Individual contractor: Data and Applied Research Analyst (Social and Behaviour Change), ECARO, 11.5 months, full time, home-based.

The SBC section, UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia is seeking an individual consultant to provide support with the design, collection, data analysis, visualization and management of the regional UNICEF’s Social an Behaviour Change data collection and evidence systems; including but not limited to population surveys; community rapid assessments and other mobile phone based / online surveys; social listening tools; Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Behaviours (KAPB) studies; behavioral insights designs; qualitative designs including observational studies, and mixed-methods approaches.

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, results

Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) is a key component of UNICEF’s work and one of its change strategies. It is essential for long term and sustainable behavior and social changes that impacts the lives of children and adolescents, their families and communities. Social and Behavior Change results are central to the SDGs, and to UNICEF’s work and mandate and have been elevated as such on UNICEF’s Strategic Plan cycle 2022-2025.

In each sector, UNICEF objectives revolve around the adoption of positive and protective practices for children. And across sectors, SBC pursues the transformations needed to make societies more inclusive, equitable and peaceful. All these changes are SBC results and contribute to achieving Human Rights for Children and their communities.

Additionally, the UNICEF Social and Behaviour Change section is at the forefront of the COVID-19 response, ensuring the design of evidence-based SBC interventions. SBC interventions increasingly shape vaccine demand, the adoption and maintenance of preventive practices and the continuity of health, nutrition, child protection and education services uptake. It also plays a very important role in supporting community engagements processes, feedback and complaint mechanisms both at the humanitarian and development context.

The previous is sustained also in an on-going process of SBC of repositioning and progressive towards behavioral science, social science, and increased expertise in community engagement and development. One of the aspects of this repositioning requires the strengthening of the section technical capacity and the design, use, and support of specialized evidence systems for the section role across different sectors.

Purpose:

The SBC section, UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia is seeking an individual consultant to provide support with the design, collection, data analysis, visualization and management of the regional UNICEF’s Social an Behaviour Change data collection and evidence systems; including but not limited to population surveys; community rapid assessments and other mobile phone based / online surveys; social listening tools; Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Behaviours (KAPB) studies; behavioral insights designs; qualitative designs including observational studies, and mixed-methods approaches.

The main purpose of this role is for the consultant to support the development of SBC specialized high-quality data and evidence systems that improves the scientific rigor of UNICEF work in countries and at the regional level, and to particularly design, develop, and manage data collection tools, data visualizations, reporting products, and data management systems, as elements of a regional data evidence system.  The consultancy purpose is to also provide technical and methodological support to the regional office SBC section and Country Offices on data systems and applied research, including on study design, sampling, modelling, and on behavioral and data science applications.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the SBC Regional Advisor, the Data and Applied Research Analyst will be responsible for:

• Assisting in the development, review, adaptation of SBC research methodologies and approaches, data collection tools.
• Support in the selection of data collection, data management, and data analysis service providers; provide guidance, support and quality assurance.
• Design, produce, and roll out data analysis and report products, including dynamic dashboards on PowerBI/R/Python or other specialized data analytics software; PPTs; print outs; national or regional cross-country analysis slide decks; and partake in SBC publications as data and applied research expert in the areas of the consultant work.
• Providing specific support on SBC monitoring and evaluation of processes including in the development/update of data briefs, reports, comparison studies etc.
• Manage/support with SBC data collection, data management, and data analysis processes under the office purview and support in related processes with service providers and LTA holders; including on data quality assurance, validation, storage, and required data pre-processing prior delivery to SBC.
• Interpret data and applied research findings and communicate and present/visualize results, limitations, and ideas relevant to SBC programming and UNICEF relevant sectors, including in the preparation of high-level products for senior management and high-ranking public officials.
• Coordinate, share, and validate results with other global and regional data and SBC applied research analysts and specialists.
• Support the development and management of a data management system for data aggregation and centralized management of SBC regional/national data.
• Prepare and adapt study designs, survey samples, statistical models, and other behavioral and data science applications, including:
  • Conduct data exploration exercises based on country level or multi-country level cases that harness primary and secondary data sources to inform SBC programming.
  • Perform data discovery approaches including the application of data mining approaches, real time data source applications, geospatial data visualizations, and data diagnostics notes assessing available data on data quality, applicability, and operationalization requirements (e.g. effort and type of structure required to use).
  • Help design social and behavioural approaches for UNICEF sectorial or cross sectorial interventions; including on the application of behavioral insights, A/B testing, behavioural driven interventions, and applied research frameworks.
  • Support the role out of data collection exercises with on-field missions to country and local implementations, when relevant.
  • Support in co-authoring research briefs, scientific articles, or other knowledge products prepared on basis of the consultant work.

Work Modality: full-time, home-based, 11.5 months from June 2022 until May 2023.

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

• A Master’s degree in Statistics, Applied Math, Data Science, Public Affairs, Social Sciences, Economics, or any other related field. A first level university degree in combination with two (2) years additional qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree if relevant.

• Five (5) years responsible work experience in social sciences research and data analysis, monitoring, program evaluation, or similar analytic field, preferentially including experience in/with middle and upper middle-income countries.

• Experience in the design, testing, and implementation of research methodologies, data collection tools, measuring behavioral results, supporting/conducting experiments – SBC, BI.

• Experience in conducting literature review, preparing technical guidance, implementation notes, or how-to manuals for non-technical users.

• Experience analyzing data from social monitoring systems, monitoring and evaluation work, or other survey work in developing countries.
• Experience performing data extraction, cleaning, analysis, data visualization and insights presentation.
• Experience with statistics methods and using statistical computer languages (R/Python/Stata or similar).

Desirable

• Experience in applied research applications, and/or in the design and implementation of evidence generation systems in public affairs.
• Experience in using Kobo for data collection tools is desired.
• Experience designing data management systems and standard operating procedures for non-technical users in an international organization context.
• Experience working with unstructured datasets and communicate findings to non-technical audiences.
• Field experience in development or humanitarian operations is an asset.

 Language:

• Oral and written proficiency in English is required. Knowledge of Ukrainian and/or Russian language is considered an asset.

How to apply: Qualified candidates are invited to apply online: duly complete the online profile, upload the required documents and indicate their fees. Candidates without fees will not be considered. 

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit 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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).