FEWS NET/Chemonics seeks expressions of interest from qualified consultants for multiple potential Data Curation consultancies in support of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET 7, Pillar 1) project’s Early Warning Team (EWT) to be based either in Washington, DC or remotely within the United States. Consultants will have experience working with a variety of complex and large data sets, preferably within the humanitarian context, to support data processing, cleaning, validation, and formatting of datasets for upload into the FEWS NET Data Warehouse (FDW).

FEWS NET is an integrated set of activities funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is intended to provide timely, accurate, evidence-based, and transparent food security early warning information and analysis. Created in 1985 in response to famines in East and West Africa, FEWS NET provides global coverage through a mix of presence and remote monitoring. FEWS NET’s work is implemented across several pillars by a team of partners that includes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Geological Survey, the University of California-Santa Barbara’s Climate Hazards Center, Kimetrica, and Chemonics International (Chemonics). Chemonics houses FEWS NET’s Early Warning Team (EWT), a team charged with integrated emergency food insecurity analysis through a Washington-based technical office and more than 20 field offices.

The FEWS NET EWT’s acute food insecurity early warning analysis and decision support products rely on a diverse set of qualitative and quantitative data sources. These data are collected, cleaned, and analyzed routinely for incorporation into a range of regular reports and briefings and to respond to ad hoc information requests from USAID and other stakeholders. Data management is, therefore, essential to achieving the FEWS NET EWT’s core mandate.

Depending on expertise and availability, qualified consultants may be contracted for up to 10 days per month to provide targeted support as needed.

Primary activities may include but aren’t limited to:

• Extract crop production and nutrition survey data from unstructured source documents, such as PDF documents, Excel sheets, and OCR formats, and prepare and process the data into a predefined format for FEWS NET data warehouse (FDW) upload
• Identify data irregularities and inconsistencies in source documents and processed datasets, and document irregularities
• Follow data processing, cleaning, submission, and archiving procedures for FDW data delivery and upload
• Provide data cleaning support and verification of existing FEWS NET datasets, including but not limited to historical food insecurity classification and food insecure population estimate data
• Identify and locate crop production data gaps and work closely with field and regional staff to fill gaps, where possible
• Manage data cleaning and upload processes using dataset uploads and submissions tracker
• Perform desk research on current and historical data related to FEWS NET database domains for FEWS NET presence countries and other countries of interest
• Collaborate with the Hub on troubleshooting and resolving helpdesk tickets on issues related to dataset uploads
• Provide support to other data processing/data management tasks, as needed

Minimum qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree in a discipline relevant to FEWS NET’s data management work, such as computer science, statistics, or a related field is required; advanced university degree (Master’s degree or higher) is desirable
• At least two years of relevant experience (with PhD), four years of relevant experience (with Master’s degree), or six years of relevant experience (with Bachelor’s degree) is required. Relevant experience includes database management and administration
• In-depth understanding of data collection, data quality, and extraction is required
• Excellent skills with Microsoft Office Excel, including automated formulas, KuTools, and pivot tables is required
• Demonstrated ability in handling and processing non-standardized data is required
• Excellent research skills and an ability to focus on details is required
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical information clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, is required
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team is required
• Familiarity with data extraction tools such as Tabula is desirable
• Experience with Python programming language is desirable
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required; French and/or Spanish language skills are desirable

If you are interested in a potential part-time Data Curation consultancy, please submit your CV and Cover Letter by January 24th, 2021 to https://fewsnet.formstack.com/forms/data_consultant. Kindly note this is an invitation to express interest only. For more information on FEWS NET, please visit www.fews.net.

All materials, including responses to the general information form, CVs, and cover letters, should be provided in English. No telephone inquiries please.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics. Military veterans, AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

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