Data Analyst (Individual Consultancy)

Job Posting Organization:
UNICEF, established in 1946, is a United Nations agency that works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. The organization is committed to promoting the rights of every child and offers diverse opportunities for professional and personal development. UNICEF employs thousands of staff members globally and is dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment where everyone can belong and grow. The organization is known for its attractive compensation and benefits package, emphasizing the importance of its mission to serve children and communities worldwide.

Job Overview:
The consultant will play a crucial role in supporting UNICEF by developing a new composite indicator of schooling and learning deprivation. This will involve utilizing data from the MICS Foundational Learning Skills (MICS-FLS) module across 44 countries and territories. The consultant's responsibilities will include reviewing country-level implementation conditions and writing reproducible R syntax to compute reading and numeracy indicators, ensuring that these indicators account for the differences in administration protocols across various countries. The analytical outputs will be managed through a structured Git repository, which will ensure transparency, version control, and reproducibility of the work. Furthermore, the consultant will be tasked with validating the new indicator against established global frameworks, such as the ECDI and SDG 4.1.1 indicators, to confirm its predictive validity and alignment. In addition to the analytical work, the consultant will develop an interactive visualization product that features 15 or more data visualizations, effectively communicating findings on the new indicator with a focus on equity and learning gaps. This public-facing output will utilize the full dataset from the 44 countries and present results in an accessible and visually compelling format for a broad audience. The assignment will conclude with the preparation of comprehensive documentation that supports reproducibility and outlines an operational workflow for annual updates, which will be stored on GitHub and SharePoint for institutional use by UNICEF.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The consultant will be responsible for the following duties and responsibilities:

• Develop a new composite indicator of schooling and learning deprivation using data from the MICS-FLS module across 44 countries.
• Review country-level implementation conditions to ensure accurate data interpretation.
• Write reproducible R syntax to compute reading and numeracy indicators, accounting for differences in administration protocols across countries.
• Manage all analytical outputs through a structured Git repository to ensure transparency and version control.
• Validate the new indicator against the ECDI and SDG 4.1.1 indicators to confirm predictive validity and alignment with global frameworks.
• Create an interactive visualization product featuring 15 or more data visualizations that communicate findings on the new indicator, focusing on equity and learning gaps.
• Prepare comprehensive documentation supporting reproducibility and operational workflows for annual updates.
• Store all documentation and outputs on GitHub and SharePoint for institutional use by UNICEF.

Required Qualifications:
To qualify for this consultancy position, candidates must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Education: A Master's degree in psychometrics for educational assessment or a related field.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 2 years of experience in analysis for educational assessment or similar roles, preferably with a focus on reading and math assessments.
• Skills: Candidates should have experience with large-scale assessment instruments and should be familiar with household survey data or large-scale national/international assessment datasets, such as MICS or DHS. Proficiency in psychometric analysis software is also required.
• Language Requirements: Proficiency in English is mandatory, and prior experience working with UNICEF MICS or other UNICEF/UN data collection systems is desirable. Familiarity with foundational learning assessments in low- and middle-income country contexts is also a plus.

Educational Background:
Candidates must possess a Master's degree in psychometrics for educational assessment or a closely related field. This educational background is essential to ensure that the consultant has the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical skills to perform the required analyses effectively.

Experience:
The position requires at least 2 years of relevant work experience in analysis for educational assessment or similar fields. This experience should preferably include work with reading and math assessments, as well as familiarity with large-scale assessment instruments and datasets. Candidates should demonstrate a solid understanding of psychometric principles and practices, particularly in the context of educational assessments.

Languages:
The mandatory language for this position is English. Candidates should be proficient in English to effectively communicate findings and collaborate with team members. Additionally, prior experience working with UNICEF MICS or other UNICEF/UN data collection systems is desirable, and familiarity with foundational learning assessments in low- and middle-income country contexts would be advantageous.

Additional Notes:
This consultancy position is likely to be a full-time role, although specific details regarding contract duration and seniority level are not provided in the job ad. UNICEF promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. The organization offers reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination based on various factors. All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.