Vacancy: Senior Design Consultant, Research and Training Design Duration: 28 March - 3 May, 2016 Location: New York (preferred) / remote
Data-Pop Alliance is seeking a Senior Design Consultant to undertake a rapid review of existing training and capacity building programmes on data and development. The aim of this rapid review is to provide a comprehensive view of the design, features, modules and modalities of existing “data literacy” training programmes in order to support the design and development of a multidisciplinary data literacy programme.
Background and objective of program
Data-Pop Alliance is a global coalition created in 2014 by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI), MIT Media Lab, and Overseas Development Institute (ODI) that brings together researchers, experts, practitioners, and activists to promote a people-centered Big Data revolution through collaborative research, capacity building, and community engagement. Our core members include our three founding institutions—HHI, MIT Media Lab and ODI—as well as the Flowminder Foundation as of February 2016. A core priority of our work focuses on advancing global “data literacy,” which we have defined in a recent white paper as “the desire and ability to constructively engage in society through and about data.” Through funding from a major philanthropic organization and UN organizations, Data-Pop Alliance aims to develop, rollout and deliver its Data and Development Training Program (“The Program”), a knowledge and capacity-building training program on Big Data and development dedicated to professionals involved in development work and policymaking in the Global South, through 1) a series of training workshops in Bogotá, Cambridge, Dakar, Kigali, Nairobi and New York; and 2) the development of a knowledge platform featuring an online library of key resources and other pedagogical materials. These training workshops and all supporting materials will be developed and delivered by Data-Pop Alliance, in partnership and with contributions from SciDevNet, Internews, MIT Media Lab and our local implementing partners in Colombia, Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal. The program focuses on addressing gaps in knowledge and capacity of professionals tasked with making, conveying, discussing and/or implementing decisions that impact societies of the Global South. Importantly, what we propose is not a Data Science course of the kind that can be currently found on online platforms. Though the development of technical skills and concepts will be a feature of such a program—notably, basic data manipulation and visualization tools and techniques, introduction to statistical machine-learning, etc.—the program intends develop our target audience’s understanding and skills across the full spectrum of applications and implications of Big Data for society and their work (including ethical, legal, and institutional). Participants will include national statistical officers, UN and World Bank staff, university faculty and researchers, journalists, civil society and others.Objectives and duration of consultancy
The objectives of this assignment is to 1) conduct a rapid review of existing data literacy and training programmes, with the aim of understanding their design, features, modules and modalities; and 2) support the design and development of a multi-disciplinary data literacy programme. This comprehensive review and analysis will serve as an input towards the strategic design and implementation of the Program’s first workshop at MIT Media Lab this summer. The consultant will be working during the period of 28 March 2016 to 3 May 2016.Key skills, technical background and experience required
- Master’s Degree in social sciences or related field. Degree and/or coursework in data science
- Proven and recognized experience in programme development and/or research on data and sustainable development
- Prior experience in conducting capacity building and training programmes (the consultant will provide samples of prior successful work)
- Prior experience and demonstrated results in curriculum development
- Working knowledge and experience in data science, big data and/or open data
- Excellent writing, facilitation, and organizational skills
- Excellent command of the English language
- Deadline driven with a focus on results
- Advanced MS Office skills, specifically in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint Adept at the use of office communication tools
