Current vacancies

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential. 

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone. 

And we never give up. 

For every child, hope.

Consultancy Title: Statistician (to provide technical support with modelling of disaggregated estimates for malnutrition data)

Section/Division/Duty Station: Data and Analytics, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning, and Monitoring, UNICEF NYHQ

Duration: 31 January 2025 to 15 May 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

To provide technical support for modelling of disaggregated estimates for malnutrition data.

Scope of Work:

The current consultancy will support UNICEF and the JME group, which includes partners of the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group, to build on the existing statistical analysis code for national level estimates of child malnutrition, that is available in R, to develop methods and generate modelled estimates of child malnutrition that are disaggregated by key background variables, like sex, and document the work to allow for replication by other users.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

1. Undertake statistical modelling and analysis to generate the final JME 2025 edition country estimates for stunting and overweight disaggregated by sex   (10 February 2025)

• Excel files with the final estimates for stunting and overweight for boys, girls and national level for the 2025 edition of the JME for each of 202 countries from 1990 to 2024
• Final R codes, codebook, and written instructions for their use/easy replication.  

2. Explore methods, alternate to existing JME method for sex disaggregates, for generating disaggregated stunting and overweight estimates (e.g., model a national estimate and apply ratios of malnutrition between boys and girls to the national estimate), prepare datasets and generate results for up to 3 disaggregation categories (17 February 2025)

• Excel files with estimates for stunting and overweight by sex, area of residence, sub-age groups and national level using alternate approaches for each of 202 countries from 1990 to 2024.
• Final R codes, codebook, and written instructions for their use/easy replication

3. Written documentation of the modelling methods for deliverables 1 and 2, suitable for a peer review scientific journal as well as a layman’s explanation (17 March 2025)

• Word document with detailed methodological write up of the statistical analysis and modelling methods implemented to complete deliverables 1 and 2, suitable for a peer review scientific journal as well as a separate layman’s explanation.

4. Prepare datasets and undertake statistical modelling and analysis to generate additional malnutrition indicators disaggregated by sex (30 April 2025)

• Excel files with estimates for severe stunting, severe overweight, and other indicators including stunted & wasted, stunted & overweight and free from malnutrition (not stunted or wasted or overweight), for boys, girls, and national level for each of 202 countries from 1990 to 2024
• Final R codes, codebook, and written instructions for their use/easy replication.           

Qualifications

Education: 

Advanced university degree (Masters) in the area of statistics, data science, public health, nutrition or epidemiology, or other related degree.

Work experience:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *: 

• At least 8 years of experience in implementing statistical methods for analyses related to public health research.
• Experience analyzing data from large-scale household surveys like NHANES, MICS and DHS is preferred.
• Highly skilled at undertaking statistical analysis using R statistical software is required.
• Experience modelling nutrition related data like anthropometry, for global reporting efforts, is required.
• Experience modelling of data that are disaggregated by background characteristics, for global reporting efforts, is an asset. 
• Professional experience working with international organizations is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Detail oriented with strong organizational and planning skills.

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

- Upload copy of academic credentials

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

• • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability

- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

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. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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. 

Remarks:  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures 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. Consultants are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.