Population Data Officer

Mission and objectives

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030.

Context

UNFPA is the United Nations Population Fund. Our mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA Supports: 1. Reproductive health care for women and youth in more than 150 countries – which are home to more than 80 per cent of the world’s population 2. The health of pregnant women, especially the 1 million who face life-threatening complications each month 3. Reliable access to modern contraceptives sufficient to benefit 20 million women a year 4. Training of thousands of health workers to help ensure at least 90 per cent of all childbirths are supervised by skilled attendants 5. Prevention of gender-based violence, which affects 1 in 3 women 6. Abandonment of female genital mutilation, which harms 3 million girls annually 7. Prevention of teen pregnancies, complications of which are the leading cause of death for girls 15-19 years old 8. Efforts to end child marriage, which could affect an estimated 70 million girls over the next 5 years 9. Delivery of safe birth supplies, dignity kits and other life-saving materials to survivors of conflict and natural disaster 10. Censuses, data collection and analyses, which are essential for development planning This UN Volunteer assignment will be residential for an initial period of 9-months, with the volunteer residing at the Nairobi, Kenya duty station with the UNFPA Data and Analytics Branch, Programme Division under the overall direction of Data and Analytics Branch Chief. The purpose of this assignment is to support the 1. production of Common Operational Datasets on Population Statistics (COD-PS) as part of UNFPA’s mandate to deliver subnational population estimates in support of humanitarian response and preparedness around the world; and 2. drafting of operational technical guidance on COD-PS production, quality assurance, and dissemination for UNFPA and UN Humanitarian Country Teams

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of Program Specialist - COD-PS and CRVS, Data and Analytics Branch volunteer will: • Provide a set of subnational population estimates and supporting documentation, for a predetermined selection of countries, and based on UNFPA guidance on preferred data sources. Each set of estimates will involve reading in available subnational population data into the R statistical program and making any necessary adjustments before output in the standard COD-PS format. • Update supporting documentation, which includes a brief description of methods used, as well as comparison with other population estimates. • Supporting documentation will be updated and maintained via both GitHub and a series of standard tools/templates maintained in the UNFPA Google Drive. • Support UNFPA staff in drafting and revising technical guidance on COD-PS production, quality assurance, and dissemination for UNFPA and UN Humanitarian Country Teams. • Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end of assignment self- reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities. • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible. • Related tasks and activities, as per the needs and priorities of the Data and Analytics Branch Results/Expected Outputs: • Ensure timely data cleaning and data integration of input data needed for COD-PS updates • Generate and refine of Common Operational Data Sets on Population Statistics within UNFPA programme countries - particularly in support of operational response countries ahead of the annual humanitarian needs and response planning round and disaster preparedness countries ahead of seasonal climactic events, • Ensure smooth technical coordination with the OCHA Field Information Support Section, Humanitarian Data Exchange and UNFPA Country Offices and Regional Offices. • Upload and transmit approved COD-PS updates to UNFPA Population Data Portal and OCHA Humanitarian Data Exchange. • Contribute to strengthened technical guidance resources on COD-PS updates for use by UNFPA and OCHA field staff. Learning expectations Learning and development are a central part of the this Volunteer’s assignment and takes place before, during and after the assignment in the field. Ideally, offering diverse opportunities for learning and development aim to strengthen the volunteer’s skills and competences, improve the quality of the assignment and keep the volunteer’s motivation high. Learning elements for the assignment include the development of: • Professional skills: including specific competencies and reflection on assignment-related abilities; and on-the-job skills such as time management, problem solving, team building; and career preparedness such as interview skills, CV preparation, job searching. • Inter-personal skills: including communication and listening skills; multi-cultural aware-ness and cultural competency; and conflict and stress management. • Volunteering-related skills: including leadership; civic responsibility; and engagement and active participation. Beyond the learning opportunities provided by UNV, UNFPA will support knowledge and capacity development in the technical areas that are relevant to the assignment. UNFPA will provide, at its expense, Volunteers with equal opportunity to participate in training courses and workshops offered to its personnel.

Competencies and values

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNFPA; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNFPA procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNFPA in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNFPA’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Living conditions and remarks

Nairobi, Kenya is a cosmopolitan duty station that offers diversity in lifestyle and culture. The incumbent will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. The contract is for the period indicated above with the possibility to extend subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. A UN Volunteer receives a Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) per month and is paid at the end of each month to cover housing, utilities, transportation, communications and other basic needs. The VLA can be computed by applying the Post-Adjustment Multiplier (PAM) to the VLA base rate of (choose from the drop down menu the appropriate rate here): US$1,305. The VLA base rate is a global rate, while the PAM is country-specific and fluctuates on a monthly basis according to the cost of living. This method ensures that international UN Volunteers have comparable purchasing power at all duty stations irrespective of varying costs of living. The PAM is established by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and is published at the beginning of every month on the ICSC website http://icsc.un.org . In non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, international UN Volunteers receive a monthly Well-Being Differential (WBD). Furthermore, UN Volunteers are provided an entry lumpsum at the start of the assignment. UNV provides life, health, permanent disability insurances as well as assignment travel, annual leave, full integration in the UN security framework (including residential security reimbursements). UN Volunteers are paid Daily Subsistence Allowance at the UN rate for official travels. A resettlement allowance is paid for satisfactory service at the end of the assignment. UNV will provide, together with the offer of assignment, a copy of the Conditions of Service, including Code of conduct, to the successful candidate.