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 United Nations Development Coordination Office in New York. The incumbent reports to the Deputy Director, DCO. The Chief, Data & Digital Solutions Section/Senior Data Analyst oversees DCO’s corporate data and digital solutions strategy, seeking to harness UN2.0 capabilities for more effective business solutions across all workstreams of the Resident Coordinator system. S/he directs and guides turning data into information, information into insight and insight into business decisions. Through ensuring the availability of a range of data-driven products, the Senior Data Analyst enables colleagues to identify ways to use data as an asset to support evidence-based decision-making, strategy development, and strategy execution in line with RC system priorities and mandates. The incumbent drives digital innovation and acts as a change agent across the Resident Coordinator system by setting and implementing a comprehensive digital strategy advancing data-driven approaches in all programmatic and operational areas, taking a “whole-of-organization” approach to data-driven “UN 2.0” transformation. S/He collaborates with cross-functional partners to design and implement efficient digital solutions for coordination while fostering a digital-first mindset from leadership down. S/He champions the adoption of digital technologies and best practices to build a strong digital ecosystem, ensuring seamless collaboration and knowledge sharing among colleagues and partners. S/he continuously measures the impact of digital initiatives, refining strategies as needed to optimize investments in the most effective tools and resources. The Chief, Data & Digital Solutions Section establishes and maintains relationships with counterparts, senior officers and technical staff in relevant organizational units in digital innovation, data engineering, data science and other data specialists, data owners and subject matter experts to direct and guide the development and implementation of the Resident Coordinator system databases, data collection systems, data analytics and other strategies that optimize statistical efficiency and quality. S/he also establishes external relationships with the UN funds, programs and other UN specialized agencies, as well as international organizations, consultants, and NGOs to collaborate and exchange information on new products and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Leads the Section Team and guides its work planning and budgeting activities. • Lead design and implementation of the resident coordinator system corporate data and digital solutions strategy. • Plan and direct the work plan on data analysis, providing both methodical and managerial supervision of all activities. • Ensure that RC system digital initiatives are fully integrated with the strategic-planning process, including leadership commitment and resource allocation • Work with teams across the UN to generate innovative digital solutions for the needs of the RC system • Own and monitor the digital-innovation project portfolio • Build, manage, and continue to grow a digital-innovation ecosystem, both internal and external • Identify new tools (AI, digital, etc.) that can support and enhance solutions • Guide the development and implementation of databases managed by DCO (including review and revamp of legacy data systems such as UN Info and the Information Management System, as appropriate), data analytics and other strategies that optimize efficiency and quality of data systems in support of UN development system deliverables. • Manage strategy development and guide the development of data analysis prototype solutions across the full data lifecycle analysis including data requirements, activities and design. • Collaborate with DCO leadership to prioritize organizational data analytics and information needs • Define organizational needs and translate them to strategic reporting documents ensuring alignment with broader goals while overseeing quality and strategic integration of analytics into decision-making. • Communicate complex data concepts and share analysis findings and insights in a clear and understandable manner, ensuring visual communication that aligns with broader organizational goals and effectively conveys insights to decision-makers and stakeholders. • Keep abreast of the current and emerging trends and developments in data analytics best practices, technologies and tools to determine areas of improvement in the organization. • Enable a strong “data community of practice” across the resident coordinator system to ensure that relevant staff – including data officers in RC Offices – are able to effectively identify, analyze, and interpret trends or patterns, using statistical methods to identify relevant features and variables in structured and unstructured sources of information and data. • Provide direction and guidance on activities aimed at building capacity of staff on data analytics, including trainings for staff members and other personnel, tailored to different audiences as appropriate. • Manage and coordinate team strategy and activities of the team, including hiring, training, assigning tasks and responsibilities, evaluating performance, promoting professional development and a positive team culture.

Competencies

PROFESSIONALISM: Proven knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to sustainable development. Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities, and risks. Ability to generate and communicate broad and compelling organizational direction. Ability to communicate clearly links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals. Demonstrated ability to provide innovative technical leadership by performing and/or overseeing the planning, development, and management of operation. Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment. Proven ability to analyze complex data and produce reports leading to sound policy recommendations for achieving sustainable development; Solid understanding of the political environment and the programmes and activities of the UN system in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals; Ability to think strategically, to identify key emerging sustainable development issues and related policy implications. 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. COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style, and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. JUDGMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies key issues in complex situations, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary. LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

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

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience demonstrating knowledge of foundational concepts in data manipulation and data analysis such as data structures, statistical methods or related area is required. Demonstrated knowledge of data life cycle including data collection, data wrangling, analysis, visualization, deployment, monitoring, and reporting is required. Demonstrated knowledge and leadership on digital transformation is required. Demonstrated skills in Project management is desirable. Demonstrated Skills in data storytelling and data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, Qlik, and R is desirable. Demonstrated ability to perform quality assurance of data analysis outputs is desirable. Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions is desirable. Demonstrated strategic thinking is desirable. Demonstrated analytical thinking is desirable. Understanding of UN core business processes and their associated technical solutions is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in both English and French 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

This position is temporarily available for 364 days. If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administered as a temporary assignment. Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures. 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. NOTE: While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. Subject to the funding source of the position, the eligibility for this temporary job opening may be limited to candidates based at the duty station. This temporary job opening may be limited to “internal candidates,” who have been recruited through a competitive examination administered according to staff rule 4.16 or staff selection process including the review of a central review body established according to staff rule 4.15. Staff members of the United Nations common system organizations who will reach the mandatory age of separation or retirement within the duration of the current temporary need period are not eligible to apply. Submitting an application or selection for the current temporary job opening does not delay or increase the mandatory age of separation. Retirees above the mandatory age of separation who wish to be considered for the current temporary job opening must indicate the reason for their last separation as “retirement.” Such retirees shall not be employed by the Organization, unless (a) the operational requirements of the Organization cannot be met by staff members who are qualified and available to perform the required functions; and (b) the proposed employment would not adversely affect the career development or redeployment opportunities of other staff members and represents both a cost-effective and operationally sound solution to meet the needs of the service.

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.