Research and Development Analyst (NPSA8) at UNDP

Summary of Key Functions:

• The Research and Development Analyst, under the supervision and guidance of the Fellows Team Lead (Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor) and in close cooperation with the Impact Learning & Monitoring Analyst, will be responsible for managing the successful implementation of knowledge management and research activities of the project;
• The Analyst will strengthen knowledge production and analysis in the Jubilee Fellowship project; ensure internal and external knowledge sharing; streamline knowledge management activities in annual work plans and significantly participate in the project monitoring, evaluation, reporting and data collection;  
• The Analyst will document and develop knowledge products, innovative practices and lessons-learnt documents of the implementation of Jubilee Fellowship project and contribute to the exchange within UNDP and with partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

Knowledge building and research.

• Identify key knowledge gaps in the program area and determine knowledge products that might help to address them for the project staff and project target groups/beneficiaries;
• Design the annual work plan on knowledge products for the Jubilee Fellowship project and contribute to the realization of the plan according to the guidance note on developing knowledge products;
• Contribute to conducting Fellows’ attitudes and/or perception surveys, designing performance review surveys, monitoring attendance reports, establishing feedback mechanisms and monitoring mentor/mentee interactions during the fellowship period;
• Conduct baseline, midline and end of project surveys;
• Document results achieved, lessons-learnt to reflect process issues, recommendations for similar future projects/ activities after each of the project activities conducted by the project team;
• Support documentation and sharing of success stories and failure, promising practices (good practices if formally evaluated) through concrete and in-depth analytical case studies, video and other mediums that supports the advancement of youth employment in Nigeria;
• Ensure that data is disaggregated by Age, Sex and Disability status and contributing to the development of youth employment policies;
• Work proactively with CO and project teams to identify opportunities for capturing and sharing knowledge and disseminating information about major progress and results.

Knowledge management and knowledge sharing.

• Oversee the development of knowledge products in the Jubilee Fellowship project with respect to UNDP Quality Assurance Standards;
• Ensure validation of all the knowledge products developed in the framework of the Jubilee Fellowship project in line with the Guidance Note for Developing Knowledge products;
• Contribute to the maintenance of Communities of practices (CoPs) for the project and identify knowledge-sharing methodologies to respond to UNDP and stakeholders needs;
• Capture lessons learnt in the project implementation for the preservation and use of institutional memory and help inform the development of other knowledge products;
• Provide guidance to the team and partners on how to collect practical and action-oriented information grounded in quantitative and qualitative evidence;
• Engage with policy-oriented research networks that provide data, analysis, advice, and peer review support which will help UNDP to influence youth employment policies in Nigeria as a means of contributing towards the achievement of the SDGs;
• Disseminate best practices through stakeholder workshops, online platforms and listserv.

Data Analysis, Monitoring and evaluation.

• Support the Impact Learning and Monitoring Analyst in conducting project monitoring, site visits and reporting;
• Maintain updated and comprehensive evidence of all project activities and project result framework with performance indicators;  
• Construct relevant data analytics to demonstrate project results;
• Conduct strategic analysis using large economic and development datasets, to demonstrate project impact;
• Perform a variety of data-related duties to improve and normalize data including data cleaning, documentation, quality control, data aggregation and integration;
• Provide data, programming, analytical support, and supervision to staff in accessing and utilizing the data for specific projects;
• Design and produce related infographics to illustrate and analyze results and recommendations from empirical research;
• Document the overall experience of project work, including the research on knowledge, expertise and networks in identified areas; engagement with the partners; the support to resource mobilization, etc.; and provide documentation reports to the Fellows Team Lead (Crisis Prevention and Recovery Advisor), upon request;
• Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced degree (Master's) in social policy, public policy, politics, development studies, statistics, political science, international relations or related field. 
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor's) in combination with two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum 2 years (Bachelor's degree) of progressively responsible experience in development research and data analytics;
• Strong quantitative analytical skills and ability for strong visualizations and representation of data;
• Excellent knowledge of information technology, including expert knowledge of Excel;
• Excellent communication and writing skills;
• Prior experience with data analysis is an important asset;
• Knowledge of and previous experience with data visualization and data visualization software is an asset;
• Experience with programming languages, such as SQL, Oracle, and Python is desirable;
• Knowledge of development studies is desirable;
• Knowledge of the UN system and coordination is desired.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in oral and written English is essential.