Data Cleaning & Quality Assurance Volunteers

Job Posting Organization:
UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is an agency established by the UN General Assembly with the mission to promote socially and environmentally sustainable and resilient towns and cities. The organization aims to be the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. UN-Habitat envisions well-planned, well-governed, and efficient cities and towns, ensuring adequate housing, infrastructure, and universal access to essential services such as water, energy, and sanitation. In Ukraine, UN-Habitat is actively involved in supporting national and subnational governments in their recovery efforts, linking immediate reconstruction needs with long-term resilience solutions. The organization operates through its Urban Lab in Kyiv, providing local governments with support for recovery planning and enhancing urban planning and design capacities through collaboration with academia and practitioners. At the national level, UN-Habitat assists the Ukrainian government, particularly the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, in developing policies and instruments that guide recovery efforts. The organization's commitment to sustainable recovery is further strengthened by its initiatives to enhance the digital and data capacities of government entities, facilitating better decision-making and climate-resilient recovery planning through partnerships like UNITAC, which involves collaboration with the UN Office for Information and Communication Technologies and HafenCity University.

Job Overview:
The Data Cleaning & Quality Assurance Volunteers will be integral to the Tech Volunteers for Resilience (Tech4R) initiative, which is co-led by UNDP ICPSD and UNV. This initiative aims to mobilize skilled digital volunteers to create open-source digital tools that enhance resilience, transparency, and data-driven decision-making. In collaboration with UN-Habitat Ukraine, the Tech4R initiative is focused on developing a GIS-Based Recovery Dashboard for Borodianka hromada in Kyiv Oblast. This dashboard will serve as a comprehensive tool that consolidates reconstruction project data, environmental risks, and spatial layers into a single interactive system, thereby improving recovery planning and monitoring. The volunteers will be responsible for preparing datasets for integration into this dashboard, ensuring that the data is clean, validated, and standardized to guarantee its reliability and usability. This role is crucial for the successful implementation of the dashboard and the overall objectives of the Tech4R initiative.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Volunteers will be tasked with several key responsibilities, including: reviewing raw datasets in various formats such as Excel, CSV, and shapefiles to ensure completeness, accuracy, and consistency; identifying and correcting duplicates, missing values, and inconsistencies in data formats; standardizing project naming conventions, location data, and sectoral classifications; validating geocoded data and verifying metadata entries; collaborating with GIS and Dashboard teams to ensure compatibility of all datasets for integration; performing quality assurance checks on finalized layers and project attributes; and documenting the data cleaning procedures to ensure transparency and replicability of the process. These duties are essential for maintaining the integrity of the data that will be used in the recovery dashboard.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates for this volunteer position should possess strong analytical skills and attention to detail, as these are critical for effectively reviewing and cleaning datasets. Familiarity with data management tools and software, particularly those used for handling Excel, CSV, and shapefiles, is essential. Volunteers should also have a basic understanding of GIS principles and practices, as they will be working closely with GIS teams. Additionally, the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and communicate effectively with team members is important. A proactive approach to problem-solving and a commitment to maintaining high standards of data quality are also required.

Educational Background:
A background in data science, information technology, geography, urban planning, or a related field is preferred for this volunteer position. Candidates should have relevant coursework or training that demonstrates their ability to handle and analyze data effectively. While formal education is important, practical experience with data cleaning and quality assurance processes will be highly valued.

Experience:
While this is a volunteer position and does not require extensive professional experience, candidates should ideally have some prior experience in data management, data cleaning, or quality assurance roles. Experience working with GIS tools or in urban planning contexts will be considered an asset. Volunteers should be comfortable working with various data formats and possess a basic understanding of data validation techniques.

Languages:
Proficiency in English is mandatory, as it is the primary language of communication within the UN system. Knowledge of Ukrainian or Russian would be advantageous, as it would facilitate better communication with local stakeholders and enhance the effectiveness of the volunteer's contributions.

Additional Notes:
This is an unpaid volunteer assignment, and candidates should be aware that they will not receive a salary for their work. However, UN Volunteers will receive private insurance coverage for health, dental, life, and dismemberment during the assignment. Additional benefits include opportunities for international collaboration and mentorship, skills development in real-world UN-driven projects, and a Certificate of Service upon completion of the assignment. This volunteer role is part of the Tech4R programme, which focuses on mobilizing skilled digital volunteers to create open-source solutions that enhance disaster resilience.