Data Collection and Management Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants]

Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1: Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2: UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated: All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

The Congo Basin, home to over 200 million hectares of tropical forest, represents one of the world’s most vital carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs. Sadly, the region continues to experience alarming rates of forest loss. Over one million hectares of forest is lost annually, driven by small-scale agriculture, infrastructure expansion, and unsustainable logging practices. Despite its ecological and climate significance, Central African forests receive only 11% of forest climate financing worldwide. This deforestation not only undermines global climate goals but also threatens the livelihoods of over 75 million forest-dependent communities.

On this basis, a coalition of donors – Belgium, Denmark, the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Norway, the Netherlands, the Republic of France, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland – together with Central African partner countries – Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Gabon – have decided to enter into a collaborative partnership to establish the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI). The CAFI Trust Fund is the principal means to implement the Central African Forest Initiative. It is administered by the MPTF-Office, that also provides the Secretariat services.

CAFI’s objective is to recognize and preserve the value of the forests in the region to mitigate climate change, reduce poverty, and contribute to sustainable development. This objective will be attained through the implementation of country-led, national scale REDD+ and Low Emissions Development (LED) investment frameworks that include policy reforms and measures to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and promote sustainable development.

In response, Payments for Environmental Services (PES) have emerged as a strategic and innovative performance-based financial instrument to incentivize conservation, enhance community resilience, and mobilize sustainable finance. PES schemes offer direct financial rewards to local actors (farmers, indigenous groups, and landowners) for maintaining or restoring ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, watershed protection, and biodiversity conservation. These voluntary contract-based arrangements have proven effective in aligning economic incentives with environmental stewardship, especially in regions where traditional conservation funding is limited.

Governments of Congo Basin countries and CAFI have designed a standardized regional PES programme and committed to scale it to address the drivers of forest loss while providing direct support to local actors. Groundbreaking digital tools tailored to the context of the Congo Basin countries have been developed to ensure unprecedented transparency, accountability, and measurable impact. PES are foreseen to become a major part of CAFI’s portfolio in the coming year.

To support the effective management, monitoring, and transparency of PES schemes, a dedicated digital PES tool has been developed. The system supports the full PES implementation cycle, from project setup and beneficiary enrolment to field monitoring, validation, and payment execution, while ensuring data integrity, traceability, and accountability.

The tool currently supports six types of PES activities: Agroforestry, Reforestation, Deforestation-Free Agriculture, Natural Regeneration, Assisted Regeneration and Conservation.

The PES digital tool is structured around five core modules:

• Administration - to create, configure and manage PES projects
• Admission - to manage PES beneficiaries' applications, enrolment and contract generation
• Monitoring - to track and evaluate field visits results and inform payment decisions
• Payment - to initiate and track PES payments to beneficiaries through mobile money services
• GIS Portal - to visualize contracted PES areas as national allowed areas for PES on interactive maps

The PES tool interfaces with Kobo Collect to enable field data collection through customized forms for applications and monitoring visits. Data collected via Kobo is automatically synchronized and integrated into the PES system. Both beneficiary applications and monitoring data follow a multi-level validation process within the tool, aligned with institutional approval workflows. Currently, there are two distinct forms: one covering Agroforestry, Reforestation, and Deforestation-Free Agriculture, and another for Natural Regeneration and Assisted Regeneration.

The CAFI Secretariat is seeking a Data Collection& Management Specialist to support the large‑scale deployment of the CAFI PES tool, ensuring effective partner onboarding across CAFI countries, robust field data collection processes, and continuous improvement based on field implementation feedback.

Duties and Responsibilities

This assignment aims to support the CAFI Secretariat’s team as well as the Data Collection & Management Specialist in the operational deployment and scale‑up of the CAFI PES digital tool, including partner onboarding, field data collection processes, testing, training, and feedback integration.

A. Field Data Collection and Quality Assurance

• Lead the optimization and continuous improvement of mobile data collection forms used for PES applications and monitoring on the different PES activity types.
• Support the adaptation of data collection forms to new field-level functionalities (e.g. contract signature, additional data capture requirements) and PES activities.
• Collect, manage and coordinate requests for form adaptations from partner organizations, field agents and direct beneficiaries.
• Ensure data quality, consistency and usability of field data.

B. Testing & Issue Tracking

• Conduct functional testing of CAFI-PES digital tool after each release, across multiple devices and network conditions in the field
• Systematically identify, document and report bugs and anomalies using project management tools (e.g. JIRA)
• Coordinate the follow-up of tickets throughout the development lifecycle and ensure timely resolution
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of user experience, particularly for field and partner users by collaborating with the technical development team to translate identified issues to user-centric improvements.

C. Deployment, Partner Onboarding and Training

• Facilitate the transition of CAFI-PES from pilot phase to large-scale, multi-country deployment across partner organizations and participating countries
• Define and implement partner onboarding processes and strategies while accounting for country-specific contexts and partners.
• Deliver training sessions to partners on CAFI's PES methodologies, as well as on the use of CAFI-PES and mobile data collection.
• Support partners in their adequate implementation of PES and the use of CAFI-PES (coaching, troubleshooting, etc.)
• Develop, update and localize training materials, user guides and operational documentation to support onboarding and long-term use
• Contribute to the progressive institutionalization and sustainable adoption of CAFI-PES and PES implementation practices

D. CAFI PES Programme methodologies support

• Support further development and improvement of CAFI regional PES programme standards and operational rules, including through bottom-up feedbacks.
• Support their national contextualization in discussion with national partners
• Contribute to the development and refinement of methodological tools, templates and operational frameworks
• Provide operational and technical guidance to the overall implementation of PES programmes in partner countries
• Capitalize field experience and lessons learned to improve PES practices

E. Digital Product Support & Field Feedback

• Collect, structure and report field feedback during deployment and PES implementation phases
• Identify, categorize and prioritize functional and methodological improvement needs based on systematic field observations
• Organize training‑of‑trainers/ ambassadors sessions to present new improvements, gather user feedback, and ensure two‑way communication between field users and the product team
• Create user story tickets in JIRA for new developments and enhancements, based on field identified needs validated with the Digital Product Manager
• Serve as a key interface between field partners, CAFI team and developers to ensure effective feedback loops
• Animate community of practices.

F. Ensure facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing.

• Identify and promote different systems and applications for optimal content management, knowledge management and sharing, and information provision.
• Organize training for staff on ICT issues.
• Provide sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

The Data Collection & Management Specialist shall perform other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

The Data Collection & Management Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the PES Lead in the CAFI Secretariat, collaborating on a daily basis with the Digital Product Manager.

The Data Collection & Management Specialist will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment.

Institutional Arrangement

The Data Collection & Management Specialist will work under the direct supervision of the PES Lead in the CAFI Secretariat, collaborating on a daily basis with the Digital Product Manager.

The Data Collection & Management Specialist will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment.

Competencies

Core

Achieve Results _ LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact

Think Innovatively _ LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems

Learn Continuously _ LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility _ LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands

Act with Determination _ LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner _ LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion _ LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Development _ Knowledge Facilitation: Ability to animate individuals and groups, internally and externally, and to design and facilitate activities, to share and exchange knowledge, information and ideas. Knowledge of tools and approaches to stimulate active participation, contribution, and exchange.

Digital & Innovation _ Data collection: Being skilled in Data Sorting, Data Cleaning, Survey Administration, Presentation and Reporting Including collection of Real-Time Data (e.g. mobile data, satellite data, sensor data).

Digital & Innovation _ Digital Product design: Ability to design digital products which are user-centred, intuitive, functional and achieve desired outcomes.

Business Direction & Strategy _ System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

2030 Agenda: Planet _ Nature: Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Natural resource management and early warning.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) Environmental Science, Economics or Development Economics, Natural Resource Management, or related area is required.

Or

A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

Minimum 5 years (with master’s degree) or 7 years (with bachelor’s degree) of professional experience in participatory natural resource management, environmental protection, performance-based payment mechanisms, or related fields.

Required skills and competencies:

• Demonstrated experience with Kobo Collect tools.
• Demonstrated experience working on Payments for Environmental Services.
• Demonstrated experience supporting the development of a programme-related digital tool.
• Demonstrated experience in working with countries from the Congo Basin.

Desired additional skills and competencies:

• Previous experience working with the UN and/or in a developing country.
• Previous experience collaborating with developers using JIRA.
• Experience working with national organizations from the Congo Basin on performance-based environmental conservation, forest management and/or sustainable agriculture programmes.
• Experience in coordinating diverse teams, technical vendors, and senior stakeholders around complex challenges.

Required Language(s)

• Fluency in French language is required.
• Working knowledge of English is desired.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

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