Data Analyst United Nations Development Programme Experience: 2 years of relevant work experience Freetown, Sierra Leone Apply By: 19-09-2024

The UN Secretary-General established the UN SDG Action Campaign to inspire people and organizations from all backgrounds and every part of the world to take actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, while holding decision-makers to account for progress society-wide. The UN SDG Action Campaign is hosted and supported by UNDP and is based in Bonn (Germany) with a lean team that marshals rapid support for new initiatives as opportunities arise and provides partners with on-demand strategic creative services that inspire SDG action with an engaged community of activists and concerned individuals. 

The UN SDG Action Campaign is working closely with cities and local governments to showcase how they are actively contributing to implement Agenda 2030, accelerating transformative action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for all, and everywhere. The UN SDG Action Campaign, together with the office of UNDP in the Sierra Leone are supporting the Freetown City Council to implement its development plan and showcase how it contributes to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Freetown has experienced a significant increase in population due to migration from rural areas, especially after the 11-year civil conflict. The impacts of climate change have further accelerated this growth. Over the past 25 years, the population of Freetown has more than doubled, and it now accommodates approximately 15% of the national population on less than 0.1% of the national landmass. The city is projected to gain another half a million residents over the next decade. Unfortunately, the Freetown City Council has historically lacked the necessary urban management tools to utilize urbanization for economic growth and improved service delivery. The consequences of rapid population growth without proper land use planning and building controls are devastating for the natural environment and the quality of life for residents.
• In its 2019 -2023 development plan, the Freetown City Council aimed to address various challenges through Transform Freetown eleven priority sectors, including environmental management, revenue mobilization, education, and sanitation. Together, the Council, its residents, and a group of technical experts identified 19 targets and 37 initiatives to be implemented. A wide range of projects were initiated, including setting up waste management micro-enterprises, yearly flood mitigation interventions, establishing early learning centers for children of market women in two markets, and launching the Freetown Fashion Design and Creative Arts Network.
• The Transform Freetown—Transforming Lives Plan (Transforming Lives, for short) is Freetown City Council’s development plan for 2024 – 2028. It builds on the progress made during the previous five years of the Transform Freetown initiative. Transforming Lives aims to be inclusive and data-driven in addressing Freetown’s challenges and creating job opportunities.

The plan focuses on four priority sectors: 

• Climate change
• Heritage tourism
• Digital economy
• Human development

These priorities directly relate to the Sustainable Development Goals and align with the Government of Sierra Leone’s Medium-term National Development Plan. In May 2024, the Freetown City Council engaged extensively with the community to identify the interventions that need prioritization. Approximately 4,800 residents from 48 wards representing various stakeholders, including youth, elderly, persons with disabilities, women, and religious leaders, were involved in the engagement process. Feedback from the communities emphasized the need for improvements in critical public service delivery, including water access, health facilities, education and skills development, and waste management.

The Data Analyst will conduct research and evaluation to support the implementation of the Transforming Lives Plan. The Data Analyst will have a high degree of independence to assess project impacts, make improvement recommendations and provide feedback for projects initiated or continued as part of Transforming Lives.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage impact assessment dashboard. Develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics related to program objectives;
• Ensure data collection and analysis. Collect and organize data, and track progress in an impact assessment dashboard;
• Establish evaluation methodologies. Apply appropriate evaluation methodologies, frameworks, and tools to assess program effectiveness and impact;
• Ensure effective milestone reporting. Prepare regular milestone reports to communicate progress, achievements, and challenges of programs to various internal and external stakeholders;
• Promote stakeholder collaboration. Collaborate with internal teams, external partners, and program participants to gather feedback and insights for evaluation purposes;
• Contribute to knowledge management and information sharing;
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) In Social Science, Public Policy, Global Affairs or a relevant discipline is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional work experience in project development and project management;
• At least 2 years of experience working with local and regional governments, preferably in Africa;
• Proven experience in contributing to the development and testing of data collection instruments;
• Experience in working as part of an interdisciplinary team to plan and conduct evaluations;
• Demonstrated experience in organizing , summarizing and communicate information clearly and concisely;
• Proficiency in conducting analyses using appropriate analytic tools and techniques for quantitative data (e.g., descriptive and inferential analysis in Stata) and/or qualitative data (using content analysis and thematic clustering);
• Experience in quantitative data management (data organization, data cleaning) for research purposes;
• Proficiency in at least one statistical and spatial software;
• Aptitude for coding for data management, analysis, and visualization.

Required Language(s):

• Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language is desired.

Source: https://estm.fa.em2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/job/20386