Data Scientist Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

Job title: Data Scientist

Type of Contract: Junior Consultant

Division: SCOO – Supply Chain Planning & Optimization Unit

Duty Station (City, Country): Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Duration: 6 months with possible extension

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline humanitarian agency addressing hunger and malnutrition worldwide. WFP tackles poverty and hunger through a range of interventions: saving lives and protecting livelihoods in emergencies; investing in the prevention and mitigation of disasters; restoring and rebuilding lives and livelihoods in post-conflict or post-disaster situations; and other interventions to tackle hunger. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in over 80 countries.

With a strong focus on end-to-end planning, visibility, and optimization, the Supply Chain Planning & Optimization unit (SCOO) works intensively with colleagues in the field and headquarters to make sure everyone has a holistic view of each operation, from Logistics to Resource Management and from Nutrition to Donor Relations. Once everyone agrees on what is going on, analytical tools are deployed to anticipate issues down the line and support the creation of supply chain plans / what-if scenarios to address them. Through this pro-active approach, WFP decision makers can make more integrated, evidence-based decisions that improve the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our operations.
Recognizing the experience of WFP in these areas, Governments and Organizations in the Health Sector have started approaching WFP’s Supply Chain Planning Unit with requests for technical assistance to support on some of the most complex Health Supply Chain operations in the world.
The Consultant will support the development of pragmatic analytical solutions for existing SC Planning & Optimization Projects related to the assistance WFP is providing to the humanitarian health sector.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

Support the development of pragmatic analytical solutions for WFP’s partners in the humanitarian health sector.
Engage with humanitarian partners to explore how WFP’s expertise and analytical solutions can be used to better plan and optimize their supply chains, with a strong focus on the Health sector.
Deep-dive on business requirements with relevant teams to understand data availability, business drivers (KPIs), and evaluate further optimization opportunities.
Support progress against project milestones to help ensure timely completion of project deliverables.
Recommend system and/or process enhancements to further improve supply chain performance.
Support the rollout of analytical solutions through training of field users and creation of training material.
Support conceptual and quantitative analyses of prioritized supply chain improvement

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in the field of Data Science, Operations Research, Management Science, Business Analytics, or Engineering

Experience and competencies:

At least one year of working experience in the area of data science
Prior experience with the development of data pipelines (e.g. ETL, APIs, etc.) is preferred

Prior experience with consultancy-type activities (e.g. business analysis, process mapping, data extraction and analysis, presenting to senior management, etc.) is preferred
Prior experience in SC-related industry (e.g. supporting S&OP, material planning, warehouse management, distribution planning, etc.) is preferred

Prior experience working with governments, UN agencies, and/or NGOs is preferred

Knowledge and Skills:

Advanced use of Microsoft Excel and experience working with data visualization tools (e.g. Tableau).

Proficiency in an object-oriented programming language is required, with a strong preference for Python.

Familiarity with typical WFP data science technology (Pandas, Spark, Palantir Foundry, JS, Typescript, etc.) is a bonus.
Strong analytical abilities (quantitative and qualitative), with the ability to think outside the box.

Balance complexity and idealism with pragmatism.
Good interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to perform in a multi-functional and multi-cultural team.

Strong time management skills with the ability to plan and anticipate requirements, problems, and obstacles.
Preserve focus and commitment to generate content on short notice, while maintaining a healthy work-life balance