ASSOCIATE DATA SPECIALIST, NOB
United Nations · Colombo, PR, BR
Org. Setting and Reporting The UN Secretary\-General launched on 1 January 2019 a bold and new global reform which repositioned the UN Development System to deliver more effectively and efficiently with the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of this reform, UN Resident Coordinator Offices (UN RCO), under the leadership of an empowered and independent UN Resident Coordinator \- the highest\-ranking official of the UN Development System and Representative of the UN Secretary\-General at country level \- support countries in the achievement of their development priorities and the attainment of the SDG's. In its Resolution A/RES/72/279, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the transformation of the Development Operations Coordination Office (DCO) as a stand\-alone coordination office within the United Nations Secretariat. DCO exercises managerial and oversight functions of the Resident Coordinator System under the oversight of the Chair of United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG). In 2026, DCO undertook a recalibration to ensure the RC system remains optimally configured to support the acceleration of the 2030 Agenda and embodies the UN 2\.0 shift\- anchored in data, digital, innovation, behavioral science, strategic foresight, and a mission driven organizational culture. The Associate Data Analyst contributes to interacting with counterparts, officers and technical staff in relevant organizational units in data engineering, data science and other data specialists, data owners and subject matter experts for the development and implementation of the databases, data collection systems and data analytics that optimize statistical efficiency and quality. It also contributes to the interaction with external counterparts in the UN funds, programs and other UN specialized agencies, consultants, and NGOs to collaborate and exchange information and best practices. The position is located in the United Nations Resident Coordination Office (RCO) in Colombo, Sri Lanka under the direct supervision of the Head of the Resident Coordinator Office. Responsibilities Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible of the following duties: 1\. Implement databases, data collection systems, data analytics and other strategies that optimize statistical efficiency and quality. 2\. Contribute to the identification, analysis and interpretation of trends or patterns, using statistical methods to identify relevant features and variables in structured sources of information and data. 3\. Implement process improvement mechanisms for data analytics tasks; acquire and clean data from primary or secondary sources and maintain databases/data systems. 4\. Contribute to the development of monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) products for UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks using approved indicators and tools. 5\. Keep abreast of UN efforts in co\-design (with the national statistical partners) digital tools and dashboards that track progress against the national SDG indicator framework for interoperability between the national gateway and other official platforms. 6\. Contribute to the development of reports, dashboards or other tools to effectively summarize findings and convey information to management. 7\. Track and report on progress regarding department specific data initiatives. 8\. Contribute to the creation of basic data visualization outputs to aid decision\-making and communications of analysis outputs. 9\. Contribute to project tasks, assist with data collection and initial analysis, and report unresolved issues to senior staff. 10\. Contribute to the production of data products like reports or newsletters related to data analysis activities. 11\. Contribute to data collection and gathering business requirements across departments to identify pain points and support data\-driven analysis. 12\. Contribute to the activities for integrating monitoring milestones, indicators and evidence streams into common data pipelines based on the Cooperation Framework and Funding Compact. 13\. Assist in UNCT statistical capacity\-building by contributing to the mapping and sequencing agency‐specific technical assistance in line with Cooperation Framework. 14\. Compile and clarify data insights and develop supporting materials in preparation for stakeholder communications. 15\. Keep abreast of the current and emerging trends and developments in data analytics best practices, technologies, tools etc., and assist with identifying findings and suggestions. 16\. Assist in conducting outcome\-level analysis and contribution/attribution studies using mixed\-methods to inform UN reporting and UN\-commissioned evaluations. 17\. Contribute to the identification of gaps in the NSS using relevant statistical capacity monitoring tools and assist with the identification of solutions. 18\. Contribute to data collection and preliminary analysis to support the preparation a