The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) has created a new humanitarian data platform – the Humanitarian Data
Exchange (HDX).
The goal of HDX is to make humanitarian data easy to find and use for
analysis.
The platform will include three technical components:
a dataset repository for sharing data from across the community; data
visualization and analysis functionality to compare indicators across
countries and crises; and
standards for the exchange of humanitarian
operational data (the Humanitarian Exchange Language or HXL).
HDX is being piloted in Colombia and Kenya in 2014.
As part of its roll out in Kenya, the HDX team will be establishing a Data
Lab in Nairobi.
1. Data Manager – Humanitarian Data Exchange, Data Lab
Position Type: Consultant
Duration: 3-6 months
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Date: as soon as possible
The Data Lab will serve as a front line, in-person service to the HDX
platform and create a neutral, physical space for humanitarian partners,
government officials, technologists, universities, and international
stakeholders to collaborate on all things data.
Data services will include data extraction, cleaning, storage, analysis and
visualization.
The Lab will also provide the opportunity to find new ways of working
together on humanitarian data.
Nairobi was chosen as the initial location for the Data Lab because it is a
regional setting that is often dealing with multiple emergencies.
We also wanted to explore the relationship between data and resilience in a
region that has persistent drought and food insecurity.
As we get established, we hope to benefit from the experience of local
innovators involved in the local tech scene.
The HDX Data Lab requires an experienced Data Manager to collaborate with
data partners.
The consultant will be part of the HDX Data Lab team which will include a
Lab Manager and a Data Analyst.
The Data Lab team will be expected to work closely with staff from the OCHA
regional office, based in Nairobi, and with the global HDX
team.ReportingRelationships:
The consultant will report to the Lab Manager with oversight from the
Statistician and Analytical Lead of the Humanitarian Data Exchange project
who is based in New York.Accountabilities Within the limits of delegated
authority, the consultant will be responsible for the following:
Work with partner organizations to support their data management processes.
Advise partners on the use of data extraction processes for their data
systems;
develop scripts and APIs for data transferring when appropriate.
Monitor the use of HDX by partners in the region and undertake outreach to
bring new organizations into the HDX community.
Ensure data freshness of region-specific data in HDX
Promote the use of shared data and interoperability standards within
partner spreadsheets and systems using the Humanitarian Exchange Language
(HXL).
Manage and distribute standard reference data, including taxonomies, code
lists, and geodata.
Clean the common operational datasets for countries in the Eastern Africa
region and move the cleaned files into the HDX platform.
Work with non-traditional data sources (telcos, social media) to see what
data can be used to inform humanitarian decision making.
Take part in HDX project team meetings as required.Deliverables
Cleaned partner data and logical processes for sharing data with HDX.
Agreements with data providers for sharing data with the HDX platform.
Ongoing curation of data into the HDX analytical database.
Cleaned common operational datasets for countries in the region.
The use of HXL in partner spreadsheets or systems.Qualifications Education:
First level university degree in computer science, information management,
information technology, or related field.Experience:
At least five years of professional work experience with managing data
systems.
Proven experience in database programming.Demonstrated experience in
technical communication.
Experience with the following a plus:
the Java and Python programming languages,
relational databases,
the CKAN open-data portal.Language:
Fluency in English is required (both oral and written).
Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
2. Vacancy: Data Analyst Consultant – Humanitarian Data Exchange, Data Lab
Posted in: Graduate Jobs in Kenya|September 23, 2014
Duration: 3-6 months
Date of Entry: as soon as possible
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
As part of its roll out in Kenya, the HDX team will be establishing a Data
Lab in Nairobi.
The Data Lab will serve as a front line, in-person service to the HDX
platform and create a neutral, physical space for humanitarian partners,
government officials, technologists, universities, and international
stakeholders to collaborate on all things data.
Data services will include data extraction, cleaning, storage, analysis and
visualization.
The Lab will also provide the opportunity to find new ways of working
together on humanitarian data.
Nairobi was chosen as the initial location for a Data Lab because it is a
regional setting that is often dealing with multiple emergencies.
We also want to explore the relationship between data and resilience in a
region that has persistent drought and food insecurity.
As we get established, we hope to benefit from the experience of local
innovators involved in the local tech scene.
The HDX Data Lab requires an experienced Data Analyst to collaborate with
data partners.
The consultant will be part of the HDX Data Lab team that will include a
Lab Manager and a Data Analyst.
The Data Lab team will be expected to work closely with staff from the OCHA
regional office, based in Nairobi, and with the global HDX team.
Reporting Relationships: The consultant will report to the Lab Manager with
oversight from the Statistician and Analytical Lead of the Humanitarian
Data Exchange project who is based in New York.
Accountabilities
Within the limits of delegated authority, the consultant will be
responsible for the following:
Work closely with staff from partner organizations to prioritize business
and information needs for the purpose of conducting analysis.
Organize, design and carry out the evaluation and analysis of Eastern
Africa-specific data sets through meaningful statistical techniques.
Understand, document, and ensure the quality of high-value humanitarian
data for accuracy, consistency and comparability within Kenya and across
the region, where applicable.
Participate in the development, implementation, and management of new
indicators, together with its accompanying data, to be included in a Common
Humanitarian Dataset.
Advise on methodologies for key humanitarian indicators such as the ‘number
of people affected’ and the ‘number of people in need of assistance’ and
their application and use in humanitarian crises in Eastern Africa.
Make recommendations, as needed, on the data visualization and analytic
functionality of local systems and their relationship to the HDX platform.
Develop ad hoc analysis on demand for partner organizations.
Take part in HDX project team meetings as required.Deliverables
Clean and validated high-value datasets produced by the humanitarian
community.
Data visualizations and analysis of regional data, using both print and web
technologies, conveying key insights for use by partner organizations and
within the HDX platform.
Oversight and curation of data analytics for the relevant pages (e.g.
country, region, crisis, or topic) in the HDX platform.Qualifications
Education:
A first level university degree in statistics, mathematics, economics,
computer science or related field is required.Experience:
A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in the
collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of statistical data or
related area.
Proven experience of statistical software to analyze and evaluate complex
data is required (e.g. SPSS, SAS, STATA).
Knowledge of geographic (GIS) data, its analytical procedures and software
is a plus.
Knowledge of statistical programming languages (e.g. R, Python / NumPy) is
a plus.
Knowledge of web-development technologies is a plus (e.g. JavaScript, HTML,
CSS).
Experience with humanitarian data and indicators desirable.Language:
Fluency in English is required (both oral and written).
3. Lab Manager – Humanitarian Data Exchange – Data Lab
The Data Lab will serve as a front line, in-person service to the HDX
platform and create a neutral, physical space for humanitarian partners,
government officials, technologists, universities, and international
stakeholders to collaborate on all things data.
Data services will include data extraction, cleaning, storage, analysis and
visualization.
The Lab will also provide the opportunity to find new ways of working
together on humanitarian data.
Nairobi was chosen as the initial location for the Data Lab because it is a
regional setting that is often dealing with multiple emergencies.
We also wanted to explore the relationship between data and resilience in a
region that has persistent drought and food insecurity.
As we get established, we hope to benefit from the experience of local
innovators involved in the local tech scene.
The HDX Data Lab requires an experienced Data Manager to collaborate with
data partners.
The consultant will be part of the HDX Data Lab team which will include a
Lab Manager and a Data Analyst.
The Data Lab team will be expected to work closely with staff from the OCHA
regional office, based in Nairobi, and with the global HDX team.
Reporting Lines: The consultant will report to the Project Manager of the
Humanitarian Data Exchange project in New York.
Accountabilities
Oversee all aspects of the Nairobi Data Lab including operational
(staffing, resource allocation, office logistics) and programmatic elements
(community building and outreach, partner services, representation, data
management/analysis, and user experience research).
Support the hiring process of local lab staff in close coordination with
the OCHA Regional Office in Nairobi.
Research, recommend, and secure a physical office space(s) for the Data Lab
and oversee the set up of that space.
Maintain rigorous financial records and contribute to donor reporting for
the Data Lab grant; write blogs and other communications material as needed.
Define the services for the humanitarian community to be offered by the
Data Lab based on an understanding of the needs of humanitarian partners
with a focus on innovation and collaboration.
Conduct formal and informal outreach to the humanitarian community to
promote these services. Develop partnerships and identify useful networks
for Data Lab staff to cultivate.
Offer training and events through the Data Lab aimed at increasing the data
capacity and connectedness of the humanitarian community; host innovation
and research projects within the physical lab.
Support the creation of a virtual Data Lab through the HDX platform to
promote projects and connect collaborators.
Represent the HDX project in high level meetings, trainings, workshops,
hackathons and conferences; communicate the goals of the
Data Lab and the HDX platform to a variety of audiences.
Develop a user experience component to test country, regional, and crisis
specific pages and features.
Provide feedback on user experience elements to the HDX project team on the
specific needs of local users.
Take part in HDX project team meetings as required.Deliverables
Well-functioning HDX Data Lab in Nairobi.
Hiring and management of local staff.
Clear understanding by partners of the work of the Data Lab and the
services it provides.Qualifications Education:
First level university degree in business development, management,
information management, information technology, or related field.Experience:
At least five years of professional work experience with business
development, project management and innovation projects.
Demonstrated experience in staff management and communication. Humanitarian
or tech experience a plus.Language:
Fluency in English is required (both oral and written).
Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.Send CVs to Mark
Slezak at slezak@un.org with a copy to hdx@un.org. by 31st October