Population Data Officer

About the role

The Population Data Officer will join UNFPA's Data and Analytics Branch in Nairobi, supporting the production of Common Operational Datasets on Population Statistics (COD‑PS). The role focuses on generating sub‑national population estimates to aid humanitarian preparedness and response.

Key responsibilities

• Produce sub‑national population estimates for selected countries using UNFPA guidance and preferred data sources.
• Process, clean and adjust population datasets with R and deliver outputs in the standard COD‑PS format.
• Prepare and maintain methodological documentation and compare results with other population estimates.
• Maintain technical documentation on GitHub and UNFPA templates.
• Support the development and revision of technical guidance on COD‑PS production, quality assurance and dissemination.
• Generate and refine population datasets for humanitarian response planning and disaster preparedness.
• Coordinate technically with OCHA, the Humanitarian Data Exchange, and UNFPA Country and Regional Offices.
• Upload approved COD‑PS updates to the UNFPA Population Data Portal and OCHA Humanitarian Data Exchange.
• Contribute to strengthening technical guidance and resources for UNFPA and OCHA field teams.

Required profile

• Minimum 3 years of relevant professional experience in applied statistics, public health, epidemiology or demography.
• Experience with descriptive statistics, multivariate regression analysis and cohort‑component population projections.
• Bachelor’s degree in Demography, Public Health, Epidemiology, Statistics, Sociology, Economics or a related discipline; Master’s preferred.
• Fluent English; working knowledge of French, Arabic or Spanish is an advantage.

Required skills

• R (statistical programming)
• Stata or SPSS
• GitHub or other version‑control systems

What we offer

• Full‑time UN Volunteer position with a benefits package, including a monthly living allowance to ensure a secure standard of living.