TITLE Research Scientist (Consultant) SSA
LOCATION OF ASSIGNMENT NYHQ
LANGUAGE(S) REQUIRED English, another UN language is an asset
TRAVEL Minimal
DURATION OF CONTRACT 11.5 months
SECTION & UNIT Office of Innovation
CONSULTANT REPORTING TO Senior Advisor, Innovation
BACKGROUND & RATIONALE
The UNICEF Innovation Unit functions like a collection of startups in early-stage. Promising new technologies (e.g. data science, SMS technologies, UAVs, blockchain) are identified that have potential to impact UNICEF core operations (e.g. education, health, disaster response). Through our network of technology companies, UNICEF country offices and academic institutions, we construct pilots to quickly determine if projects should be continued or discontinued. Innovation Unit New York provides support to UNICEF’s 190 country offices and consists of a flat team of technologists, designers, programmers, researchers and communication specialists. Requests for collaboration, advice and support are fielded from UNICEF programmes, other parts of the UN system and the humanitarian technology ecosystem.
We also have a small venture fund – the UNICEF Innovation Fund – which provides resources to quickly assess, fund and scale companies, teams, and ideas that have been developed in new and emerging markets. The Innovation Fund supports the generation of open source, public goods that address the most pressing challenges facing children.
PURPOSE
UNICEF is seeking to hire a consultant that will assist the Big Data research team of the Innovation Unit, in particular related to modeling of dynamical social processes, epidemiology, remote sensing of socio-economic indicators and longitudinal analysis of policy documents; and making use of external data such as social media, mobility patterns or blogs and internal data such as U-Report.
EXPECTED RESULTS: (MEASURABLE RESULTS)
DELIVERABLES Deadline
-Submit a work plan to Innovation Unit co-leads and Lead Research Scientist for review and feedback – End of month 1
-Submit a comprehensive list of data sources and partners and data compilation, cleaning and merging – End of month 2
-Develop algorithms, methods and studies to push forward the use of Big Data for Development and Emergencies, with special focus on children. Deliverable: code and technical documentation of developed methodologies – End of month 3
-Draft a scientific paper (4-8 pages) on findings, methodologies and experience on the use of Big Data for development and emergencies – End of month 4
-Develop visuals and applications, including the web interface and/or visual materials, to help operationalize and disseminate the use of Big Data for development and emergencies in close collaboration with the Visual Strategy team – End of month 5
-Submit a draft technical report (2-4 pages) to inform UNICEF policy and programs around the use of Big Data for development and emergencies – End of month 6
-Submit a draft technical report (2-4 pages) to inform UNICEF policy and programs around the use of Big Data for development and emergencies – End of month 7
-Develop visuals and applications, including the web interface and/or visual materials, to help operationalise and disseminate the use of Big Data for development and emergencies in close collaboration with the visual strategy team. – End of month 8
-Develop algorithms, methods and studies to push forward the use of Big Data for development and emergencies, with special focus on children. Deliverables: code and technical documentation of developed methodologies. – End of month 9
-Submit a final scientific paper (4-8 pages) on findings, methodologies and experiences on the use of Big Data for development and emergencies. – End of month 10
-Submit a handover report (6-8 pages) on Big Data for development and emergencies, including all the finalised technical reports and scientific papers, to Innovation co-leads and lead Research Scientist, summarising the experiences and lessons learned on the main areas of research: Nowcasting, Human Mobilisation and Emergencies.
-Present findings on Big Data for development and emergencies to Innovation team leads and share presentation materials with relevant partners (internal and external) for feedback. – End of month 11.5
-Attend and participate in weekly meetings with other UNICEF Divisions/Sections (DRP, Data, EMOPS and C4D) ongoing
TOTAL – 11.5 months
KEY COMPETENCES, TECHNICAL BACKGROUND, AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED DEADLINE
-Advanced university degree, preferably a PhD in Data Science related field such as computer science, applied mathematics, information technology, physics or software engineering.
-Data Analysis experience and scientific background: able to showcase some relevant scientific publications or similar work; and experience with analytical tools and languages such as Python, R, shell scripting.
-Experience in working with mapping technologies and spatial data
-Development experience, with special interest on web based applications (e.g. HTML5, Javascript…) and data visualization libraries (e.g. D3.js)
-Familiarity with data gathering acquisition e.g. web scraping, APIs, and data cleaning and preparation.
-Ability to work in a team, in a diverse work environment and on several projects in parallel.
-Ability to communicate findings and complex ideas verbally and in writing to a wide range of audiences.
-Fluency in English, second UN language is a plus
How to apply:
Applicants are requested to send their submissions to jobsugic@gmail.com with subject line:
RESEARCH SCIENTIST by 15 July 2016, 5:00pm EST.
Applications must include:
-Cover letter,
-CV, and
-P-11 form
-Indicate where you heard about this advertisement
Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above. Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.
NOTE: Files should not exceed 5.0MB limit
UNICEF is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
P-11 form can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/Personal_History_P11.doc
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