Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning Business & Data Analyst

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, HIV status or disability.

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity, for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

At WFP, people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse, committed, skilled, and high performing teams, selected on merit, operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment, living WFP's values (Integrity, Collaboration, Commitment, Humanity, and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.

To learn more about WFP, visit our website: https://www.wfp.org and follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok.

WHY JOIN WFP? 

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.

• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.

• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country, regional and global offices around the world, and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.

• We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).

JOB TITLE: Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning Business & Data Analyst

TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultancy

UNIT/DIVISION: WFP Innovation Accelerator (INNA)

DUTY STATION (City, Country): WFP Munich, Germany

DURATION: 6 months (Extendable)

ABOUT WFP

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading humanitarian organization saving lives and changing lives, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. We are currently seeking to fill an Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technical Solutions Consultant position in the Innovation Division, based in Munich, Germany.

Brief description of WFP Innovation Accelerator, INNA:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 100 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers, communities, and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Non-Profit Organization 2021 for its work in identifying, nurturing, and scaling disruptive start-ups and innovations to end global hunger. Based in Munich, Germany, the Innovation Accelerator provides WFP employees and start-ups with funding, hands-on support, and access to WFP’s global operations. Through the Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation - such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence, and blockchain - and new business models to transform the way it serves vulnerable communities across the world. In 2023, Accelerator supported innovations that positively impacted the lives of more than 60.7 million people globally. The Accelerator runs programmes with external partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Austrian Development Agency, and others.

More information here: http://innovation.wfp.org and https://youtu.be/OnKkQlRdh2c

The Business Intelligence & Data Analyst will join the Frontier Innovations team, which is part of the Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad unit at the WFP Innovation Accelerator. The Frontier Innovations team actively seeks new ways of delivering humanitarian assistance by exploring cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, web3, blockchain, autonomous vehicles, and others.

The incumbent will develop and implement data engineering and analytics solutions while supporting the technical aspects of business intelligence initiatives to maximize impact at WFP. This role requires the ability to assess and communicate the analytical value of solutions to business stakeholders, applying insights to address complex challenges in the field. Additionally, the analyst will actively scout for and cultivate partnerships with data analytics thought leaders and organizations to enhance WFP’s capabilities. The role is based in Munich but may require travel to the Headquarters (HQ), to work and liaise with the WFP Technology Division (TEC), and other units, based out of the WFP Headquarters in Rome as well as colleagues in Country Offices (COs) and Regional Bureaus (RBs) around the world.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The incumbent, reporting to the Head of Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad, is expected to:

 Develop Technical Analysis and Solution Building: Conduct in-depth data analyses to extract actionable insights specifically for humanitarian and development projects addressing WFP’s mandate, operational needs and strategic priorities aligned with SDG2 objectives. Develop tailored reports and dashboards that support WFP in assessing impact, optimizing resource allocation, and driving informed decision-making across AI/ML innovation projects. Develop, optimize, and maintain SQL queries, ETL processes, and data models, that cater to the diverse data needs of humanitarian and development initiatives. Ensuring high data quality, accessibility, and alignment with WFP’s data governance standards. Ensuring the source data is clean and modeled properly for downstream tasks Develop data models and write data-transformation code to validate assumptions and prototype automated controls. Design and implement cloud-based and on-premise data visualizations and dashboard solutions (Power BI, Tableau,Looker etc.), ensuring scalability, usability, and alignment with best practices.

    2.    Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:

Collaborate with key stakeholders, including project teams, IT, and business units, to understand data requirements, provide insights, and support data-informed decision-making. Act as a bridge between technical and non-technical teams, translating complex data insights into clear, actionable recommendations. Engage with WFP colleagues and external stakeholders to communicate data insights, identify new use cases, and advocate for data-driven approaches in tackling humanitarian and food security challenges. Facilitate discussions and workshops to identify data needs and showcase how analytics can enhance project outcomes and operational efficiency. Ensure adherence to WFP policies regarding data, including data privacy, security, management, and code documentation. Provide technical inputs to WFP, the Innovation Accelerator and Frontier Innovations’ strategy and plans.

3.       Support Business Development and Technology and Innovation Strategy Support:

Lead the development of data-backed business cases, including cost-benefit analyses, ROI projections, and feasibility assessments, to support the planning, scaling, and impact evaluation of innovative projects. Support the development of architecture standards and processes for data management within the Accelerator, ensuring alignment with WFP’s broader data strategy. Contribute to the Innovation Accelerator’s overall strategy by providing data insights, preparing content (reports, presentations, briefs), and participating in strategy sessions related to innovation and frontier technologies.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• Deliver high-impact, user-friendly dashboards and reports that directly support WFP Innovation’s strategic decision-making needs, with a particular focus on frontier technologies like AI/ML/Blockchain.
• Implement and document optimized data workflows (SQL queries, ETL pipelines) ensuring data accuracy and accessibility.
• Provide clear, actionable business insights for two to three core projects, supporting measurable outcomes for each.
• Produce a final report on key data-driven recommendations to enhance WFP operations and project impact, aligning with WFP data standards.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Business Analytics, or a related field.

Experience:

• Proven experience 3 to 5 years in data analysis, with a strong emphasis on SQL for data extraction, manipulation, and optimization.
• Proficiency in dashboard creation and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) with a preference for experience in cloud-based dashboards to ensure accessibility and scalability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with experience in developing business cases and performing ROI and feasibility analyses.
• Knowledge of AI/ML techniques is a plus, especially in understanding their applications for predictive analytics and impact measurement.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present findings and recommendations to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience in a non-profit or international organization setting, preferably with a focus on innovation and impact-driven projects, is an advantage.
•  Ability to capture requirements and translate them into insights.

Technical Skills and expertise:

• Advanced SQL, Pandas, etc other data extraction, and transformation tools
• Power BI, Tableau, cloud-based dashboards (e.g., Looker)
• Experience with Apache Airflow, snowflake, Talend, or cloud ETL tools
• Proficiency in Python, R or other statistical programming languages
• Proficiency with AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Azure
• Machine Learning (Desirable): Basic knowledge of AI/ML frameworks (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow)
• ROI analysis, business case development, BI tools

REQUIRED SKILLS | WFP COMPETENCIES

• Passionate to build and apply technology innovations for social impact.
• Knowledge and experience implementing agile project management methodologies and being able to get things done in a hands-on way.
• Proven track record in driving projects - effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in a fast-moving environment, ideally for new businesses, new business models, start-ups.
• Strong ability to craft analysis independently.
• Able to generate new and original solutions to complex problems, to design new product ideas, and to develop non- functional requirements for technical prototypes.
• Strong analytical skills to assess business requirements to develop innovative projects.
• Strong communication skills, collaborative spirit, able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Sets a high-level of ambition for the project and own work to achieve impact for the vulnerable people we serve.
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFP’s working languages) is a plus.

WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK

WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.

Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

WFP is dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our recruitment process is inclusively crafted to welcome candidates of all backgrounds, celebrating diversity and ensuring a respectful environment for all. We aim for an accessible and fair recruitment journey. Should you need any reasonable accommodations or have accessibility concerns, please reach out to us confidentially at global.inclusion@wfp.org. Our DEI team is here to ensure your full participation in our recruitment process.

NO FEE DISCLAIMER

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

• We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate, complete, and includes your employment records, academic qualifications, language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).

• Once your profile is completed, please apply, and submit your application.

• Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language

• Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter

• Additional documents such as passport, recommendation letters, academic certificates, etc. may potentially be requested at a future time

• Please contact us at global.hrerecruitment@wfp.org in case you face any challenges with submitting your application

• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified

All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs, job requirements, merit, and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse, all forms of discrimination, any kind of harassment, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. Therefore, all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.