The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.
About this position:
SCL has embarked on a transformative journey over the past three years in response to the prevailing challenges stemming from fragmented data management practices and limited data sharing within the organization. Central to this endeavor has been the establishment of a centralized data repository, coupled with the formulation of rigorous protocols, quality standards, data cleanliness procedures, and metadata management frameworks. This concerted effort has created a governance structure to harmonize the utilization of data sources across the social sector. At the heart of this transformation lies a powerful tool that serves as the primary conduit for aggregating internally generated data, data acquired through collaborative agreements, and exploring internal and external datasets critical for informed analysis and decision-making.
To propel this ongoing evolution, the Social Sector is seeking an exceptional individual who is not only dynamic and self-motivated but also possesses an acute attention to detail. We are in search of a Data Scientist who will play a pivotal role in advancing the development and optimization of the SCL Data Ecosystem.
The Social Sector (SCL) is a multidisciplinary team convinced that investing in people is the way to improve lives and overcome the development challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. Jointly with the countries in the region, The Social Sector formulates public policy solutions to reduce poverty and improve the delivery of education, work, social protection, and health services. The objective is to advance a more productive region, with equal opportunities for men and women and greater inclusion of the most vulnerable groups.
This consultancy aims to enhance SCL's technical and research capabilities by leveraging existing empirical data, acquiring new data as needed, and actively participating in various research initiatives focused on addressing social issues. The consultant will provide valuable technical support by conducting in-depth analyses of existing and newly collected empirical data. Additionally, they will play a pivotal role in generating high-quality analytical reports, encompassing quantitative and qualitative analyses, to drive evidence-based decision-making within the organization. Strong project management skills and collaborative engagement with all divisions within the Social Sector are crucial, aiming to cultivate an environment of integration, innovation, and heightened efficiency in our data-driven initiatives.
What you’ll do:
As part of a dynamic team, you will be working on:
Conduct Comprehensive Literature Reviews: Thoroughly review conceptual and empirical literature about project-related topics, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the research landscape.
Data Identification and Retrieval: Collaborate in identifying and retrieving essential data required for analysis, maintaining a meticulous record of data sources.
Harmonization of Household Surveys: Lead the harmonization of household surveys within the region, following a transparent, documented, and traceable methodology, ensuring data consistency and reliability. Main activities require meticulous coordination, systematic creation of code, and documentation. In addition to harmonization, the role offers guidance and supervision for the technical aspects of the SCL data ecosystem.
ETL Process Management: Oversee and manage the Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) processes within the data pipeline. This involves harmonizing and transforming household survey data using Stata, ensuring reproducibility and documentation standards are met.
Social Indicator Calculation: Coordinate the computation of social indicators for Latin America, utilizing a combination of R, Stata, and Amazon SageMaker tools, with a specific focus on the social sector.
Database Maintenance and Liaison: Assist in maintaining the social data platform architecture, including Python and SQL database updates to connect with Amazon RDS Databases. Serve as a liaison between the social data team and ITE (Information Technology and Engineering) department.
Quality Control and Production: Actively participate in the quality control processes and production of social indicators derived from the harmonized database, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
Data Analysis: Conduct statistical and econometric analyses on collected datasets to derive meaningful insights and support decision-making processes.
Report and Presentation Contributions: Contribute to the creation of presentations and reports, adhering to the publication protocol of the IDB, ensuring that the findings are effectively communicated.
Tool Development and Governance Documentation: Develop necessary tools for the SCL Data Lake and create comprehensive documents outlining protocols and governance procedures for effectively handling internal and external data.
Support and Engagement: Provide support and actively engage in other activities related to the data and digital social cluster as agreed upon during the consultancy, under the coordination of the SCL supervisor. This includes supporting the development and maintenance of tools for the digital cluster.
What you’ll need:
Education:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in statistics, social sciences, economics, or a related field. Master preferred.
Experience:
At least two years of relevant professional experience working in social areas with strong quantitative background in applied economics research.
Languages:
The candidate must be fluent in English and Spanish.
