How can you make a difference?
Sitting in Solution’s Emerging Innovation team, this consultant will have a belief that DS/ML can be a powerful tool to help UNICEF rapidly accelerate positive results for children. The successful consultant will have a strong desire to guide and inform early-stage DS/ML projects developed for, and implemented in, UNICEF program countries. Understanding the complexities between theory and practice and what it takes to make future ideas work in different contexts will be a characteristic of the consultant, as well as a conviction for pioneering and promoting responsible and ethical DS/ML practices.
Scope of Work:
The purpose of this assignment is to provide technical support and guidance to the DS/ML related work at OOI as well as across UNICEF through engagements at HQ, Regional and Country level.
Key responsibilities will be:
•Providing DS/ML technical guidance, support and mentorship to:
oVenture Fund supported team seed and growth cohort projects and companies.
oUNICEF’s Office of Innovation and other UNICEF teams, divisions, and offices
•Supporting the technical exploration, development and rollout of early-stage DS/ML initiatives, models and prototypes, within UNICEF with an aim to accelerate results for children.
•Working with internal and external stakeholders to support the understanding, adoption and scale of DS/ML initiatives across UNICEF.
•Facilitating project engagements between internal and external technical experts in support of strategic Office of Innovation-funded initiatives.
Minimum requirements
Experience and exposure to relevant software development technologies, including:
Strong coding capabilities in Python or R and with Data Science related libraries.
Experience with analytics & visualization tools (open viz libraries e.g. Shiny, flexdashboard or equivalent for R or Dash, Panel or equivalent for Python)
Git and other open source software development tools
Experience with cloud computing platforms such as GCP, AWS, Azure or others.
Experience with frontier AI models and coding tools for data science development (i.e. Claude Code, Cursor)
Demonstrated experience working with nonechnicalteams in formulating their use cases, gathering business requirements, and involving non-technical stakeholders in the project delivery.
Demonstrated experience in development and deployment of ethical and responsible DS/ML practices, with examples in UNICEF program countries considered an asset.
Demonstrated understanding of open source and open data principles and practices.
For every Child, you demonstrate...
UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.
Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System)
An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.