Data Analysis and Research Support

Consultancy: Data Analysis and Research Support

Reports to: Project Coordinator-Urban Surveillance

Job Location: Nairobi

Contract Details: 6 Months starting August 2013 Job

Background:

The Food, Income, and Markets Programme established an operations research project in 2010 to define and test indicators of humanitarian crisis in urban informal settlements. 

This was borne out of the need to monitor conditions in urban slums and be able to identify and target populations in crisis with humanitarian support. 

The first two years of the project has collected extensive evidence for the performance of various indicators and resulted in an indicator framework which the project is now seeking to operationalize and scale-up in major urban centers.

Job Summary:

The prospective candidate will contribute to the development of the framework to monitor slow-onset urban emergencies. 

Due to the large amounts of data being collected on a routine basis, data-driven analysis is a constant priority for the initiative. 

The consultant will jointly work with a small team to understand trends and patterns of the urban poor. 

In addition the analyst will support on-going research currently being undertaken by the team and external partners. 

The primary functions of the data analyst will be twofold;

1) To support ongoing areas of research
 

2) To undertake data analysis on both prospective new rounds of data collection and retrospective analysis.

We are looking for someone who enjoys solving challenging problems in a group setting. 

Strong communication skills are needed to explain complex technical concepts to different audiences.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• Analyze collected data, produce preliminary and in depth reports on results
• Contribute to scientific papers for publication in peer reviewed journals
• Contribute to developing a framework for detecting slow-onset urban emergencies
• Provide research support to senior researchers as needed
• Work with project coordinator to develop presentation, factsheets and policy briefs on results of research

Deliverables:

• Data Cleaning for each round of data collection
• Provide research assistance to Project Coordinator and Data Analyst
• Background papers on food security and food price data
• Aggregate relevant external data sources for cross-verification of results

Job Specification:

Essential:

• Masters’ Degree in relevant field (Development Economics, Statistics). Bachelors with significant experience will also be considered.
• Minimum of 2-3 years of experience working with large datasets
• Training in research methods, statistical analysis and complex survey design and analysis
• Solid research and data analysis skills. Should be able to write literature reviews if required.
• Working knowledge of STATA, R (R is strongly preferred)
• Experience with analysis of stratified cluster samples and time series data analysis would be an asset
• Experience working in an urban slum environment and working with government partners

Desirable:

• Experience in designing and implementing evaluations and operational research, using both quantitative and qualitative methods
• Experience developing articles for publication
• Experience in early warning/surveillance
• Analyze geospatial data collected by IDSUE and produce project maps
• Experience of digital data gathering technology and software

How to apply:

Interested applicants should submit the following:

• CV & cover letter demonstrating capability and availability. Telephone and email contacts of at least three previous clients who can validate their technical expertise must be included.
• A technical and financial proposal (in Kenyan shillings)

Applications should be sent to the following email address: nairobi.hr@concern.net with the subject as ‘Consultant-Data Analysis & Research Support ’ by Wednesday, 24 July 2013.

Note:

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

This position is open to Kenyan Nationals only.

Concern has a Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from abuse and exploitation