Background
Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. Please ensure that CV or P11 and the Cover letter are combined in one file.
The following documents shall be required from the applicants:
Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.
Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.
Office/Unit/Project Description
The UN Reform Resolution tasks UNDP to provide countries with an “integrator function” to accelerate progress towards the SDGs by tackling multiple interlinked and interdependent development challenges. The UNDP Global Policy Network (GPN) draws on expertise globally to provide more effective responses to the complex development challenges countries face in achieving the SDGs and responding to crisis in an integrated and coherent manner. Anchored in the Crisis Bureau (CB) and the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), the GPN has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan, which is aligned with the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
An SDG Integration Team located with UNDP’s Global Policy Network (GPN) offers a menu of services emphasizing direct short- to medium-term engagements to respond rapidly to requests from country offices for support on national implementation and monitoring of integrated policy solutions, qualitative and evidence-driven analysis for accelerated progress, and knowledge sharing and upscaling of innovative approaches to sustainable development. The team’s work emphasizes the application of evidence-driven data and analytics for SDG implementation and reporting.
In this regard, advances in digital technology are creating data at unprecedented levels of detail and speed, turning the stories of people’s lives into numbers every minute of every day, across the globe. An important focus of the integration work is to complement traditional data (e.g., national statistics,) with new and alternative sources including digital ‘breadcrumbs,’ satellite data, social media to identify emerging trends and gain new perspectives on issues in development.
Under the guidance of the Global Policy Advisor of the SDG Integration Bureau for Policy and Programme Support/Global Policy Network, the Data Science Specialist will lead on the development, training and testing of text analytics/Natural Language Processing (NLP) of reports, project information and other data for the organisation.
Institutional Arrangement
- The Specialist will work under the guidance and direct supervision of Global Policy Advisor of the SDG Integration team, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support/Global Policy Network and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the scope of work mentioned above.
- The Specialist will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment. The
- The Specialist will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.
- Given the global nature of UNDP’s work, the Specialist is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability for such consultations taking into consideration different time zones
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work
- Lead the development of Machine Learning (ML) models applying structured and unstructured learning including but not limited to regressions, random forest models, clustering models, sentiment analysis, NLP (Natural Language Processing) and Topic Modelling to support UNDP policy analysis;
- Build and deploy Natural Langue Processing (NLP)/ Machine Learning (ML) models for portfolio and project analytics, and more particularly for the SDG Integration Team’s work on SDG Acceleration Diagnostic, thematic taxonomy implementation and others as needed;
- Design and implement data quality procedures to support data quality management activities such as the implementation of data pipeline for Natural Langue Processing (NLP)/ Machine Learning (ML) models to ensure high quality analytics required for various purposes;
- Research and experiment customized tools using Natural Langue Processing (NLP)/ Machine Learning (ML) methods to strengthen the SDG Integration Team’s data collection, and analysis, capabilities;
- Lead substantive coordination with IT and Thematic teams to discuss, design, test and implement text analytics approaches and enhancements
Competencies
Core | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Achieve Results: | LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Think Innovatively: | LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Learn Continuously: | LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Adapt with Agility: | LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Act with Determination: | LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Engage and Partner: | LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: | LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies
|
Required Skills and Experience
Min. Education requirements |
|
Min. years of relevant work experience |
|
Required skills |
|
Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section |
|
Required Language(s) |
|