Consultancy: T4D Data Engineer, ICTD New York

The T4D Data Engineer will liaise with colleagues throughout the organization to identify opportunities and needs for improved data analysis. The T4D Data Engineer may be required to attend meetings, conferences, and other events, as well as attend meetings with colleagues based in the field.

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, a connected world

The overarching strategic goal of UNICEF's ICT Division (ICTD) is to transform and build partnerships with our stakeholders to successfully implement UNICEF programmes globally through the use of innovative technology-enabled solutions.

UNICEF’s Information and Communication Division (ICTD)’s recently-established Field Solutions Unit is a team of experienced software developers, data scientists, and designers within ICTD’s Solutions Centre and Support.

The Unit’s goals are to establish enterprise support to innovative open-source tools used by field-based programmatic experts, planning specialists, partnership managers, and implementing partners around the world. They work with counterparts throughout the organization to tailor open-source software solutions that magnify UNICEF’s impact by driving better decision-making, promoting collaboration, and realizing organizational efficiencies with modern digital tools.

How can you make a difference?

RapidPro is a globally supported mobile engagement platform used by dozens of UNICEF country offices to magnify and monitor programmatic impact for children—and is the technology platform that powers UNICEF’s U-Report programme. With the strong uptake of RapidPro and related apps, the Field Solutions Unit seeks to realize more value from these systems by unlocking insights from data generated and captured by these systems, with a focus on interventions that use the RapidPro platform.

The T4D Data Engineer will liaise with colleagues throughout the organization to identify opportunities and needs for improved data analysis. The T4D Data Engineer may be required to attend meetings, conferences, and other events, as well as attend meetings with colleagues based in the field.

Key Deliverables:

The exact tasks for the consultant will be jointly determined in an agile way and are outlined in summary below. The consultant will directly interface with the ICT Manager of Field Solutions and will work on tasks/areas as prioritized and authorized by the ICT Manager each month. 

• Phase 1
  • Data extraction, transformation, and loading from UNICEF RapidPro workspaces and other data sources
  • Implementation of access management schemes
  • Documenting API integrations and SLAs
  • Configuration of charts and dashboards using Superset and PowerBI
• Phase 2 (to begin on completion of Phase 1)
  • Data exploration, computation, enrichment, and aggregation
  • Generation of metrics, charts and analysis around relevant issues such as social engagement, gender differences, campaign dynamics, etc.
  • Identify data driven stories and insights that can help better communicate and understand the voices of young people using our platforms.

Required skills and experience:

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience as a Data Engineer or Software Developer;
• Experience working with relational and distributed databases;
• Demonstrable knowledge of SQL scripting to manipulate data across multiple sources;
• Experience with Python & Pandas;
• Experience creating or contributing to beautiful, clear and compelling graphs;
• Attention to detail, research skills and the ability to work under strict deadlines is a must;
• Strong understanding of statistics and mathematics;
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, data science or a related field.

 ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS DESIRED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT

• Education/work experience in engineering/technical fields is a major plus;
• Experience with Apache Spark or Databricks;
• Experience with data visualization and business intelligence tools, such as Apache Superset and/or Microsoft PowerBI;
• Experience with scripting, or workflows using Jupyter and/or Zeppelin notebooks;
• Experience with data workflow orchestration tools, such as GNU Make, Apache Nifi, Luigi, or Airflow;
• Experience with natural language processing, time series analysis, machine learning or network analysis;
• Familiarity with UNICEF organizational structure;
• Comfortable coordinating between multiple remote teams and stakeholders;
• Superior command of the English language and excellent writing skills;
• Experience working with software product development teams;
• Experience with processing and synthesizing large amounts of information;
• Ability to work in a team and in a diverse work environment.

This consultancy will be on-site (New York Headquarters) for a period of 11.5 months.

Evaluation Method:

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis methodology (weighted scoring method), where the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant or vendor whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of technical skills and financial proposal specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight: [70%]

Financial Criteria weight: [30%].

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. 

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.

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

Due to the high volume of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.