Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The UNHCR Data Transformation Strategy 2020-2025 envisions that by 2025 UNHCR becomes a trusted leader on data and information related to refugees and other persons of concern, thereby enabling actions to protect and to empower persons of concern. The Strategy stipulates investing in four complementary priority areas: data management and governance; information systems; capacities and skill development; and culture for evidence-informed decision-making. The strategy envisages data and information management functions in UNHCR carried out in a complementary and inter-linked manner between Headquarters Divisions and Services, Regional Bureaux, Country Operations and key external partners, including persons of concern.
Under the supervision of the Senior Statistics and Data Analysis Officer, Senior Statistician, Senior DIMA Coordinator or other designated manager, the Statistics and Data Analysis Officer is responsible for supporting statistical and data analysis activities in the relevant Offices or Service for evidence-informed planning, advocacy, and coordination.
As a member of the data and information management team within an office or a service, his/her primary functions are to help coordinate and support statistical and data analysis activities, provide relevant technical expertise and advice, and serve as a liaison with other UNHCR offices, technical sectors and partners on related statistical and data issues. This includes programme and protection colleagues, technical units (e.g. health, livelihoods, shelter, energy, and education) as well as key external stakeholders and other agencies, including Government partners in the national statistical system.
The Statistics and Data Analysis Officer provides technical support for the design, data collection, processing, analysis and dissemination stages of the statistical process. S/he will provide the necessary quality assurance and technical support for statistical and data analysis activities to Headquarters, the Regional Bureaux, and operations; ensure these processes are in accordance with technical and ethical statistical standards; and undertake regional or country-specific statistical and data analysis activities.
Relevant activities include coordination of or support to: the production of official statistics; statistical support for assessment, targeting, and monitoring activities; indicator development and reporting; application and evaluation of statistical and analytical methodologies and tools; statistical analysis and dissemination; sampling and survey design; statistical estimation and triangulation; data anonymisation; and promotion and monitoring of ethical standards for statistics in UNHCR and partner activities.
S/He provides support on statistical matters to the technical services, country and regional offices, depending on location; for liaising with relevant global, regional and national bodies on statistical matters; monitoring the quality of statistics and application of statistical methods in country/regional offices or Headquarters; supporting the implementation of global, regional or country-based data and information management strategies and systems; capacity building of staff, partners and national authorities on statistics and data analysis; and to communicate the status, value and importance of statistics and analysis.
S/he will support multi-stakeholder, multi-sector, and multi-country activities in relation to planning, funding and advocacy efforts, as well as internal and external assessments, regional and country-based planning and monitoring activities.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties
Strategy/Standards/Policy

  • Contribute to data, information management and registration strategies with statistical and data analysis elements with a vision on the use of statistics and analytical data products, particularly in planning, programming and advocacy, at the country, regional and HQ levels as appropriate.
  • Input into the processes establishing or implementing UNHCR's policies and procedures on planning and reporting on UNHCR's operational activities (results-based management and planning figures).
  • Provide technical advice on statistical analyses and indicators; take part in regional planning processes (regional RRP, regional migration response plans, etc.) and in those at the country level as appropriate and where support is needed.
  • Contribute to the development or revision of statistical concepts, definition, standards and classifications used in UNHCR for research and decision-making.
  • Contribute to the development of new or improved statistical methods and quantitative models for analyses and projections on forced displacement and statelessness.
  • Ensure coherence and compliance with organisational standards, methodologies, and support for data analysis activities such as surveys, secondary data reviews, targeting and vulnerability assessments, indicator definition, population estimation, statistical analysis, predictive analytics, big data, international recommendations, data visualisation, official statistics and other statistical and data analysis activities.
  • For all data collection or statistical analysis activities, lead in developing plans and monitor implementation to ensure statistics and analysis are of highest standards.
  • Ensure statistical and analytical products produced by UNHCR or with partners meet required standards and are compliant with relevant policies to uphold integrity, veracity, reliability and credibility.

Implementation/Delivery/Support

  • Compile, consolidate, validate and disseminate official statistics on populations of concern to UNHCR at country, region or global level, including annual statistics.
  • Contribute to the development or revision of methodological approaches and standards for statistical surveys conducted by UNHCR or partner organizations in support of monitoring, assessment, targeting, evaluation, operational plans and results reporting.
  • Contribute to the design and implementation of relevant statistical analytical products and oversee their production, including quality assurance.
  • Undertake data analysis activities, including on persons of concern derived from UNHCR¿s data systems such as, registration and identity management, results-based management, back office or other sectoral data systems.
  • In coordination with sectoral and other data staff, apply statistical scenarios and models based on historical, recent and seasonal information to support comparative country, regional and global analysis, including political and sociodemographic trends.
  • Advise on the appropriate methods and tools to be used in statistical and data analysis activities to be undertaken in region or country, or by other Headquarters units.
  • In coordination with sectoral and other data staff, review indicators to be used to report on UNHCR¿s populations of concern and develop new ones in line with international standards (SMART).
  • In close collaboration with relevant experts, analyse technical and sectoral reports and recommend required follow-up actions with regard to the strengthening of statistics and data analysis.
  • Draft statistical reports for UNHCR and/or with partners.
  • Contribute to the preparation of analytical reports, manuals and web sites in the area of forced displacement and statelessness in the region, notably with regard to statistical methods.
  • With information management staff, ensure consistency in the analytical approach at global, regional and/or country level, including for the purpose of cross-border analysis and response.

Partnerships/Coordination

  • Contribute to partnerships and activities relevant to statistics and data analysis in the country, region, or globally and engage with country operations, partners and Governments, as appropriate.
  • Participate on behalf of UNHCR in meetings or conferences.
  • Represent UNHCR¿s position in regard to refugee statistics and statistical methods with external bodies.

Capacity Building

  • Design and implement capacity strengthening activities for UNHCR and other stakeholders, including national statistical partners on statistics.
  • Organize and participate in missions, workshops, seminars, working groups and expert meetings as a regional technical resource person, providing technical documents and drafting relevant reports.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Social Sciences; Statistics; Demography; Geography/GIS
Epidemiology Economics Physical Sciences Data Science or related field
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
Operational Data Management Learning Program
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:

  • 4 years in data or statistical field, 2 years in international context, 2 years in humanitarian or development situation.
  • Experience with national and/or international statistical systems.
  • Experience with data analysis in developmental or humanitarian contexts.
  • Strong understanding of the principles and concepts of international protection and UNHCR.
  • Experience in data collection and analysis in field situations.
  • Ability to translate planning-specifications into technical briefs for data collection and analysis, and vice versa.
  • Understanding of different data collection methodologies.
  • Familiarity with planning, programming, strategic planning, project development, budgeting and resource mobilization.
  • Experience working with partners, including host and donor Governments, humanitarian and development partners.

Desirable:

  • Field experience, preferably in the context of UNHCR.
  • Knowledge of international protection, human rights and international humanitarian law.
  • Demonstrated knowledge of UNHCR and interagency policies, standards, programmes and operations.
  • Knowledge of GIS and geospatial systems and techniques.
  • Understanding of civil registration and other national population registration systems.
  • Experience working with or in national statistical offices.

Functional Skills
DM-Data collection methodologies
DM-Data Management
DM-Database Design & Development
MS-Data Collection Analysis
DM-Metadata Creation & Management
MS-Statistics Analysis
DM-Open Source Software & Data
DM-Population census and econometrics
DM-Protection Data Management Systems
PR-Cluster Information Management Tools, Resources and Approaches
PG-Needs Assessment and Response Analysis
DM-Data governance, quality assurance and preservation
DM-Data Interoperability
DM-Data science methodologies
DM-Development of and revision of data standards
DM-Qualitative data analysis
DM-Quantitative data analysis
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

This vacancy is archived.

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