JOB DESCRIPTION

Result of Service

The final expected outputs from the consultant will be:

• Requirements Gathering and Technology Selection: Facilitate stakeholder consultations and workshops to understand user needs and current data management practices. Develop user personas and a Product Requirements Document with process maps. Research open source tools, propose a technology stack, and conduct Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis.
• Data Entry Template Development: Based on consultation with the relevant stakeholders, design and develop a standard data entry template with validation for reliable project data input. This is helpful in facilitating collection of quality data.
• Dashboard Development: Clean and reorganize existing project data and link with the data entry template. Create an interactive dashboard with charts, maps, and visualizations.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

40 days between 1 December 2025 until 30 May 2026.

Duties and Responsibilities

Background: The Global Mechanism is an institution of the UNCCD, mandated to assist countries in the mobilization of financial resources from the public and private sector for activities that prevent, control or reverse desertification, land degradation and drought. As the operational arm of the convention, the Global Mechanism (GM) supports countries to translate the Convention into action. In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, including goal 15, which aims to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”. As the main expected result, it defines under target 15.3 to “combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world” by 2030. In October 2015, the 12th session of the Conference of Parties (COP) of the UNCCD defined Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) and endorsed the concept as a strong vehicle for the implementation of the Convention and invited country parties to formulate national voluntary targets to achieve LDN and mainstream LDN Targets in national strategies and action plans. In September 2017, the 13th session of the COP emphasized the critical role of LDN Transformative Projects and Programmes (TPP) for the implementation of the Convention. This has been reaffirmed at the 14th session of the COP in New Delhi in September 2019 and the 15th session of the COP held in Abidjan in May 2022. Under the overall supervision of the Managing Director of the Global Mechanism and the Programme Coordinator of the LDN and Land Restoration Programme, the consultant will perform the following duties: Design, develop, and implement a data management solution related to the Transformative Projects and Programmes (TPPs).

• Design, develop, and implement a data entry system and interactive dashboard.
• Engage stakeholders to gather requirements.
• Select appropriate technologies.
• Build and test the system components and deploy the solution.
• Provide basic training and support on the solution.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) Information Systems, Statistics, Economics, Development Studies, or related field is required. A first-level university degree in a relevant discipline combined with substantial training and experience in statistics, data analysis and data-driven work may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree.
• At least 7 years of progressive experience in system development and product management, with specific focus on data management systems and dashboard development within the international development or humanitarian sector is required.
• Demonstrated experience developing data entry systems, M&E platforms, and interactive dashboards for international NGOs or UN agencies is required.
• Experience conducting user research and requirements gathering, working with open source technologies commonly used in the humanitarian sector is required.
• Track record of developing user documentation and conducting training sessions is required.
• Experience working with international organizations or UN agencies, including field experience is desirable.
• Proficient in Agile methodologies, product management, and user research and design tools; skilled in monitoring and evaluation systems, data visualization, libraries, and programming (e.g., Python, JavaScript, SQL).
• Experienced in web and cloud-based application frameworks and development, ETL tools and data pipeline tools and technologies, and version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Strong grasp of UX/UI design principles, data security and privacy best practices, and digital development standards.

Languages

• Professional working knowledge of English (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of other UN languages, particularly French and/or Spanish, is an asset.

Additional Information

Only individuals who can act as independent, individual economical operators are qualified to apply. Individuals who can provide their services only on account of an institution or enterprise are not eligible under this procedure. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations Secretariat and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultant and individual contractor is responsible for determining tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. For remote consultancies, the selected candidate will be required to have a laptop or desktop PC (with Windows 11 or newer) or Mac (with the latest MacOS update), as well as a reliable, high-speed internet connection. An Office 365 license will be provided by the UNCCD to enable the candidate to access official emails, SharePoint, OneDrive and other office applications, such as Word and Excel. Further computer requirements: An antivirus application which receives regular updates; Browsers must be a newer version with regular updates enabled; Regular Windows 11 updates should be enabled with Windows laptop or PC. In addition, a mobile phone will be required to enable Multifactor Authentication (MFA) through SMS or the Authenticator App.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.