Consultancy - Senior Software Developer, D&A, DAPM, NYHQ, Remote (9.5 months)

The Data and Analytics team is implementing Helix, a data management initiative that brings UNICEF’s disparate data sources under one roof, sharing storage and reference data, as well as conforming to a common set of structural and communications standards via Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX).

Consultancy Title: Senior Software Developer

Section/Division/Duty Station: D&A/DAPM/HQ (Remote)

Duration: 9.5 months

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

The Data and Analytics team is implementing Helix, a data management initiative that brings UNICEF’s disparate data sources under one roof, sharing storage and reference data, as well as conforming to a common set of structural and communications standards via Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX).

As the custodian for ten sustainable development goals (SDGs), and co-custodians for another seven, UNICEF collaborates at country level and with other international agencies across the international development community sharing data and standards as part of delivering SDGs. 

We’re looking for a developer to join our team as we focus on an exciting and challenging areas of the business process – focusing on the way in which we integrate and exchange the many underlying data sources that feed our analytical work. A combination of census and survey microdata, administrative data, times series and more, running ETL over these disparate sources that conform to a widely different models and standards has been an ongoing challenge that we plan to resolve using the best latest-gen toolkits. We’re looking to create flexible solutions that meets our functional requirements while also maintaining a steady eye on the non-functional attributes that will make or break this new approach: configurability, versionability, flexibility, usability, maintainability, disaster-recovery to name but a few.

A pilot proof of concept is underway. You’ll use the results of that pilot to work closely with subject matter experts, statisticians, information managers and other engineers to further gather requirements, specify designs, and implement working software that will be deployed on UNICEF’s cloud services platform.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

In close collaboration with the Helix project manager and the software development team, the incumbent is responsible for the specification, design, implementation, testing, and documentation of software components for the following:

• Enhanced version of Consultation tool to meet additional needs of inter-agency Joint Nutrition Estimates and other complex inter-agency consultation processes.
• Updates to D&A’s Reference Data Manager to manage and exchange all metadata required for SDGs using UNSD’s official metadata structure definition.
• Two additional iterations of the Microdata Harmonization Component, a part of the Statistical Working System that allows DAIU users to efficiently harmonize microdata from diverse surveys.
• API components for the Statistical Working System facilitating the input and output of survey metadata and microdata between tools and packages such as R, SPSS, Stata, PANDAS, and Excel
• Enhance the observation-level data store that allows for highly flexible cross-sectional attribute-based REST/JSON API queries.
• Assist in development of tools and products for data visualization and reporting.
• Other components as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in computer science, software engineering, mathematics, or related discipline with 8+ years professional experience;
• Work experience

REQUIRED

• Advanced proficiency in at least one object-oriented programming language;
• Relational data modelling experience and proficiency with SQL;
• Experience harmonizing and integrating data from multiple data sources;
• Experience developing software for data-centric products.
• Solid experience building and documenting REST/JSON APIs

• Experience designing SDMX-based outputs

  DESIRABLE

• Advanced Degree in computer science, software engineering, mathematics, or related discipline;

• Experience implementing using .NET Core and Azure Devops CI/CD pipelines
• Indexing, keyword extraction, and search engine implementation experience
• Extracting structured data from unstructured sources
• Use of responsive design frameworks such as Materialize
• Data warehousing experience

3) Competencies

• Demonstrated ability to work with users to define user requirements and express them using agile methodology such as User Stories
• Demonstrated ability to write software specifications
• Demonstrated ability documenting APIs using standard API documentation frameworks
• Good written and verbal communication in English.
• Experience working effectively in a multicultural environment.

Requirements:

• Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and provide Personal History Form (P11) Upload copy of academic credentials

• Financial proposal that will include:

• your daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference (can be downloaded here: https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_consultancy_assignments.html 

• • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
• Any emergency / 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.

U.S. Visa information:

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.  

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

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework Here

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.

 Remarks

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