Consultancy: Data analyst for Immunization and Health, Data and Analytics Section, DRP, NYHQ - Requisition #511661

Under the direction of the D&A Health focal point, the consultant will complement the Data & Analytics Health Team’s efforts to build immunization/health databases and statistical systems to analyse and visualize administrative and household survey data, essentially the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys (MICS). There are two main objectives for this consultancy: 1) Build the immunization and health database and 2) Develop a set of tools to produce quick analysis and routine products including visualizations.

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.

Background & Rationale

In order to best capacitate health programmes to deliver effectively, UNICEF provides ongoing support to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these programmes. Part of this support requires the proper collection, validation, analysis and use of data – both from routine, administrative sources as well as from household surveys. UNICEF Data & Analytics Section in the New York headquarters office supports regional and country offices with the data and analytical assets to help them identify and quantify the progress in order to improve intervention coverage and quality of services. In order to provide quick analytical supports, it is necessary to build databases that are fit-for-purpose and easily manageable. At the same time, it is necessary to build analytical systems that can provide rapid insight from existing and new data.

Purpose / Objectives

Under the direction of the D&A Health focal point, the consultant will complement the Data & Analytics Health Team’s efforts to build immunization/health databases and statistical systems to analyse and visualize administrative and household survey data, essentially the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the Multiple Indicators Cluster Surveys (MICS). There are two main objectives for this consultancy: 1) Build the immunization and health database and 2) Develop a set of tools to produce quick analysis and routine products including visualizations.

Responsibilities include:

• Work with different teams in the Data and Analytics (D&A) section, in particular with the MICS team, to understand and document the definition used for the different indicators of interest.
• Adapt existing SPSS and Stata codes for calculating the indicators and the disaggregation levels. In addition to the usual disaggregation (i.e. geography, sex, type of residence, wealth quintile, mother’s education, age cohort), extra dimensions will be added such as religion, ethnicity, urban-poor or some other combinations (to be determined).
• Write R and/or Python programs to produce analytical and (interactive) visualizations. It should be possible to use these tools to quickly reproduce or extended analysis as new data becomes available. GGPlot2 and R-Shiny are the basic tools considered for the visualization work. However, it is likely that Plotly or equivalent packages will also be necessary. Depending on the profile of the consultant, equivalent packages in Python may be used.
• Create tools for disparities and missed opportunities analysis of survey data. This product will be a mix of standard web-based profiles for monitoring of the inequities and a statistical system to conduct ad-hoc disparity analysis. A particular focus will be on communicating graphically the statistical significance of the disparities.
• Create a web-based product to provide visualizations of the WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) for the UNICEF regional and country offices. This product will generate some basic automated analysis with the standard graphs. The user should be able to download the associated data and have some flexibility on customizing the visualizations.
• Communicate ideas, processes, and results to all relevant teams in the section.
• Ensure full reproducibility of the processes.
• Ensure that the code is well-structured and documented.

All products (e.g. R/Python code, databases, visualizations) developed during this consultancy will be the sole and exclusive property of UNICEF.

Expected results: (measurable results)

• Extract critical information from the DHS and MICS survey reports to include in the database.
• Write well-structured and documented R and Python codes to create the database, the analysis and visualization tools.
• Produce a database with estimates disaggregated accordingly to the requirements from the officer in charge.
• Standalone and web-based R and Python analyses and visualizations of immunization and health data.
• Weekly reports to the officer in charge detailing the progress on the assignments.
• Final documentation of all the indicators, programs and tools created during the consultancy.

 Duty Station

UNICEF HQ, New-York NY, USA

Timeframe

Start date: May 1, 2018 
End date: December 31, 2018      

 Key competences, technical background, and experience

• A mimimum university degree (Bacheor's) in Statistics, Data science, Computer science, or other relevant degree is required and a master degree in a relevant field is considered an asset. 
• A junior data analysis with 2 to 5 years of experience. A master degree in a relevant field may be consider to be equivalent to a 2 year of experience
• High proficiency in writing R code and solving computational problems. Good knowledge of Python desired. 
• Familiarity with household surveys and immunization/health indicators highly desired.
• Familiarity with cloud computing in particular Microsoft Azure desired.
• English proficiency level and ability to work in a multicultural environment required.

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable). Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

Remarks

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage

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

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization