Programme Analyst Consultancy

Context 

The Programme Analyst, Population data and estimation in humanitarian settings post is located in the Data and Analytics Branch (DAB) of the Programme Division, HQ. S/He provides technical support to meet the data needs of UNFPA in the areas of
population dynamics and projections, population estimates for humanitarian preparedness and response, and population estimates relevant to UNFPA programming. The incumbent will work with DAB Programme Advisers, under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist on CRVS and COD-PS, and the overall direction of the Chief, Data and Analytics Branch. The Technical Analyst works within an integrated, coordinated, and systems strengthening approach which is fundamental to the Division’s and UNFPA’s overall strategy.

Purpose

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical expertise to support the production of Common Operational Datasets on Population Statistics (COD-PS), related population data products, analyses, documentation, and data dissemination
tools to strengthen humanitarian preparedness and response programming. The candidate should be familiar with a variety of common health and population data sources, including household surveys (DHS and MICS), registry data and population
censuses, and be capable of producing up-to-date estimates of demographic trends and projections, incidence and prevalence values for SRHR outcomes in both humanitarian and development settings, and possess expertise in demographic and
statistical approaches such as regression analysis, hierarchical linear modeling, survival analysis, Bayesian (probabilistic) estimations, and small area estimation.

The incumbent will support the scale-up of activities at country, regional and global level to use population census and related data for humanitarian preparedness and response, to meet growing demand for national COD-PS within relevant UNFPA programme countries; actively participate within the joint UN efforts to improve the scope and precision of vulnerable subpopulations of concern (e.g. pregnant women, youth/adolescents, etc.) in humanitarian situations – including enhancements to UNFPA’s Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) calculator and engagement in Multi-sectoral Initial Rapid Assessments (MIRA); as well as provide analytic support to the Inter-agency working group on interoperability of baseline population data, displacement data and refugee data (IAWG-interop).

The Programme Analyst will support the development and maintenance of innovative data dissemination tools, dashboards and  interactive visual displays within thePopulation Data Portal, as well as support manual and automated dissemination of
COD-PS updates on the UN Humanitarian Data Exchange. In all activities, the incumbent will work with Branch staff and other Branches in the Programme Division, and foster collaboration with the Programme Division, Regional Offices, Country Offices and collaborating partners to ensure the timeliness, adequacy, relevance and quality of substantive outputs.
 

The primary roles of the Programme Analyst, Population data and estimation in humanitarian settings are:
i) Technical support
ii) Capacity development
iii) Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination
iv) Technical representation

Scope of Work

The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following outputs:

A. Technical Support

• Support the generation and refinement of Common Operational Data Sets on Population Statistics within UNFPA programme countries, Provide analytic and technical support to UNFPA leadership of and engagement with the Inter-agency working group on interoperability of baseline population data, displacement data and refugee data (IAWG-interop).
• Contribute to the development of data quality assurance processes and estimation methodology to align subnational population projections with available refugee and internal displacement data in selected humanitarian settings
• Contribute to the development of technical standards, data protocols and methods, and tools for the routine integration and harmonization of baseline COD-PS data with internal displacement and refugee data
• Contribute to updates of and dissemination of technical guidance briefs and technical tools to support COD-PS production, management, dissemination and use by UN Humanitarian Country Team field staff
• Provide technical support to UNFPA and UN Humanitarian partners to improve the precision and timeliness of vulnerable subpopulations of concern (e.g. pregnant women, youth/adolescents, etc.) in humanitarian situations – including enhancements
  to UNFPA’s Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) calculator and engagement in Multi-sectoral Initial Rapid Assessments (MIRA).
• Collaborate with UNFPA website focal points to provide and maintain data components for related topics.
• Respond to data related requests and questions from internal and external partners.

B. Capacity development

• Actively support the provision of Humanitarian Data expertise across the Fund. Support UNFPA Country Offices in engaging Information Management Working Groups of UN Humanitarian Country Teams
• Contribute to the design, implementation and evaluation of population data analysis, capacity development workshops, webinars, and related activities at HQ, regional and country level, for both humanitarian and development programming.
• Provide data analytic support to UNFPA Country Offices and Regional Offices in the area of COD-PS and MISP-calculator estimations.

C. Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination

• Generate analysis of data from household surveys (DHS and MICS) and population censuses to identify those at heightened risk of poor SRHR outcomes in priority humanitarian countries.
• Contribute to UNFPA’s collaborations with OCHA, IOM, and UNHCR on ensuring alignment and interoperability of baseline subnational population projections and refugee/displacement data in various humanitarian settings
• Contribute to the generation of Common Operational Datasets on Population Statistics in key UNFPA programme countries.
• Contribute to innovative data dissemination tools including Population Data Dashboards to support dissemination and usage of COD-PS and MISP-Calculator Tools.
• Develop approaches for estimating the number of pregnant women in humanitarian settings based on diverse types of source data, and generate algorithms for generating such estimates within the Population Data Platform.
• Contribute to technical alignment of UNFPA subnational population estimates and projection in support of disaster preparedness, operational humanitarian response, demographic resilience reviews, peacebuilding support, as well as inter-censal and
  post-censal analytic processes.
• Contribute to UNFPA’s inputs and recommendations to the IASC Task Force on the use of artificial intelligence in humanitarian contexts.
• Perform other analytic tasks as needed in the Programme Division.

D. Technical representation

• Participate in a range of UN Inter-Agency Working Groups on humanitarian data, including those overseen by UNFPA, OCHA, UNHCR, WHO, and IOM (e.g. Global Information Management Working Group, Humanitarian Data Collaborative, etc.).
• Substantively contribute to technical support efforts for UNFPA’s mobilization of additional resources in the data area.
• Participate in interdivisional and partnership mechanisms such as the inter-divisional working group on humanitarian action, and the humanitarian data working group at UNFPA.
• Participate in the development, maintenance and dissemination of a set of M&E tools, such as Dashboards.
• Contribute to routine technical and programmatic reporting on UNFPA’s work on population data and estimation in                 humanitarian settings
• Carry out any other duties as may be required by the Programme Specialist, COD-PS and CRVS, and the Branch Chief.

Duration and working schedule

88 working days (1 September  2026 to 31 December 2026), full-time

Expected Deliverables (to be delivered electronically)

• Updated Common Operational Datasets on Population Statistics (COD-PS) for assigned countries.
• Technical analyses and population estimates completed and documented.
• Population Data Portal dashboards and visualization products updated.
• Technical guidance notes and documentation prepared.
• Final consultancy report summarizing activities undertaken, outputs delivered, and recommendations submitted by the end of the assignment.

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format, and deadline:

The consultant will report directly to the Programme Specialist, CRVS & COD-PS. Progress will be reviewed through regular   meetings, and the consultant will submit periodic progress updates and a final report for approval before completion of the assignment. 

Supervisory Arrangements

The consultant reports to Programme Specialist, CRVS & COD-PS, Data and Analytics Branch, Programme Division, and under general direction of Chief, Data and Analytics Branch.

Required expertise, qualifications, and competencies, including language requirements:

Education: 

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Demography, Statistics, Epidemiology, Public Health, Sociology, Economics, Data Science, Population Studies, or another closely related quantitative social science discipline, with a minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible professional experience in population data analysis, demographic analysis, statistics, data management, or applied quantitative research in an international organization, humanitarian agency, academic institution, or development organization.
  OR
•  First-level university degree (Bachelor's degree) in one of the above-mentioned fields, with a minimum of four (4) years of progressively responsible professional experience in population data analysis, demographic analysis, statistics, data management, or applied quantitative research in an international organization, humanitarian agency, academic institution, or development organization.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Experience in data collection, analysis, visualization, dissemination, database management and research within an academic or development institution in an international setting
• Strong knowledge of statistical methodologies, including strong competencies in the use of statistical packages such as R, Python, or STATA.
• Experience in constructing subnational population projections in low- and middle-income countries
• Familiarity and/or experience working with refugee and internal displacement data from international humanitarian settings is an asset 
• Mastery of demographic methods and statistical techniques for data quality assessment, processing and analysis using a variety of health and population sources (DHS, MICS and population census)
• Ability to provide advice and guidance on the analysis, interpretation and application of data from incomplete and deficient population/demographic data
• Experience and ability in meeting tight deadlines to support humanitarian response and disaster preparedness 
• Familiarity and experience with mark-up languages such as MarkDown, RMarkDown and dashboard development tools, such as R Shiny, is an asset.
• Familiarity and experience with version control systems (e.g. Git, GitHub, GitLab, subVersion) and data dissemination standards (e.g. Humanitarian Exchange Language (HXL), Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX), etc.) 
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Excellent report writing and compelling oral presentations
• Familiarity with the UN system is desirable