Innovation and Data Specialist at UNICEF

Department/Office: Nairobi Somalia Desk, Kenya

Categories: Planning

UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to protect the rights of every child. UNICEF has spent 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Defending children’s rights throughout their lives requires a global presence, aiming to produce results and understand their effects. UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does, in programs, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasizing the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children’s rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favoritism.

UNICEF Somalia is making significant investments in improving programme and supply monitoring processes, coordination of monitoring efforts across offices and locations, and coordination and quality assurance of key reporting processes at the national and zonal levels. The deployment of innovative solutions that will reinforce monitoring efforts in a scalable and sustainable way as well as timely action/response is a key component of these investments in system strengthening. In this vein, UNICEF Somalia is working on adapting and deploying the RapidPro and ODK platforms to reduce programmatic, operational and reputational risks while improving the delivery and quality of services through enhanced end-use monitoring of supplies, real-time tracking of key indicators and two-way communication with beneficiaries.

For every child, a new idea

www.unicef.org/somalia

How can you make a difference?

The incumbent of this position will assist the Somalia Country Office with the identification, assessment and integration of Innovation and Real-Time Monitoring into UNICEF programming, strengthening internal capacity to lead and support innovation related projects, identifying and engaging with key partners, identifying reusable and replicable technical building blocks and maximizing potential for the scale-up and rollout of RTM activities. They will also liaise with all stakeholders to develop new innovations and build upon existing solutions with the aim to reduce the complexity of entry into projects and increase solution portability from one sector to the other.

Summary of key accountabilities:

Under the overall supervision of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, the staff member will be expected to provide general coordination and management responsibilities for the ongoing real time monitoring work as well as identify and provide broad innovation support to Programme Sections as needs arise. The staff member will undertake the following tasks:

• Real-Time Monitoring General Support & Coordination
• Capacity Building, Documentation, and Knowledge Sharing

Internal Innovation Coordination

To qualify as a champion for every child you will have:

• Advanced University degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Social Policy, Social Development, Community Development, Information Technology, or other relevant disciplines.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme management, monitoring and evaluation.
• Proven capacity to work with and lead collaborative teams across different locations and with different technical skills.
• Strong writing and communication skills and the aptitude to handle competing messages and priorities with multiple audiences.
• Proven technical experience in development and use of innovative technology, particularly in the areas of data, mobiles and open source, and training in the related field. Familiarity with information systems, big data analysis and communication technologies is an asset.
• Experience in project management and rolling out of large scale projects especially in hard to reach areas in developing countries is highly desirable.
• Experience with RapidPro, Open Data Kit and Tableau is highly desirable; skills in Excel and data analysis are also preferable.
• A strong understanding of UNICEF’s mission and vision as well as its programmes through direct or indirect work experience with UNICEF is desired.
• Proven ability to manage relationships with partners, including government ministries, youth coalitions, universities, intellectual leaders, UN organizations, NGOs and the private sector.
• Familiarity and experience with international development contexts, particularly complex environments (experience working in Somalia would be an advantage).
• Fluency in English (written & verbal) is required.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.