Information Manager (Data Coordinator)

Background Information – Job-specific

This position is in the Pooled Fund Management Branch (PFMB) of the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York. OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA’s mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions.

Under the guidance of the Head of the Policy and Reporting Unit of the Guidance Learning and Reporting Section (GLRS), the incumbent will be part of the GLRS data and reporting team. Upcoming priorities for GLRS include development of increasingly more streamlined and coherent OCHA Pooled Fund data management and analysis structures to enable more succinct and joined-up pooled fund reporting and visualization. Closely related hereto, GLRS is leading the development of the joint Grant Management System (OneGMS) for the Central Emergency Response Fund and OCHA’s Country-Based Pooled Funds (CBPF), and continued improvements of the funds’ joint datahubs and BI Modules. The OneGMS, datahubs and BI Modules are all dependent on high-quality data input. Another related priority workstream for GLRS is the update and maintenance of the CERF and CBPF websites to ensure their continued relevance as key transparency tools for the funds.

Beyond the importance of successfully executing these essential data-focused workstreams, it is imperative that the CERF secretariat during their execution also remains able to ensure the development of grant-related data required for the preparation of mandatory internal and external accountability products, as well as donor advocacy publications and daily requests for talking points and thematic reports. These data-dependent products include, but are not limited to, the UK/FCDO business case, CERF’s Grand Bargain reporting, CERF Advisory Group papers, the CERF Secretary-General Report, annual flagship publications, donor attribution sheets and other advocacy products.

Since GLRS in 2022 assumed the responsibility of preparing PFMB’s annual reports (the CERF Annual Report, the CERF Secretary-General Report and the CBPF Synthesis Report), an increasingly demanding data task is the annual consolidation, review and analysis of data for these flagship publications. Following GLRS’ first year of leadership on these key milestones, a significant set of lessons learned have been documented, including the need for severe improvements to CERF and CBPF data clean-ups, streamlining and standardization of data processes across CERF and CBPF, as well as further strengthening of the analyses of OneGMS data.

Considering the importance of these developments, the engagement of an Information Manager (Data Coordinator) to deliver data-related project management and coordinating data-focused analyses is vital. The role of the incumbent will be to support and improve ongoing data-management processes, spearhead upcoming data-related reporting efforts, function as the focal point for all CERF and CBPF data clean up and retrieval and lead the update/maintenance of the CERF website.

Functional Responsibilities

The incumbent will be responsible for the following functions:

Manage CERF-CBPF data developments, analyses, and quality assurance processes, including but not limited to:

• Managing data analyses and data quality processes required for the preparation of daily/ad hoc data dependent products (thematic reports (cash, gender and disability among others), talking points, advocacy material, GB reports, donor reports, etc.).
• Managing data analyses and data quality processes required for the preparation of annual flagship publications, reporting for the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), and reporting for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including managing the data components required for the preparation of these reports, ensuring data-alignment between reports and conducting detailed quality control of draft versions to ensure consistency of data before publication.
• Supporting the development of the OneGMS with a focus on data categories and beneficiary counting.
• Streamlining CERF-CBPF data and data processes – including for use in joint pooled fund products.
• Providing branch wide Information Management Steering Group coordination support, including supporting the development of the OneGMS.

Managing the update of the CERF website including its alignment with the CERF and Joint CERF-CBPF datahub.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The incumbent will contribute to the team activity monitoring through its teams planning system, and by participating in the weekly team meetings, where the plans are reviewed.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) preferably in Business Administration or IT-related field is required.
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with two years of relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

Required:

• Experience with pooled fund related data management and data analysis is required.
• Experience in humanitarian financing is required.

Desired Skill: (The following skills are optional. Candidates who do not have them are welcome to apply)

• Ability to explain data-processes and related technical and business concepts to multiple audiences is desirable
• Strong project management skill is desirable
• Strong time management skills is desirable
• Experience in applying strong problem-solving skills is desirable
• Excellent people skills is desirable
• Experience with humanitarian agencies’ annual reporting efforts is desired.

Language

• Fluency in English (read, write, speak) is required.
• Knowledge of another UN language is desirable.