Senior Data Scientist (Chief of Analytics Section)

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Analytics Section of the Analytics and Project Management Service of the Business Transformation and Accountability Division (BTAD) in the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC). The Senior Data Scientist reports to the Chief of Service. For more information, please visit https : / / www.un.org / management / content / our-work.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Data Scientist will be responsible for the following duties :

• Plans and directs the work programme on data science, providing both methodical and managerial supervision of all activities; Plans, organizes and manages staff and evaluates their performance.
• Takes the lead in exploration, identification, and acquisition of data sources to determine their suitability for use in decision making and advancing the goals of the organization. Enables broader use of data sources by applying quality methods to structure, clean, format, parse, and standardize for analytical use.
• Ensures close working relationships with key clients to leverage the use of data science methods to support their programmatic areas with solutions that assist them in accomplishing their mandates.
• Coordinates the design and development of data science products to reveal insights and provides an understanding or knowledge of the data that would otherwise not be detected without the application of advanced analytical methods such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, data and text mining, natural language processing, statistics, and use of relevant algorithms and computational approaches.
• Orchestrates the liaison with technology stakeholders to access infrastructure, software and services needed to develop and deploy data science products.
• Leads the promotion of data science solutions through client training and the development of products, tools and processes to extend the capabilities of client offices.
• Coordinates the design and development of customized visualization and presentation products to reveal the findings of analysis for clients, suitable for all forms of production to include briefings, reports, documentation to oversight bodies, interactive interfaces, and publication quality outputs.
• Guides, trains and supervises staff in the function.
• Represents the organization at international and regional meetings and inter-agency activities.
• Advises senior management on trends and developments in data science and recommends appropriate courses of action.

Competencies

Education

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in data science, mathematics, statistics, engineering or any related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Job - Specific Qualification

Not available.

Work Experience

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in data science, data analytics, applied mathematics, information management, or related area is required. At least five years of experience working with statistical and computational methods, such as clustering, forecasting, artificial intelligence, machine learning, detecting outliers, regression, and text analytics, as well as utilizing Data Science tools such as Jupyter, Matlab, Knime, SPSS, SAS or similar, and Programming Languages such as R, Python, Javascript, and tools for large datasets such as Hadoop and Spark is required. At least five years of managerial experience, demonstrating leadership skills and the ability to effectively manage teams of five or more staff, as well as large projects is required. Experience leading and managing the envisioning, designing, developing and implementing innovative data science solutions at the enterprise level for complex digital transformation initiatives is required. Experience with graph data structures including data architecture, querying, and applying suitable methods such as pathfinding and social network analysis, is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

Appointment against this position is for an initial period of one year. The appointment and renewal thereof are subject to the availability of the post or funds, budgetary approval or extension of the mandate. For this position, applicants from the following Member States, which are unrepresented or under-represented in the UN Secretariat as of 30th November 2024, are strongly encouraged to apply : Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, China, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Grenada, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Libya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco, Nauru, Oman, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Vanuatu. The United Nations Secretariat is committed to achieving 50 / 50 gender balance and geographical diversity in its staff. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position. Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfil the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover letter. At the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the recruitment and employment of staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, with due regard to geographic diversity. All employment decisions are made on the basis of qualifications and organizational needs. The United Nations is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. The United Nations recruits and employs staff regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds or disabilities.

United Nations Considerations

According to 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. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term "sexual exploitation" means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term "sexual abuse" means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term "sexual harassment" means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator's working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment. Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. By accepting a letter of appointment, staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General, who may assign them to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations in accordance with staff regulation 1.2 (c). Further, staff members in the Professional and higher category up to and including the D-2 level and the Field Service category are normally required to move periodically to discharge functions in different duty stations under conditions established in ST / AI / 2023 / 3 on Mobility, as may be amended or revised. This condition of service applies to all position specific job openings and does not apply to temporary positions. Applicants are urged to carefully follow all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira, and to refer to the Applicant Guide by clicking on "Manuals" in the "Help" tile of the inspira account-holder homepage. The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application. Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at 11 : 59 p.m. (New York time) on the deadline date.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS' BANK ACCOUNTS.