Data Manager

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations. The New York Portfolios Office (NYPO) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of the UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.

The Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services, UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), and the Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio.  It provides services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York.  SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries. 

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement defined activities in support of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The Centre for Humanitarian Data is focused on increasing the use and impact of data in humanitarian response. It is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and is based in The Hague, the Netherlands. The Centre’s vision is to create a future where everyone involved in a humanitarian emergency has access to the data they need, when and how they need it, to make responsible and informed decisions. Our support is provided to OCHA staff and partners, with a priority focus on locations with humanitarian operations. The Centre focuses on four workstreams: data services, data science, data responsibility, and learning and practice.

The data services workstream is the engine room of the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) platform, a critical component of the Centre’s value proposition. The goal of the HDX is to make humanitarian data easy to find and use for analysis. Launched in July 2014 with just 800 datasets shared by a dozen organizations, HDX is now an anchor in the open data ecosystem, bringing together roughly 20,000 datasets from hundreds of partners. In 2023, HDX was accessed by 1.4 million people in 230 countries and territories. 

The future of HDX will meet the changing needs of humanitarians and prepare us for a world of more data, more diverse actors and less trust. We are working on a technical roadmap that will improve the platform in a number of ways. The areas include: data as a service, geodata services, onboarding, notifications and workflow management. 

The HDX team includes three units – data systems which focuses on data pipelines; data partnerships which focuses on outreach and relationships with users and organizations; and dev/design which focuses on software and user interface development. 

The data partnerships team requires a Data Manager to support the day-to-day maintenance of the HDX platform. The Data Manager will undertake outreach with data sharing partners to introduce the platform and the services we offer. The Data Manager will undertake daily tasks including onboarding new organizations and users, reviewing new and updated data shared by organizations, and processing data so that it is ready to use and visualize. 

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The incumbent will report to the HDX Community Manager and work closely with the Lead for the Data Partnerships team who is based in Geneva, under the overall direction of the Lead for the Centre for Humanitarian Data. The Data Manager will work closely with other Centre teams and OCHA staff in field offices. 

The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility.

• Work with partner organizations to support data sharing on HDX.
• Monitor the use of HDX by users and organizations and offer training or demonstrations as needed.
• Advise data sharing partners on the use of data extraction processes for their data systems; develop scripts for data transferring when appropriate. 
• Undertake daily quality assurance processes to ensure the data shared on HDX adheres to the platform’s terms of service.
• Work with OCHA and partner focal points in priority humanitarian operations to ensure high-priority data is available through the HDX Data Grids and for new rapid-onset humanitarian crises. 
• Promote the use of the Humanitarian Exchange Language (HXL) data standard to increase interoperability of data shared by partners.
• Support the distribution of standard reference data, including taxonomies, code lists, and geospatial data for relevant countries.
• Organize trainings, events and workshops for partners on the use of the HDX platform.
• Take part in HDX team meetings as required.

• Please note that UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes.

• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process, which involves various assessments.

• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures,  languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. UNOPS seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. 

• Qualified women and candidates from groups which are underrepresented in the UNOPS workforce are encouraged to apply. These include in particular candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.

• We would like to ensure all candidates perform at their best during the assessment process.  If you are shortlisted and require additional assistance to complete any assessment, including reasonable accommodation, please inform our human resources team when you receive an invitation.

Terms and Conditions 

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 

• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses ( they take around 4 hours to complete)  in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here.

• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.

• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.