Associate Project Officer – Data Analytics (New Delhi, India) contract

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: New Delhi

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Non Staff

Level : 4 (Equivalent to NOB)

Duration of contract : 1 year

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight India Time) : 05 Nov 2024 (extended)

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

Duration of Contract is one (1) year, with the possibility of an extension subject to the availability of funds and satisfactory performance. Only Indian Nationals are eligible to apply for this position.

The Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) is UNESCO’s first education-related category 1 institute in the Asia-Pacific region that works towards the development and promotion of new approaches to education for a more peaceful and sustainable world. The Institute is a leader in the conceptualization and design of programs in education for peace and sustainable development, by drawing from the latest research in the sciences of learning, with a particular focus on social emotional learning. It seeks to translate robust replicable scientific evidence into pedagogical design for competency development that leads to whole-brain learning.

Under the overall guidance of the Director of the Institute and direct supervision of the Senior National Project Officer, the incumbent will serve as the Associate Project Officer – Data Analytics, providing data analysis and project-related support for the Institute’s projects as defined by the Senior National Project Officer.

The incumbent will be responsible for analysing data on how social and emotional learning (SEL) can cultivate and promote global citizenship, sustainable development, and peace through the use of advanced statistical methods, data mining & visualization techniques. In addition to advanced analytical skills, this candidate must also be proficient at integrating and preparing large datasets, architecting specialized databases, constructing mathematical models for policy research, conducting complex regression analyses, working in high-performance computing environments, and communicating scientific results efficiently.

The candidate will be required to work in trans-disciplinary teams which include neuroscientists, psychologists, game developers, mobile app developers, project/program managers, and other IT personnel, to turn data into critical information that can be useful for the Institute. The candidate must be a creative thinker and find innovative solutions to problems through the information available. The candidate will need to validate their findings and present back findings to the relevant stakeholders.

Duties and Responsibilities

Impact Evaluation

• Conduct relevant background research and develop data-analysis plans for assessment of pilot and large-scale SEL interventions.
• Develop and validate assessment measures for research studies.
• Analyse data from pilot and large-scale research studies to test the efficacy of SEL interventions.

Mathematical Modelling

• Utilize empirical educational data to develop and test mathematical models, ensuring they reliably represent real-world scenarios and adjusting them as necessary for improved precision.
• Analyze and interpret model results to inform educational strategies and policies

Scientific Communication

• Communicate scientific results to high-impact journals and conferences.
• Disseminate research findings to members of the capacity-building team for design of evidence-based implementation programs.
• Support the research team to contextualize findings in different cultural environment(s).
• Support any other institute-wide activities as and when they arise.

Education Qualification:

• An advanced university degree equivalent to a Master’s) in data science, statistics, computer science, cognitive science, or related fields.
• Completed coursework/certificate/modules in basic and advanced statistical analysis related to psychometrics (techniques such as PCA, factor analysis, and IRT) and assessment of educational interventions (techniques such as GLMs, nonlinear regression models, multilevel modeling, SEM, causal inference, and longitudinal analysis) at master’s level. In support of this requirement please insert images of the course and grades achieved in statistical analysis highlighted in the work experience in employment history form.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of work experience in one of the areas of focus (psychometrics, quantitative analysis of large-scale educational interventions, or policy analysis)
• Proficiency in mathematical modelling, numerical optimization, simulation techniques, and linear and non-linear programming.
• Proficiency in one or more data analysis software: R/Python. You may provide a link to your GitHub repository containing the code and analysis techniques you have developed in the employment history form.

Experience:

• Experience in conducting research studies in the education sector.
• Experience in publication-quality analysis and writing competencies through one or more international peer-reviewed journal publication(s).
• Experience in presenting at high-profile international conferences.
• Experience in dissemination of scientific results to non-technical audiences, especially through the use of infographics and other graphical materials.

Languages:

• Working knowledge of another UNESCO language (French, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Spanish).