Junior Data Engineer

Job Posting Organization:
The job posting organization is the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), which is a regional arm of the United Nations established to promote economic and social development in the Arab region. ESCWA was founded in 1973 and has since been working to support member states in their efforts to achieve sustainable development goals. The organization operates in multiple countries across the Arab region and employs a diverse workforce dedicated to addressing various socio-economic challenges. ESCWA's mission includes providing a platform for dialogue, sharing knowledge, and fostering collaboration among member states to enhance regional integration and development.

Job Overview:
The Junior Data Engineer position is situated within the Decision-Support and Data Science Division of ESCWA, which plays a crucial role in the organization's modernization and innovation initiatives. This division is tasked with providing advanced analytics and decision-support services not only to ESCWA but also to other UN entities and member states. The role of the Junior Data Engineer is pivotal in developing, enhancing, and maintaining data engineering solutions that facilitate automated data collection processes and data pipelines. These solutions are essential for supporting ESCWA's data platforms and digital initiatives, ensuring they align with established UN standards and best practices. The position requires the contractor to prepare and maintain technical documentation and user manuals, which are vital for the effective implementation and sustainability of the developed solutions. The Junior Data Engineer will be expected to leverage data-driven insights and emerging technologies to support evidence-based decision-making and foster organizational efficiency.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The Junior Data Engineer will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including but not limited to: designing, developing, and maintaining ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) and ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) pipelines that automate data collection, transformation, and integration processes. The contractor will also develop and maintain web scraping and data extraction solutions to gather structured and unstructured data from various sources, including national, regional, and international websites. Automating data ingestion from multiple sources such as APIs, databases, and files is another critical responsibility. The role requires implementing data validation, cleansing, and quality checks to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the collected data. Additionally, the Junior Data Engineer will develop resilient scraping processes that can adapt to changes in source websites and data structures. Ongoing support and maintenance for deployed data pipelines and web scrapers, including troubleshooting and version control, will also be part of the job.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field. It is essential that all applicants submit a copy of their educational degree, as incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Furthermore, a minimum of one year of professional hands-on experience with Python is required. Candidates should demonstrate experience in designing, developing, and maintaining web scraping and automated data extraction solutions, showcasing their ability to extract, parse, and process data from various structured and unstructured sources. A solid understanding of data validation, transformation, quality assurance, and monitoring of automated data pipelines is also necessary. Knowledge in database design and development using MS SQL Relational Database is required.

Educational Background:
The educational background required for this position includes a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Information Technology, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related area. This foundational education is critical for understanding the technical aspects of data engineering and the tools used in the field. Candidates must provide proof of their educational qualifications as part of the application process, ensuring that they meet the minimum educational standards set by the organization.

Experience:
The position requires candidates to have at least one year of professional experience in a relevant field, specifically with hands-on experience in Python programming. This experience should include practical knowledge of designing and developing web scraping solutions and automated data extraction processes. Candidates should also have a demonstrated ability to work with data validation and quality assurance practices, as well as experience in troubleshooting and maintaining data pipelines.

Languages:
For this position, fluency in English is mandatory, as it is one of the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Knowledge of Arabic is considered desirable, as it is a working language of ESCWA. Fluency in English means that the candidate should be rated as 'fluent' in all four areas: speaking, reading, writing, and understanding. Knowledge of Arabic should be rated as 'confident' in at least two of the four areas, indicating a functional ability to communicate in the language.

Additional Notes:
The job advertisement does not specify additional notes regarding contract duration, seniority level, or compensation details. However, it is important to note that the United Nations does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process, including application, interview, or training. The organization also emphasizes that it does not require information regarding applicants' bank accounts.