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Description of assignment title: Data Specialist

Assignment country: Malawi

Duty stations: Lilongwe

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 01/06/2026

Duration: 12 months (with possibility of extension)

Long-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal: 17. Partnerships for the goals

Host entity: UNRCO

Modality: Onsite

Type: National

Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives

The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) supports the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) in their roles to work with UN entities to improve the impact, efficiency and effectiveness of the UN’s operational activities for development at the country level. As designated representative of the UN Secretary-General, the RC in Malawi leads and strategically positions the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in support of national priorities, development strategies, and plans. The UNRCO in Malawi provides inter-agency coordination support to the UN Country Team (UNCT) and its various sub-groups (Programme Management Team – PMT, Operations Management Team – OMT and UN Communications Group – UNCG). The support includes strategic planning, programme and operations management, policy guidance, data management and results reporting as well as knowledge management, advocacy and communications – all seeking to enhance UN coherence and improve overall programme impact to better achieve development results.

Context

The UN Secretary-General’s bold new global reform launched on 1 January 2019 in response to General Assembly resolution 71/243, repositions the UN Development System to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for dignity, prosperity and peace on a healthy planet. With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at its core, and in response to the General Assembly resolution 71/243 on the quadrennial comprehensive policy review of operational activities for the development of the United Nations system, the UN Secretary General’s report (December 2017) “Repositioning the United Nation’s Development system to deliver on the 2030 agenda; our promise for dignity, prosperity and peace on a healthy planet” outs forward a comprehensive proposal on further improvements to the resident coordinator system to ensure more coherent, accountable and effective support for the 2030 Agenda. This was further reinforced by General Assembly resolution 72/729 of 1 June 2018, which gave the Secretary-General the mandate to implement the repositioning. A reinvigorated Resident Coordinator system is at the centre of a repositioned United Nations system and while the system has been instrumental in driving coherence on the ground for the past four decades, it is no insufficiently robust to respond to the needs of the 2030 Agenda. The Resident Coordinator’s Office provides direct support to the UN Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), including advisory, technical, organizational and management support. The UNRCO in Malawi provides inter-agency coordination support to the UN Country Team (UNCT) and its various sub-groups (Programme Management Team – PMT, Operations Management Team – OMT and UN Communications Group – UNCG). The support includes strategic planning, programme and operations management, policy guidance, data management and results reporting as well as knowledge management, advocacy and communications – all seeking to enhance UN coherence and improve overall

Task description

Under the overall supervision of the Head of RCO and direct supervision of the Development Coordination Officer (Data Management, Monitoring & Reporting), the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Implement databases, data collection systems, data analytics and other strategies that optimize statistical efficiency and quality.

Contribute to the identification, analysis and interpretation of trends or patterns, using statistical methods to identify relevant features and variables in structured sources of information and data.

Implement process improvement mechanisms for data analytics tasks; acquire and clean data from primary or secondary sources and maintain databases/data systems/websites.

Contribute to the development of reports, dashboards or other tools to effectively summarize findings and convey information to management.

Track and report on progress regarding department specific data initiatives.

Compile and clarify data insights and develop supporting materials in preparation for stakeholder communications.

Keep abreast of the current and emerging trends and developments in data analytics best practices, technologies, tools, etc.

Contribute to activities aimed at building capacity of staff on data analytics, including trainings for staff members and other personnel.

Actively participate in meetings for the Data, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Group and Result Groups.

Act as learning focal point and disability inclusion focal point for the RCO.

Any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience

3 years

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level

Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Data Science; Social Science or related field; multidisciplinary educational background is an asset

Competencies and values

Adaptability and Flexibility, Client Orientation, Commitment to Continuous Learning Communication, Creativity, Knowledge Sharing, Planning and Organizing, Respect for Diversity, Technological Awareness, Working in Teams

Skills and experience

Experience working with data visualization tools (i.e. Microsoft Power BI or Tableau) a plus;

Experience working with GIS software’s (i.e. ArcGIS) a plus

Ability to analyse results information by triangulating quantitative and qualitative data and evidence;

Area(s) of expertise