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Data Scientist Consultant

Italy

  • Organization: WFP - World Food Programme
  • Location: Italy
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Statistics
    • Information Technology and Computer Science
    • Scientist and Researcher
  • Closing Date: Closed

 

 

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and

encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information,

 

gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status, physical or mental disability.

 

 

 

Job Title:  Data Scientist

 

Type of Contract: Junior Consultant

 

Division: RAM Hunger Monitoring Unit / Research, Assessment and Monitoring Division

 

Duty Station (City, Country): Rome, HQ Italy

 

Duration: 6 months

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

 

The Hunger Monitoring Unit (RAMAH) in WFP’s Research Assessment and Monitoring (RAM) Division manages WFP’s global hunger monitoring systems, building upon the successes of the mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) initiative. This entails the establishment and oversight of WFP’s near real-time food security monitoring systems in close to 40 countries, as well as developing and refining advanced analytical approaches for nowcasting and forecasting food security indicators using predictive analytics in collaboration with internal and external partners to general timely information on global food security. Data from these systems flows into the HungerMap LIVE (hungermap.wfp.org), WFP’s global hunger monitoring system. This information is also published through Global and Regional Insights and Key Trends reports and other related resources, enabling decision makers to monitor the situation effectively and adopt early mitigation actions.

To support this effort, the Hunger Monitoring Unit seeks a Data Scientist Consultant to support the research and development of the aforementioned activities on predictive analytics and strengthen the data analysis and reporting of collected data globally.

 

 

 

ACCOUNTABILITY / RESPONSIBILITIES :

 

The Consultant will be responsible for the following activities:

  • Research, design and implement machine learning models for estimating and forecasting food security;
  • Support the predictive analytics work done in partnership with research institutes and universities to look at correlations between food insecurity and its potential drivers for improving machine learning models;
  • Support the writing of technical papers and reports to be submitted to peer-reviewed international journals;
  • Participate in scientific and humanitarian conferences, workshops and meetings to present the Unit’s predictive analytics work;
  • In collaboration with the engineering team, design and implement production-ready data pipelines;
  • Support management and analysts in ad-hoc data explorations and analysis, by means of traditional statistical analysis as well as state-of-the-art data science methodologies;
  • Ensure adherence to WFP policies regarding data, including data privacy, security, management, and code documentation;
  • Participate in field missions as required;
  • Perform other tasks as required.

 

 

 

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

 

  • New predictive features in the Hunger Map Live and related products developed;
  • Peer reviewed papers published in scientific journals;
  • Presentations and trainings on predictive analytics undertaken;
  • Documentation and guidelines on mVAM analytics designed and shared as needs arise.

 

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

 

Education:

 

  • Master’s degree in statistics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative economics or a similar quantitative field.

 

Experience:

 

  • Experience in a data science-related field

 

Knowledge & Skills:

 

  • Strong Python programming skills and experience with data science libraries (pandas, numpy, scikit-learn, keras/tensorflow/pytorch, etc.);
  • A passion for machine learning with an understanding of algorithms ranging from NLP to Computer Vision.
  • Experience in designing and querying SQL databases (NoSQL an asset);
  • Experience with Remote Sensing data and GIS skills (QGIS, GDAL) is highly valued;
  • Proficiency in git and experience with other developer tools (aws, docker, etc.) is highly valued;
  • Knowledge of survey methodologies is an asset;
  • Knowledge of Bayesian inference is an asset;
  • Data Visualization coding skills (JavaScript libraries) and Business Intelligence software (Tableau) is an asset;
  • Experience working with the humanitarian sector or in a social science field is an asset.

 

Language:

 

Spoken and written English required. Spoken and written French, Spanish or Arabic would be an asset.

 

 

Terms and Conditions

 

WFP offers a competitive compensation package which will be determined by the

 

contract type and selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

 

Please visit the following websites for detailed information on working with WFP.

 

http://www.wfp.org Click on: “Our work” and “Countries” to learn more about WFP’s operations.

 

 

 

Deadline for applications: 11 February 2022

 

Ref.: VA No. 155855

 

 

 

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work

 

environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates

 

will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

 

 

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil

 

Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations

 

system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.

 

This vacancy is now closed.
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