Statistics and Data Analysis Associate At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Job Title: Statistics and Data Analysis Associate

Location: Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Time type: Full time

Job requisition ID: JR2438551

Hardship Level: B

Family Type: Family

Staff Member/Affiliate Type: UNOPS LICA-6

Target Start Date: 2024-05-01

Job Posting End Date: March 31, 2024

Terms of Reference

1. General Background:

The main cause of forced displacement in Honduras is generalized violence, in addition to (i) social and territorial control by criminal gangs or armed groups, (ii) extortion, (iii) force recruitment, use and association; (iv) the dispossession, usurpation and destruction of housing, land, and property; (v) gender-based violence; (vi) political violence; (vii) human rights violations. Apart from these forced displacement triggers, the effects of climate change and related disasters are increasingly impacting Honduras.

In the present protection context of Honduras, the persistence of challenges faced by internally displaced people, those at risk of displacement, refugees, and asylum seekers is exacerbated by high violence levels, with enduring influence of independent criminal groups controlling territories and extortion threats. Human rights and land defenders also face significant risks. The risks posed by the multifaceted challenges faced by the Honduran population is evident in the significant number of Hondurans seeking asylum in Mexico in 2023. With over 40,000 requests, Honduras ranks second in the number of requests, reflecting the life-threatening situations that prompt people to flee Honduras.

The Government approved the Law for the Prevention, Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP Protection Law) in December 2022, and it came into effect on April 2023. In the meantime, the limited Government capacity to provide responses and solutions to internally displaced populations and those at-risk of displacement has contributed to further aggravate a general distrust on public institutions particularly among vulnerable groups in high-risk areas. The distrust on public institutions impacts the capacity of the Government to address the needs of vulnerable groups, including IDPs, and the effectively promote social policies design to address gender inequality and promote human rights. Therefore, strengthening state capacity, reconnecting and rebuilding trust between communities and state institutions is key to not only address internal displacement, but to help the government of Honduras to achieve its sustainable development goals.

The IDP Protection Law requires the State to produce data on displacement for the production of public policies. It requires the collection of information through the Registry of Forcibly Displaced Persons (RUPDEF), which mainly includes disaggregated information on the people attended, protection actions and assistance measures provided, to inform the processes of design, adjustment and implementation of public policy.

To date, the State has made efforts to generate data through the Household Survey, including a module on Forced Displacement to facilitate the identification of forcibly displaced persons in Honduras, as well as to facilitate the identification of events causing forced displacement in Honduras.

In Honduras, the data management team uses innovative methods, big data sources and “traditional” data sources (household surveys, administrative records, or population censuses) to help fill data gaps with respect to forced displacement statistics, such as improving the timeliness and granularity of the estimates; generating early warning of emerging issues and crises; improving understanding of both local impacts and larger geographic patterns; visualizing data for more nuanced and accessible insights; and improving analysis to help corroborate or refute hypotheses related to specific phenomena.

This contract is until 31st of December 2024.

This position is advertised to internal and external applicants. Candidates must be legally present in Honduras at the time of application, recruitment, and hire. Only Honduran citizens or candidates legally present in Honduras will be considered eligible.

Recruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern, is subject to proof of full vaccination against COVID-19, independently of contract type and duration. The selected candidate(s) will be required to provide proof of vaccination prior to recruitment.

Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include a written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

Remuneration: A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered depending on relevant experience as per the requirements of the job advertisement.

Spanish level: Native (required)

English level: B2 (required)

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment:

The UNHCR Data Transformation Strategy 2020-2025 envisions that by 2025 UNHCR becomes a trusted leader on data and information related to refugees and other persons of concern, thereby enabling actions to protect and to empower persons of concern. The Strategy stipulates investing in four complementary priority areas: data management and governance; information systems; capacities and skill development; and culture for evidence-informed decision-making. The strategy envisages data and information management functions in UNHCR carried out in a complementary and inter-linked manner between Headquarters Divisions and Services, Regional Bureau, Country Operations, and key external partners, including persons of concern.

Under the supervision of the Associate Registration & Identity Management Officer, the Statistics and Data Analysis Associate assists in coordinating and supporting statistical and data analysis activities in the relevant Office(s) or Service for evidence-informed planning, advocacy, and coordination. This includes liaising on related statistical and data issues with other UNHCR Offices, programme and protection colleagues, technical units (e.g., health, livelihoods, shelter, energy, and education) as well as key external stakeholders and other agencies, including Government partners in the national statistical system.

The Statistics and Data Analysis Associate provides technical support for the design, data collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination stages of the statistical process. S/he will provide the necessary quality assurance and technical support for statistical and data analysis activities to Headquarters, the Regional Bureau, and Operations; helps ensure these processes are in accordance with technical and ethical statistical standards; and undertakes global, regional, or country-specific statistical and data analysis activities.

The incumbent will support multi-stakeholder, multi-sector, and multi-country activities in relation to planning, funding and advocacy efforts, as well as internal and external assessments, regional and country-based planning, and monitoring activities.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Contribute to data, information management and registration strategies with statistical and data analysis elements with a vision on the use of statistics and analytical data products, particularly in planning, programming and advocacy, at the country, regional and HQ levels as appropriate.

• Implement UNHCR’s policies and procedures on planning and reporting on UNHCR’s operational activities (results-based management and planning figures).

• Support quality assurance and provide technical advice on statistical analyses and indicators; take part in relevant planning processes as appropriate and where support is needed.

• Contribute to the development or revision of statistical concepts, definition, standards and classifications used in UNHCR for research and decision-making.

• Contribute to the development or improvement of statistical methods and quantitative models for analyses and projections on forced displacement and statelessness.

• Support implementation of coherence and compliance with organizational standards, methodologies, and support for data analysis activities such as surveys, secondary data reviews, targeting and vulnerability assessments, indicator definition, population estimation, statistical analysis, predictive analytics, big data, international recommendations, data visualization, official statistics and other statistical and data analysis activities.

• For all data collection or statistical analysis activities, contribute to developing plans and monitor implementation to ensure statistics and analysis are of highest standards.

• Ensure statistical and analytical products produced by UNHCR or with partners meet required standards and are compliant with relevant policies to uphold integrity, veracity, reliability and credibility.

• Compile, consolidate, validate and disseminate official statistics on populations of concern to UNHCR at country, region or global level, including annual statistics.

• Support the development or revision of methodological approaches and standards for statistical surveys conducted by UNHCR or partner organizations in support of monitoring, assessment, targeting, evaluation, operational plans and results reporting.

• Support the design and implementation of relevant statistical analytical products and oversee their production, including quality assurance.

• Undertake data analysis activities, including on persons of concern derived from UNHCR’s data systems such as, registration and identity management, results-based management, back office or other sectoral data systems.

• In coordination with sectoral and other data staff, apply statistical scenarios and models based on historical, recent and seasonal information to support comparative country, regional and global analysis, including political and sociodemographic trends.

• Advise on the appropriate methods and tools to be used in statistical and data analysis activities to be undertaken in regional or country, or by other Headquarters units.

• In coordination with sectoral and other data staff, provide administrative support to the review and development of indicators to be used to report on UNHCR’s populations of concern.

• Contribute to technical and sectoral reports and to recommendations for follow-up actions with regard to the strengthening of statistics and data analysis.

• Provide input to statistical and analytical reports for UNHCR and/or with partners, manuals and websites within the Area of Responsibility (AoR).

• With information management staff, support consistency in the analytical approach at global, regional and/or country level, including for the purpose of cross-border analysis and response.

• Contribute to partnerships and activities relevant to statistics and data analysis within the AoR.

• If required, participate on behalf of UNHCR in meetings or conferences.

• Provide administrative support to capacity strengthening activities for UNHCR and other stakeholders, including national statistical partners on statistics.

• Organize and participate in missions, workshops, seminars, working groups and expert meetings as a technical resource person, providing technical documents and drafting relevant reports.

• Perform other related duties as required.

3. Qualifications and Experience:

a. Education:
• Complete secondary education preferably a Bachelor equivalent or higher.
• Fluency in Spanish and good working knowledge of English.

b. Work Experience:
3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher.

Certificates and/or Licenses:
Social Sciences
Statistics
Demography
Geography/GIS
Epidemiology
Economics
Data Management
Operational/Data Management Learning Program
Or related field

Relevant Job Experience:

Required:
• 2 years in data or statistical field.
• Experience with national and/or international statistical systems.
• Ability to translate planning-specifications into technical briefs for data collection and analysis, and vice versa.
• Understanding of different data collection methodologies.
• Familiarity with planning, programming, strategic planning, project development, budgeting and resource mobilization.
• Experience working with partners, including host and donor Governments, humanitarian and development partners.

Desirable:
• Experience with data analysis in developmental or humanitarian contexts.
• Understanding of the principles and concepts of international protection and UNHCR.
• Experience in data collection and analysis in field situations preferably in the context of UNHCR. Knowledge of international protection, human rights and international humanitarian law.
• Knowledge of UNHCR and interagency policies, standards, programmes and operations.
• Knowledge of GIS and geospatial systems and techniques.
• Understanding of civil registration and other national population registration systems.
• Experience working with or in national statistical offices.

Functional Skills:
• DM-Data collection methodologies
• DM-Data Management
• IM-Statistics Analysis
• DM-Open-Source Software & Data
• DM-Population census and econometrics
• DM-Protection Data Management Systems
• DM-Qualitative data analysis
• DM-Quantitative data analysis
(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Standard Job Description:

Required languages

Spanish, English

Desired Languages

–

Additional Qualifications

Skills

DM-Data Management, Statistics

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other Information

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance.

Home-Based

No