Data Scientist Consultant

Development Group Cluster

The UNOPS Development Group Cluster is based in the North America Office and supports a diverse and complex portfolio including partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (the Bureau for Development Policy, the Human Development Report Office, and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation), the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United Nations Secretariat and a broadening community of primarily New York-based UN partners in the delivery of project management, implementation and administration services.

• Define, design and implement research projects harnessing Big Data to improve both understanding of population behavior, needs, and vulnerabilities as well as capacity to monitor and evaluate the impacts of development polices and programmes;
• Perform data studies and data discovery around new data sources or new uses for existing data sources;
• Assist in developing new approaches to detecting events and trends within real-time data sources such as online media, social networks, imagery, geospatial data, communications logs, transaction records, etc.;
• Think strategically about uses of data and how data use interacts with data design;
• Design and implement statistical data quality procedures around new data sources;
• Implement any software required for accessing and handling data appropriately;
• Visualize and report data findings creatively in a variety of formats;
• Coordinate joint data mining research projects with diverse partners;
•  Interact with the global community through a variety of media. 

• Five years of progressively responsible experience in data analysis or data visualization required;
• Experience working with quantitative and qualitative data required;
• Experience with scripting, coding, and web design for data access, analysis and presentation required;
• Experience working with Big Data, mobile phone call detail records, social network data, or geospatial data/satellite imagery required,
• Familiarity with analytical techniques such as text mining, sentiment analysis, machine learning, predictive analysis, event detection, or modeling of complex systems desirable;
• Experience in a branch of computational informatics (development, health, bio-, geo-, etc desirable;
• Experience working in the fields of global development or crisis management desirable;
• Experience analyzing data from social monitoring systems, monitoring and evaluation work, or other survey work in developing countries desirable.
• Experience writing scientific articles desirable.
• Demonstrated experience presenting work to both technical and non-technical audiences;
• Willingness to evaluate and adopt the latest advances in AI, machine learning, predictive analysis and visualization.
• Curiosity and ability to look at data problems in different creative ways.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.