UNESCO  recrute un Senior Statistical Assistant

Duty Station: Dakar

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Project Appointment

Duration of contract : 1 year

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 21-JUL-2023

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

Only candidates who are entitled to work in Senegal can apply to this position

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

BACKGROUND

Established in 1999, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) serves as UNESCO’s statistical agency for its 193 member states (MS) and 12 associated members. The UIS agenda is focused on the delivery of cross- national comparable data for Global, regional and development agendas, covering the fields of education, science, culture, and communication and information. The UIS delivers the technical support for MS to produce transformative data based on the 3 pillars (Standards and methodologies; Data production; Brokering and outreach). The UIS’ vision, described in its 2022-2029 Medium Term strategy, is to ensure that countries’ policies and decision-making are informed by sound statistical information; that they can benchmark progress towards national and international goals and learn from the experience of others. The UIS is seeking to build a management team that will lead the successful implementation of that vision.

The UIS is instrumental in shaping global education by providing essential data, technical expertise, and leadership in learning outcomes. It actively addresses challenges related to AI and machine learning and establishes a strong foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through collaborations with UNICEF, the World Bank, OECD, and the GEMR, the UIS fulfills emerging data requirements. Its joint efforts in conducting the Joint Survey on national education responses to COVID-19 demonstrate its commitment to addressing immediate priorities. The data generated through these initiatives informs global, regional, and funding mechanisms for education, including important platforms like the UN Transforming Education Summit, the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM), G7, G20, and the GPE results framework. Furthermore, in partnership with the GEMR, the UIS has successfully adopted an SDG 4 benchmarking process, becoming a leading authority in data and monitoring within the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM). This process serves as a vital tool for countries to set and monitor targets, positioning the UIS and the GEMR at the forefront of supporting countries in achieving improved education outcomes. Recognizing the significant influence of AI and machine learning, the UIS actively engages in this domain by providing critical data and technical inputs. This proactive involvement ensures that education systems are well-equipped to leverage the potential of AI and address associated challenges through informed decision-making and policy development.

Long Description

PURPOSE

The Senior Statistical Assistant reports directly to Senior Regional Advisor, performing specialised technical and procedural tasks related to the production and dissemination of cross-national data and indicators. The incumbent acts as a focal point for a particular area of statistical support, such as a group of countries, or a specific topic. He or she analyses national data and conducts research to ensure compliance with international standards and methodologies. He or she takes part in regional training workshops and provides support to the workshop leader. The incumbent is expected to coordinate activities and projects or delegate them to other statistical support staff, interns or volunteers.

CORE TAKS INCLUDE:

•    Maintenance and development of UIS indicators and technical documentation
•    Improvement of the quality of the UIS statistical databases
•    Processing and validation of data and indicators
•    Production of UIS statistical outputs and data analysis
•    Coordination of activities and projects

Long Description

MAIN TASKS & RESPONSILITIES

Within delegated authority, the Senior Statistical Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Compiles, processes and manipulates data sets derived from a variety of sources.
• Assembles and examines original statistical material to ensure accuracy, clarity and validity; makes appropriate adjustments.
• Updates statistical series in established formats.  Applies new data and derived statistics, enters data on survey reports, and provides information for publication.
• Prepares charts, graphs and other outputs for reporting and presentation of various data.
• Maintains relevant computerized databases.
• Responds to internal/external requests on questions related to specific programme(s).
• Assists in liaising with United Nations system organizations to obtain necessary statistical and other relevant information.
• Prepares data sets upon request, responds to queries/requests and maintains/updates web pages.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION 

•    Completion of secondary, technical or vocational education is required.

WORK EXPERIENCE

•    A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in data science, statistics, finance, accounting or related area is required.
•    Experience in the use of statistical software for data validation and processing, such as R, Python or Stata, and management of large databases and multi-source datasets is required.
•    Good knowledge of MS Excel, MS Access and SAS is required.
•    Experience with analytics and data visualization applications (MS PowerBI, Qlik, Tableau or similar).

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES 

• An aptitude for numbers and the ability to present statistics in tabular and graphic form are required.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to manage and analyse large data sets with a statistical package
• Good organizational skills are essential for timely implementation of work plans. As well as, excellent team spirit and the ability to maintain effective working relationships in a multi-cultural environment.

LANGUAGES

•    Excellent knowledge of French.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• University degree or advanced university degree in data science, analytics, statistics or a related field is desirable.

WORK EXPERIENCE

•    Experience with official statistics is desirable.
•    Experience in data processing is desirable.
•    Experience in data scripting is desirable.
•    Experience in responding to inquiries and updating web pages is desirable.
•    Experience in computer programming (e.g. SQL, VBA, Java) is desirable.
•    Experience in supporting the implementation of projects or activities with multiple stakeholders is desirable.
•    Experience in working with the United Nations system or similar international organization is desirable.
•    Experience of working in education statistics.
•    Professional experience in a government or international organization.
•    Experience of working in a development context.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES 

• Demonstrated writing abilities including contribution to or (co-) authorship of technical papers and analytical reports, preferably in the field of learning assessments or a related area.

LANGUAGES

• A very good working knowledge of English would be an asset.