Org. Setting and Reporting

In its Resolution A/RES/72/279, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the transformation of the Development Operations Coordination Office (DCO) as a stand-alone coordination office within the United Nations Secretariat. DCO exercises managerial and oversight functions of the resident coordinator system under the collective ownership of the members of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). The position is located in the United Nations Development Coordination Office (UNDCO) and reports to the Chief of the Country Business Strategies Section. It supports the implementation of the UNSDG Efficiency Initiatives, with a focus on data fluency and digital tool integration in reporting in support of the Efficiency Roadmap. The Data Scientist develops and delivers the data science solutions by using internal and external data to better enable the planning and evidence-based decision making by looking at historical trends, current data and predictions. It designs the products that provide situational awareness, insight, and predictive assessment to guide programme management and implementation. It also identifies innovative data science solutions for complex organizational issues.

Responsibilities

• Design and build predictive modelling to increase and optimize entity experiences, benefit realization and other business outcomes, develop custom data models and algorithms to apply to data sets, develop organization A/B testing framework and test model quality. • Design and develop data science products to reveal insights and to provide an understanding or knowledge of the data that would otherwise not be detected without the application of advanced analytical methods such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, data and text mining, natural language processing, statistics, and use of relevant algorithms and computational approaches. • Mine and analyse data from organization databases to drive optimization and improvement of programme development, advocacy, and business strategies. • Contribute to project execution by developing data models and analytical solutions, ensuring they address client problems and support the achievement of their goals. • Support the execution of data science strategies, focusing on operational efficiency and effectiveness in project delivery, while contributing to the identification of potential project risks and opportunities.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of data sourcing and data quality assessment techniques. Knowledge of widely recognized data protection and privacy principles, best practices, and methodologies. Skills to communicate complex and technical matters to diverse audiences. Ability to build new data products and drive new approaches. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and proficiency in subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. PLANNING AND ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Education

An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in computer science, data science, analytics, statistics, applied mathematics, information management, data management, information systems, information science or a related quantitative field. A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification

certificates in Azure Data Fundamentals and similar (e.g., certification in Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals—or a comparable foundational certification in cloud-based data platforms and data-driven project design is desirable.

Work Experience

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience demonstrating knowledge of core data science and analytics concepts, including statistics and predictive modelling, is required. Demonstrated knowledge of data life cycle including data collection, data wrangling, analysis, visualization, deployment, monitoring, and reporting is required. Demonstrated ability to trouble-shoot and solve complex data problems is required. Demonstrated skills in programming languages like Python, R, SQL, or Java for data manipulation and automation is required. Demonstrated ability to create clear, insightful data visualizations of modelling outputs by using tools and libraries such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, PowerBI, or Tableau is desirable. Demonstrated ability to develop and assess performance metrics by leveraging validation techniques is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage. "Fluency equals a rating of "Fluent" in all four areas (read, speak, write and understand) and "Knowledge of" equals a rating of "Confident" in two of the four areas.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise, which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Appointment against this post is open for an initial period of one year and may be subject to extension subject to legislative body funding availability. Candidate selected will be granted a fixed-term appointment limited ("FTA limited") in accordance with section 2.2(b) of administrative instruction ST/AI/2013/1 on Administration of fixed-term appointments. United Nations Secretariat staff members who meet the definition of "internal candidate" in staff rule 4.10, who are selected for a position subject to FTA Limited will be reassigned to the position without a lien to their parent position. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50/50 gender balance in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Internal Applicants: When completing the form, ensure ALL fields, ALL professional experience and contact information are completed and up-to-date. This information is the basis for the hiring manager to assess your eligibility and suitability for the position and to contact you. Individual contractors and consultants (Non-Staff Personnel) who have worked within the UN Secretariat in the last six months, irrespective of the administering entity, are ineligible to apply for professional and higher temporary or fixed-term positions and their applications will not be considered. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities. Reasonable accommodation for applicants with disabilities may be provided to support participation in the recruitment process when requested and indicated in the application. All applicants are strongly encouraged to apply on-line as soon as possible after the job opening has been posted and well before the deadline stated in the job opening. Online applications will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. If the problem persists, please seek technical assistance through the Inspira "Need Help?" link.

United Nations Considerations

According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST/AI/2023/3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on “Manuals” in the “Help” tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11:59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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