Information Management Specialist

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has reinforced its presence in Ukraine by signing an agreement with the Government to set up a Project Office that will facilitate and expand the provision of technical and humanitarian assistance to the country’s most vulnerable communities, especially in rural areas.

Ukraine joined FAO in 2003 and since 2015 the Organization has been operating in two strategic directions: emergency humanitarian response in conflict-affected oblasts and agricultural development across the whole country. Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, FAO has scaled up its activities in the country to support agricultural production and food systems with the aim of protecting the food security of vulnerable households and communities across Ukraine.

This role is based full-time, in office at any of the field offices in where FAO Ukraine operates (Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, and Dnipro). 

Female applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.

FAO has a “zero-tolerance” policy towards any form of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and for inaction on SEA by its personnel and by the employees of entities working with or providing services to the Organization across all programmes, projects, and activities.

Reporting Lines

Under the direct supervision of the Designated Responsible Officer/Head of Office in Ukraine and direct supervision of the relevant Head of Unit, and in close coordination with other Units and colleagues in the office.

Technical Focus

The Information Management Specialist will support the efficient and accurate maintenance, implementation, and development of databases, dashboards, standard operating procedures, and other information acquisition and data management tools, managing, analyzing, and processing data to support business reporting and decision-making. Key responsibilities include data consolidation, report adaptation, and supplier report analysis.

A list of qualified candidates will be maintained in the office for placement in any of the units that require information management support across FAO Ukraine operations. Candidates may be offered a placement for any duration of time and in any of the duty stations where the need is identified. Placement may be made in any of the following units: 

•    Assessment and Analysis
•    Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA)
•    Programme
•    Monitoring and Evaluation
•    Emergency Support 

Tasks and responsibilities

1.    Maintain Information Management Systems
•    Support systems maintenance to store and track beneficiary data, project progress, and indicators.
•    Support data integration from partner databases and other sources (e.g., SAR) as needed.
•    Support quality control by monitoring data entry, maintaining data accuracy, ensuring regular updates, and resolving discrepancies.
•    Support the system’s integrity, security, and usability to ensure its long-term effectiveness.
•    Support the preparation of tools and documents for project implementation when relevant, ensuring the alignment with FAO manuals and guidelines.
•    Create/modify information files used for bulk bank payments.
•    Identify opportunities and recommend solution that will improve organizational IM process
•    Develop and manage Pivot Tables for efficient data summarization and reporting.
•    Utilize Excel formulas, including formatting, Lookup, XLOOKUP, and text/figure processing.
•    Interpret and modify existing codes to enhance data processes.
•    Adapt and update reporting templates to align with evolving requirements.
•    Conduct data analysis to extract meaningful insights.
•    Establish data connections across multiple Excel sheets for streamlined reporting.
•    Execute and troubleshoot Macros for process automation.
•    Perform data cleaning to ensure accuracy and consistency.
•    Conduct bank statement analysis for financial data validation.
•    Work with databases, ensuring data consolidation and finalization.
•    Analyse supplier reports and prepare final summaries for decision-making

2.    Assessment and Analysis support 
•    Analyse data sets to provide insights into assessment reports in thematic areas. 
•    Support the development of data analysis plans and methodologies to address specific research questions or program assessment needs. 
•    Contribute to the interpretation of data and the development of recommendations for program adjustments or improvements. 
•    Assist in the preparation of reports and presentations summarizing key findings and insights from data analysis. 
•    Collaborate with other team members to ensure that data analysis informs program design, implementation, and monitoring. 
•    Ensure data quality through the implementation of a system of data checks and validation

3.     Support Decision-Making and Reporting
•    Assist the development and generation of dashboards to support decision-making at various levels.
•    Support the creation and maintenance of monthly dashboards to assist programme and project teams in informed decision-making.
•    Assist in reviewing FAO partners’, suppliers’ and bank reports of data submission, ensuring accuracy, completeness and compliance with established standards.

4.     Capacity Building and Guidance
•    Assist in training other colleagues on how to use the database and generate statistical data and information.
•    Support different teams in providing guidance on data quality control, information flow, and data privacy within the information management system.
•    Support the implementing partners in accessing and utilizing FAO data collection platforms, providing guidance on best practices to optimize and streamline the process.
•    Support the creation of SOPs. 
•    Perform additional tasks as assigned by the line manager.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements   
 
•    University Degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or any other related fields with focus on development of web applications for data management, analysis and data dissemination
•    At least three years of relevant experience in monitoring and evaluation, needs assessment, risk-based monitoring, data management, data analysis, GIS and data visualization
•    Working knowledge (Level C) of English and Ukrainian
•    National of Ukraine

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Programming skills using at least one statistical software (e.g. R, Stata, SPSS, Python) and/or experience in statistics and data analysis.
•    Ability to work with large datasets, ensuring data integrity and consistency.
•    Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including advanced functions and automation. Knowledge of VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is an advantage.
•    Strong analytical and problem-solving skills in data management.
•    Experience with database operations and structured reporting.
•    Strong attention to detail and ability to interpret financial data.
•    Familiarity with agriculture and rural development projects is an asset

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION