Data Specialist

CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST - VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: 2501082 Data Specialist 

Job Posting

: 22/Apr/2025

Closure Date

: 06/May/2025, 9:59:00 PMOrganizational Unit: SAPDD - Programme, Policy Coordination

Job Type

: Non-staff opportunitiesType of Requisition: Consultant / PSA (Personal Services Agreement)Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location

: Samoa-ApiaDuration: Up to 11 monthsPost Number: N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

 

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

FAO’s commitment to environmental sustainability is integral to our strategic objectives and operations.

 

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for the Pacific (SAP) supports member countries in meeting their national priorities in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, agrifood systems, nutrition and rural development. FAO’s member countries in the Pacific include the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. FAO SAP is responsible for developing, promoting, overseeing and implementing agreed strategies for addressing subregional agriculture, food, nutrition and rural development priorities. FAO SAP develops and maintains relations with subregion-wide institutions including the Council of Regional Organizations in the Pacific (CROP). The Subregional Office is a subsidiary of FAO's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (RAP) in Bangkok.

FAO SAP is seeking a Data Specialist to assist with survey design, data collection tool development, data collection quality control, and data analysis. The role also involves contributions to reporting and presentation of results that provide an evidence base to support FAO, governments, and development partners in decision-making and programming.

Reporting Lines

The Data Specialist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for the Pacific Islands, the guidance of the Food and Nutrition Officer / Better Life and Better Nutrition Module Leader, and the direct technical supervision of the FAO SAP International Statistician Specialist. He/she works in collaboration with government institutions, relevant FAO technical and support staff and consultants as well as partners. 

Technical Focus 

The incumbent will assist with survey design, data collection tool development, data collection quality control and data analysis. He/She will contribute to reporting and presentation of results, ensuring alignment with FAO’s reporting standards, formats, and presentation guidelines. He/She will support the improvement of statistical methodologies.

Tasks and responsibilities

The Data Specialist’s responsibilities will include:

•    Contribute to the development of methodological documents, including guidance documents, Standard Operating Procedures, tools, and scripts, in relation to the different steps of the data cycle (questionnaire design, sample design, enumerators training, data quality control, performance analysis, weights, data cleaning, data analysis) for Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews surveys and in-person surveys using KoboToolBox and/or Survey Solutions.
•    Ensure that technical standards are applied in country surveys and alert on any issues.
•    Contribute to developing training materials / modalities and implementing training sessions in order to build the capacities of regional and country assessments/surveys specialists, and local partners, on the methodological materials.
•    Provide one-to-one technical support to regional and country assessment/surveys specialists on the use of the methodological materials, upon request.
•    Conduct quantitative data cleaning and analysis, upon request (country datasets, meta-analysis).
•    Assist in data management and archiving.
•    Contribute to lessons learnt exercises on assessment/surveys processes and tools and propose improvements.
•    Support to the data collection process - design of tools; sampling processes; data quality control; data processing and data analysis.
•    Ensure that assessment/survey tools comprehensively cover agriculture modules (crop, livestock, fisheries, forestry, etc.) to ensure formulation of appropriate questions and indicators to answer policy questions.
•    Support to the data analysis process - 'translate' program needs into viable evaluation questions and address them with rigor; analyze data using primary and secondary information – baseline data, etc.; establish contextual baseline secondary data to support interpretation of data collection results.
•    Support the data analysis for thematic institutional indicators and tools – support the analysis of FAO’s RIMA, and other internationally standardized indicators (HDDS, FCS, LCS, FIES, SDG indicators, etc.) to inform program and implementation.
•    Support review of reporting of results and methodological approaches for FAO SAP reports and publications.
•    Support coordination and implementation of activities with FAO SAP teams, partners, service providers and other stakeholders.
•    Perform any other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree in Statistics, Agricultural Economics, Socio Economics, Food Security, Nutrition, or a relevant field
•    At least 2 years of relevant experience in analyzing large-scale food security, agriculture data or other relevant surveys using statistical software packages, including experience with the reporting, data visualization, GIS/mapping, presentation of results and recommendations from assessments, surveys, monitoring, and evaluations
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English 

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Able to work under pressure and adapt to an evolving and complex humanitarian context and within multidisciplinary and different cultural background teams.
•    Advanced skills in sample design, data quality control and data analysis.
•    Excellent command of R, STATA or SPSS, basic command of the other statistical software packages.
•    Working knowledge of digital data collection applications (in particular, Kobo Toolbox and/or Survey Solutions).
•    Excellent command of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Power Bi, Tableau or other reporting and visualization software
•    Excellent command of the English language, and ability to write clear and concise reports in English.
•    Knowledge of key food security, agricultural and livelihoods indicators.
•    Familiarity with Geographic Information Systems and dashboards.
•    Experience in training others on survey design, implementation, analysis and reporting.
•    Ability to solve problems and provide creative solutions.
•    Strong individual planning capacity.

 

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• FAO does not charge any fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing)
• Please note that FAO will only consider academic credentials or degrees obtained from an educational institution recognized in the IAU/UNESCO list
• Please note that FAO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU) / United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed at http://www.whed.net/ 
• For more information, visit the FAO employment website
• Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances.

 

HOW TO APPLY

• To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, and language skills
• Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile
• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application
• Candidates may be requested to provide performance assessments and authorization to conduct verification checks of past and present work, character, education, military and police records to ascertain any and all information which may be pertinent to the employment qualifications
• Incomplete applications will not be considered
• Personal information provided on your application may be shared within FAO and with other companies acting on FAO’s behalf to provide employment support services such as pre-screening of applications, assessment tests, background checks and other related services. You will be asked to provide your consent before submitting your application. You may withdraw consent at any time, by withdrawing your application, in such case FAO will no longer be able to consider your application
• Only applications received through the FAO recruitment portal will be considered
• Your application will be screened based on the information provided in your online profile
•  We encourage applicants to submit the application well before the deadline date.

If you need help or have queries, please create a one-time registration with FAO’s client support team for further assistance: https://fao.service-now.com/csp

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT