Chief (Data Collection Unit)

UNICEF
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
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For every child, Data The Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM) was established in 2019 to drive decision-making and organizational learning, improve the effectiveness and achievement of results of UNICEF and its partners to realize the rights and improve the life of every child. DAPM promotes the use of data and monitoring to achieve a transformative impact on the lives of children.? 
The Division is responsible for driving, shaping and guiding UNICEF's evidence-informed analysis, strategic planning, programme monitoring and organizational performance management. As such, DAPM enables the organization to deliver results in a more coherent manner, based on agile and contextualized programming processes, on data, evidence, and analysis, as well as the application of human-rights based and results-based management approaches.
Within DAPM, the data portfolio is managed by two sections: the Data & Analytics Team, led by the Chief Statistician, and the Chief Data Office, led by the Chief Data Officer.
The Chief Statistician's Office focuses on analyzing data on children to support UNICEF programming and advocacy. It also produces and maintains a number of data-related global public goods, such as a global monitoring database of child-related indicators and methodological standards and guidelines to help countries report on a number of child-related SDGs and other indicators. The Chief Statistician office collaborate with all UNICEF divisions and through regional offices to support and sustain the data and analytics capacity at the country offices by providing technical assistance, advocacy and partnerships on data-analytics for children.
The Office of the Chief Data Officer collaborates with all UNICEF divisions and through regional offices to country offices to help UNICEF create and sustain (1) Establish safeguards to minimize risks and potential harms to children, UNICEF staff, beneficiaries, and donors associated with data and digital technology, ensuring a responsible and safe digital and data transformation. (2) Implement robust governance of all forms of data at UNICEF, enabling the organization to leverage relevant data for better decision-making and outcomes for children.
How can you make a difference? This position sits in the Data & Analytics team led by the Chief Statistician. The incumbent will work under the overall guidance and supervision of the Chief Statistician.
The primary function of this post is to lead and coordinate the design, implementation and provision of technical support, capacity building and methodological work to develop new survey instruments in child-centric household surveys, in particular the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) programme and its various initiatives. As the Chief of the Data Collection Unit and the Global MICS Coordinator, the incumbent is UNICEF's leading expert on household surveys, leading work on innovations in child-centric survey methodology and protocols, and the assessment of the data collection process. The incumbent will lead offers technical expertise and technical advice in support of child-centric and other types of survey work in the organization, as needed.
Since its inception in the mid-1990s, 6 rounds of Multiple Indicator Clusters Surveys have been conducted. The 7th round (******** ) is ongoing. Since it early days, the MICS programme has grown in terms of content and scope, transforming from a household survey initiative where the the primary purpose was generating data on key indicators in the context of global reporting, to a full-blown, continuous household survey programme owned and implemented by countries, playing a key role in furnishing policymakers with good quality data in programming and policy decisions, in addition to being one of the leading household surveys generating data for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and currently, as the world's leading household survey programme in generating the largest number of child-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators. 
The content and scope of MICS has evolved over time. While MICS primarily consisted of a short set of questionnaires with limited content in the early days, the programme is now recognized with its significant contributions to innovations in household survey methodology, including the development of methods and protocols for collecting data on new indicators and its various innovative initiatives, such as MICS Plus, MICS Link and MICS Tabulator. 
The technical support system that has been developed by the MICS programme brings together UNICEF's HQ and Regional Offices as the Global MICS Team, and together with the Country Offices, provides technical support to implementing partners, mainly National Statistics Offices. The programme continues to innovate new methods, in an effort to address emerging issues and new topics in household survey data collection and adapting to opportunities created by new technologies in generating better quality data on a timely basis.
Recent years have witnessed an expansion of the scope of work of the Data Collection Unit. In addition to coordinating and providing support to MICS, the Unit has moved into providing technical advice on data collection methodologies other than MICS, to internal and external partners. As resources become available, the Unit's immediate future will include expanding work on all child-centric surveys, as well as other data collection methodologies, as UNICEF's sole Unit specializing on data collection. 
To these ends, the incumbent will work to coordinate survey activities globally, and lead a team of household survey experts to provide support to the implementation of MICS surveys around the world and develop survey instruments. The incumbent will work closely with UNICEF's Regional Offices to coordinate survey activities around the globe, primarily in programme countries. As an integral part of the functions of this post, the incumbent will lead innovations and various initiatives of the MICS programme, currently in the form of MICS Plus, MICS Link, MICS Tabulator, MICS PRTI and MICS GIS, with the view of developing new initiatives and expanding the scope of the programme, in line with emerging data needs and technological advances. The incumbent will lead the Data Collection Unit team in working closely with Sectoral Units in the Data & Analytics Section, Units under the Chief Data Officer, the Programme Group, Office of Emergency Programmes, and Office of Research, among others in UNICEF, in the development of survey tools for new indicators and the mainstreaming of technological advances in survey processes. 
The incumbent will collaborate with the Chief Statistician's Office to mobilize resources with a view to expand the team and extend technical support to all child-centric surveys, at different levels and intensity, as relevant and applicable. 
Coordination and Leadership Coordinate the design, planning, implementation, analysis and reporting of UNICEF child-centric survey work program around the globe, working closely with Regional Offices, Country Offices, national governments and development partners. Coordinate and monitor the implementation of survey activities with external partners, including other survey programmes Lead the Global MICS Team, composed of Data Collection Unit and Regional MICS Coordinators, for efficient implementation of data collection activities in the MICS programme Collaboration, Partnerships and Representation The incumbent leads the following collaboration, partnership and representation work of the Data Collection Unit:
Collaborate with the Chief Statistician and other Development Partners to streamline the regular implementation of child-centric surveys as regular statistical operation of UNICEF program countries. Collaborate with Sectoral Units in the Data & Analytics (D&A) Section for the development of new household survey modules and indicators, updating of survey instruments, for reviews and feedback to survey implementing partnes, during MICS implementation Collaborate and partner with Sectoral Units in D&A in capacity-building activities related to data collection, primarily in the context of MICS surveys Advise Sectoral Units in D&A on household survey data collection methodology regarding indicators in global databases Collaborate with relevant Units in D&A on geospatial data collection and repositories Collaborate with the Chief Data Officer's office on matters related to data protection, data governance and data strategy development Collaborate and partner with Programme Group Sections, directly or together with Sectoral Units in D&A, on development of new tools and innovations Collaborate closely, as the Global MICS Team, with the Regional MICS Coordinators in UNICEF's Regional Offices to coordinate survey activities Oversee and monitor MICS activities in the field, including questionnaire design, sampling, report writing and analysis at Regional and Country levels, providing technical advice as needed Collaborate with UNICEF's Country Offices during the implementation of MICS activities Collaborate and partner with other UN agencies and international organizations and bilateral organizations in coordinating measurement efforts, in particular with agencies that technically or financially support implementation of household surveys Manage, ensure and facilitate the flow of information among partners in MICS implementation Collaborate with the Units in D&A to ensure data harmonization following guidance from the Chief Statistician. Represent UNICEF in various bilateral or multi-agency fora related to data collection and household survey activities, including collaboration with other survey programmes Technical Support and Capacity Building The incumbent leads and provides direct technical expertise to the following activities of technical support and capacity building:
Provide technical support and advice, as needed, to Regional Offices in MICS implementation and other data collection activities Provide technical support to UNICEF's country offices in the implementation of MICS, MICS Plus and other related activities Promote and support countries to integrate selected MICS modules in other National Surveys Provide technical support and advice to Sectoral Units in D&A on the use of household survey data and the development of new indicators Undertake, directly or jointly in collaboration with Sectoral Units, capacity-building activities, including workshops Resources and resource mobilization Manage and coordinate funds allocated to the Data Collection Unit, as well as funds raised by the Unit Work closely with the Chief Statistician, the Sectoral Units in D&A, and DAPM management on resource mobilization, internally and externally, to support MICS/household survey activities at global and country level and the MICS technical support system, Innovations Lead the modernization processes and workflows used by UNICEF and the National Offices of Statistics on the data production and dissemination of child-centric surveys using open-source software Coordinate and contribute to the testing, validation, and modification of child-centric and other household survey content-related instruments and guidelines Coordinate and contribute to the integration of new technologies and processing approaches into household survey processes Incorporate new data processing instruments, artificial intelligence/machine learning and new approaches on data quality monitoring and dissemination Work towards future prospects Collaborate closely with the Chief Statistician and other Units in D&A to mobilize sustainable resources to expand the scope of work of the Data Collection Unit, with the capacity to advise on household surveys other than MICS, as well as other data collection methods, such as phone surveys Transform the Data Collection Unit, recognized as UNICEF's leading Unit in providing support, advice and feedback on processes related to data collection on children. Management of the Data Collection Unit  Overall accountability for the management of the Data Collection unit (results, human resources, finance)?  Ensure an enabling positive workplace culture within the unit and contribute to upholding the UNICEF CRITAS (Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability & Sustainability) values by all staff in the division  Contribute to the overall management of the division, the DATA Team and the D&A Section  Promote and Support a culture of reproducible and scalable analytics Oversee staff learning and career management within the unit and contribute to building data & analytical skills within staff of the Data Collection unit, particularly at country level  Supervise, manage, and direct technical staff, including appraisal of staff performance Communicate standards of performance, and assign responsibilities for achieving results according to the defined tasks  Contribute to inter-sectoral collaboration in UNICEF's data work  Brief senior management adequately on current activities and issues  To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have? Minimum requirements: Education: Advanced university degree in a social science field that has a strong quantitative social survey component, such as demography, economics, epidemiology, statistics. PhD level training or equivalent is an asset. Work Experience: At least 10 years of experience at national as well as international levels with primary responsibilities in household survey implementation; and ability to demonstrate progressive increase in managerial responsibility Experience leading dialogue with National Statistical Offices in Low- and Middle-income countries is essential. Experience with MICS, LSMS or DHS surveys is a must; similar experience with other global household survey programmes is an asset. Experience with and knowledge of UNICEF and the UN system is an asset Experience managing people is required Skills:  Coding proficiency in R, Stata, Phyton or other equivalent statistical languages is an asset. High level of competency in survey implementation, sampling, survey data processing and reporting is a must High level of proficiency in household survey data analysis and dissemination is a must Excellency in communication, facilitation and negotiation skills is required Language Requirements:  Excellent writing skills and fluency in English is required. Another UN language is an asset. Desirables: Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency. For every Child, you demonstrate... UNICEF's Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values
The UNICEF competencies required for this post are? (1) Builds and maintains partnerships
(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness
(3) Drive to achieve results for impact
(4) Innovates and embraces change
(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity
(6) Thinks and acts strategically
(7) Works collaboratively with others 
(8) Nurtures, leads and manages people 
Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels.
UNICEF is here to serve the world's most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of measures to include a more diverse workforce, such as paid parental leave, time off for breastfeeding purposes, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.
UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.? Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station is required for IP positions and will be facilitated by UNICEF. Appointments may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be canceled.
Remarks: As per 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.
Government employees who are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government positions before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason. 
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants' bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.
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Ruolo: Altro
Percentuale di occupazione: 80-100%
Tipo di occupazione: Staff (Permanent and Fixed Term)