables/Outputs: Database of subnational immunization and health related survey estimates and confidence intervals

Delivery deadline: 28 Feb 2025

• Reconcile appropriate country-specific subnational shapefiles.

Develop the integrated dataset with immunization data, map, stock-out and outbreak data.

Deliverables/Outputs: Integrated immunization database including immunization coverage, boundary information, stock-out, and outbreak.

Delivery deadline: 31 Mar 2025

No travel.

Qualifications

Education

• University degree in in data science, computer science, demography, public health, social sciences, epidemiology, statistics, or related field.
• The individual should be highly proficient in a range of PC/web applications, including but not limited to: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook, and R.

Work experience

• Minimum two years of work experience at the national or international levels in statistical data processing, data analysis, and development/maintenance of statistical databases.
• Proven experience in compiling and cleaning data, with a focus on health-related areas preferably
• Demonstrated expertise working with R.

Competencies

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary and multicultural environment.
• Proficient in English; knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.
• Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication in English.
• Good judgment, initiative, high sense of responsibility, tact and discretion.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ability to establish harmonious working relations in a multicultural environment.)

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system.
• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• the costs per each deliverable and the total all-inclusive (lump-sum) fees for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability.
• Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.
• At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
• Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

Health Insurance:

The Consultant is fully responsible for arranging at their own expense, such as life, health, and other forms of insurance covering the term of the Contract as he or she considers appropriate.  The Consultant is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit  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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.