Data and Knowledge Management Specialist

Details

Mission and objectives

UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF’s mandate, mission and unique attributes provide a strategic advantage in promoting and supporting transformational change to achieve sustainable coverage at scale. After more than 45 years in Lao PDR, UNICEF Lao PDR UNICEF is one of the longest-serving international organizations in the country plays an important role in supporting the government, advocating for reform and leading coordination to scale-up results.

Context

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does — in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society’s most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfill their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realizing the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.
UNICEF has been working in Lao PDR continuously since 1973. As one of the longest-serving international organizations in the country, we implement one of UNICEF’s largest country programmes worldwide, working tirelessly to promote the rights of children and women and to bring basic services – education, health, nutrition, protection, water and sanitation – to those who are most in need. More than 70 dedicated staff members work to make positive and lasting changes for Lao PDR’s most vulnerable children – and to ensure they remain a priority for the international community.
To further strengthen its equity focus, UNICEF in Lao PDR is improving its planning and monitoring functions to support evidence-based decision making and apply the principle of leaving no one behind. The Data and Knowledge Management UNV will support this function, sitting in the Managing 4 Results Unit and reporting to the Planning and Monitoring Specialist for supervision.

Task description

Within the Managing 4 Results Unit and under the supervision of the Planning and Monitoring Specialist, the UN Volunteer, Data and Knowledge Management Specialist will:
– Develop and execute plans for specific data initiatives to enhance the internal availability and disaggregation of data pertinent to child rights and programme management.
– Propose innovative strategies and solutions to address data analysis, and reporting challenges within the child rights and programme performance domain.
– Develop and implement data models, algorithms, and statistical analyses to valuable insights and lead or contribute to decision making.
– Stay up to date with UNICEF best practices and emerging platform for data analysis to support programme management.
– Interpret and communicate findings from data analysis to non-technical stakeholders clearly and compellingly.
– Regularly monitor and evaluate the progress of data initiatives, identifying areas for improvement and implementing necessary adjustments.
– Lead the content management of Lao PDR M4R SharePoint page.
– Contribute to capacity-building efforts to strengthen the organization’s data literacy and analytical skills.
– Maintain appropriate knowledge management system that support the documentation of the office programme’s results, storage and sharing.
– Prepare, maintain and share records and documents for the knowledge management for programme implementation and programme coordination.
– Collect and tabulate data and provide technical inputs to ensure achievement of office objectives. Contribute to the development and/or introduction and documentation of new approaches, methods and practices.
– Contribute to the preparation of reports, project documents and submissions by providing information, generating and analyzing funding reports, preparing tables and drafting relatively routine sections.
– Support internal communication on knowledge management with regional and global focal points.
– Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities during their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:
o Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
o Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
o Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
o Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
o Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.