Programme Specialist (Frontier Data) – P3  

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job ? it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built: we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, hope

The Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) was established in 2019 to drive decision-making and organizational learning, improve the 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 a transformative impact on the 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 results in a more coherent manner, based on agile and contextualized programming processes, on data, evidence, and analysis, as well as the application of human-rights based and results-based management approaches.  

Within DAPM, the data portfolio is managed by two sections: the Data & Analytics Section, led by the Chief Statistician, and the Chief Data Office, led by the Chief Data Officer.

The Chief Statistician’s Office focuses on analyzing data on children to support UNICEF programming and advocacy. It also produces and maintains a number of data-related global public goods, such as a global monitoring database of child-related indicators and methodological standards and guidelines to help countries report on a number of child-related SDGs and other indicators. The Chief Statistician office collaborates with all UNICEF divisions and through regional offices to support and sustain the data and analytics capacity at the country offices by providing technical assistance, advocacy and partnerships on data-analytics for children.

The Office of the Chief Data Officer collaborates with all UNICEF divisions and through regional offices to country offices to help UNICEF create and sustain (1) Establish safeguards to minimize risks and potential harms to children, UNICEF staff, beneficiaries, and donors associated with data and digital technology, ensuring a responsible and safe digital and data transformation. (2) Implement robust governance of all forms of data at UNICEF, enabling the organization to leverage relevant data for better decision-making and outcomes for children.

UNICEF has created the Frontier Data Network (FDN) to connect the power of data technologies to on-the-ground impact. FDN focuses on partnerships, enabling digitalisation, and building data tech talent capacity, facilitating ways to collaborate for data-driven and science-based decision-making.

The Frontier Data Tech Unit (FDTU) is one of the nine units of the Data and Analytics Section of DAPM and leads the FDN. It is a hands-on team of researchers, engineers and data practitioners that promote actionable and sustainable data innovation and create communities of practice within UNICEF and externally, for a new generation of talent and technologies that can ensure that equitable data science tools are developed with the most vulnerable children in mind.

UNICEF strengthens its unique child-centric mission by partnering with public and private sector industry leaders, leveraging their research and technology expertise to improve outcomes for children locally, nationally, and globally. FDN brings insights and solves problems through collaborations that use data science, big data, AI, and other forms of frontier data technologies to improve outcomes for children. These partnerships deliver projects of varying size and complexity that generate actionable insights for children’s outcomes.

Purpose of the job

UNICEF is seeking a Programme Specialist (Frontier Data) to facilitate and foster our internal/external public/private sector frontier data technology relationships and projects, bridging between technology and social impact so that our network can most efficiently deliver results. 

The successful candidate combines digital product development and partnerships and community of practice experience over UNICEF’s child-centered mission. This role involves coordinating stakeholders across UNICEF business units, country and regional offices, national partners, and regional frontier data nodes, managing discussions with corporate and research partners that turn opportunities into deliverables that advance the Frontier Data Network, with a special focus on Latin America where FDN is currently building its latest Frontier Data Node and West and Central Africa where FDN is supporting a local team that could turn into another node.

How can you make a difference? 

Under the direction of the Frontier Data Science Specialist and the supervision of the Chief of the Frontier Data and Tech Unit the incumbent will be responsible for:

• PARTNERSHIPS: Maintaining and building new partnerships for the Frontier Data Network. Depending on the stakeholders, partnerships and collaborations will stretch across resource mobilization, frontier data access, technology needs, research talent, and more. The candidate will:
• Internally be a liaison between FDN and UNICEF partnership bodies and divisions, e.g., national committees, Private Fundraising and Partnerships, Public Partnerships, also supporting coordination with other key/partner UNICEF divisions of FDN, in particular Data, Innovation, and Technology functions.
• Externally be a liaison between other international organisations and partnerships, e.g., the Development Data Partnership, research and academic partners from universities and other institutions, with data4good and tech4good communities, and with private sector partners that provide data, talent, or technology.
• FIELD: Coordinating the Frontier Data Network’s work with regional nodes and country offices, ensuring field engagement and empowerment. Within the Frontier Data Network, there are regional Frontier Data Nodes designed to align local demand with local solutions, bolster national capacity, and ensure that data science directly addresses the most critical challenges facing children in each geography. As all regions are not the same and not all nodes are at the same level of maturity, different actions and efforts must be carried out. The candidate will:
• Actively work with regions and nodes, ensuring that the Network is constantly being nourished by local needs and initiatives, reinforcing its community capacity, and guiding the work of researchers and scientists in understanding what and how can we address the most pressing challenges faced by children today and in the future.
• Ensure that FDN can keep a regional and country office centric approach to impact, and a strategic and up-to-date portfolio of use cases.
• PROJECT MANAGMENT: Global project management: Supporting the design and production delivery of the Frontier Data Tech Unit’s strategic frontier data projects/initiatives both for a) emergency and humanitarian response and b) programme planning, c) international development.
• At the intersection of the first two responsibilities, around partnerships and field coordination, the Programme Specialist will have a key role in ensuring that project management can be achieved at a network level, ensuring key projects have the basic components required: access to data, availability of needed talent, technology and funding, and that a global and strategic vision of the network’s impact, progress and bottlenecks can be provided.
• COMMUNITY: Supporting FDN efforts in fostering a Frontier Data Tech community of practice. 
• The candidate will support communications and events in internal and external scenarios, ensuring that the community portfolio is up to date and coordinated, suggesting and supporting topics, speakers, collaborators, activities or bilateral for key events, and actively join and support the frontier data tech community’s engagement activities.
• Assisting the Frontier Data Network with partnerships, project management, and general coordination:
• Ensuring close collaboration and delivery of results on focused and shared use cases with other UNICEF teams.
• Working with cross-sectional UNICEF teams to identify, design, and pursue new partnerships with international partners and donors on frontier data technologies initiatives.
• Working with platforms team to ensure FDN integration and value
• Supporting the production delivery of data science initiatives
• Lead the drafting of donor reports.
• Join key international events to promote the Frontier Data Network work.
• Connect regional nodes and UNICEF’s country offices with the Frontier Data Tech Unit when necessary.
• Working on outreach, communications, and fundraising
• Supporting the strategic coordination of joint data management needs and interests of the Frontier Data Network with ICTD and the OoI.
• Supporting the strategic direction and vision of the Frontier Data Network.

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

• Education: An Advanced University Degree (Master’s or higher) in a data related field, International Business, International Development, Public Affairs, International Cooperation or any other related field. *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.
• Work experience: 

A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in:

• Enabling and supporting applied research partnerships and scientific teams, especially with respect to data science.
• Working across private, public, and academic partnerships to deliver on shared data and technology goals.
• Crafting resource mobilization pitch decks with cross-sectional teams.
• Managing data innovation portfolios, especially with respect to big data or AI initiatives, companies, and teams.
• Organizing outreach and awareness raising for data science initiatives.
• Working with public sector stakeholders.
• Ability to align technical goals with strategic business goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience delivering in low to middle income country contexts and/or familiarity in emergency and humanitarian situations is considered an asset.
• Experience delivering in projects using frontier data technologies such as telco data, social media, satellite imagery and artificial intelligence applied to social and humanitarian impact.
• Experience leading or developing South-South Cooperation and/or multi-country knowledge sharing initiatives.
• Social entrepreneur experience (self-starter, resilience).
• Experience working in multistakeholder data collaboration environments, particularly with researchers and private and public sectors
• Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Spanish is required, French is a strong plus; working knowledge of another official UN language is desirable (Arabic, Chinese, or Russian).

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

The 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 

Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.

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 measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will 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.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.

Remarks:

Duties may be performed remotely.

As per Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity.

Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions 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. 

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

In this role, you will collaborate with colleagues across multiple locations. For effective collaboration, we encourage flexible working hours that accommodate different time zones while prioritizing staff wellbeing.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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