Junior Data Scientist

Junior Data Scientist

Job #:

req22407

Organization:

World Bank

Sector:

Economics

Grade:

GE

Term Duration:

2 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:

International Recruitment

Location:

Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):

English

Preferred Language(s):

Spanish, French, Portuguese, Arabic

Closing Date:

5/13/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org

Summary

The World Bank's Vice Presidency of Development Economics (DEC) seeks to recruit a Data Science Analyst to support the project "Improving Reproducibility in the World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series". The Data Science Analyst will support DEC efforts to increase reproducible research practices and to verify the computational reproducibility of submissions to the Policy Research Working Paper Series (PRWPS).

We seek a candidate who is passionate about reproducible research and open science and has excellent data skills. The candidate will have expertise in a variety of statistical software and data science tools, familiarity with development economics research, and the interest and ability to communicate reproducible research practices clearly in trainings and outreach. Since most of the data analysis in papers published to PRWPS is done with Stata or R, proficient knowledge both software and programming languages is a requirement for this role. Proficiency with GitHub is also required as we use the platform to conduct the checks. Familiarity with other languages such as Python, MATLAB, SAS, SPSS, Fortran, and Julia is a plus.

Description

The Data Science Analyst will be mapped to the Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) department and will be part of the DIME Analytics team. DIME Analytics creates tools that improve the quality of impact evaluation research for all. They take advantage of the concentration and scale of research at DIME to develop and test solutions to ensure high quality of data collection and research quality across our portfolio, and to make public training and tools available to the larger community of development researchers who might not have the same capabilities. DIME Analytics objective is to ensure that DIME's analytical work is high-quality, transferable, and replicable and to improve research quality globally through out public goods.

The Data Science Analyst will coordinate the new reproducible research policy for the Policy Research Working Paper Series, which will be piloted starting on 1 July 2023. The Analyst will manage the full process of reproducibility checks, from verifying the packages submitted to publishing those packages. S/he will identify inefficiencies and issues that impede the reproducibility of World Bank research and will contribute to the development of tools and protocols to improve research reproducibility. The Analyst will help to develop and conduct trainings to disseminate knowledge of reproducible research and open science across the WBG.

Role & Responsibilities:

The Data Science Analyst will have the following responsibilities:

1.Lead and supervise reproducibility checks to verify the computational reproducibility of research submitted to the PRWPS and coordinate the publication of verified reproducibility packages.

2.Perform more in-depth code reviews when requested and provide feedback to researchers on ways to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and transferability of their code.

3.Coordinate reproducibility verifications with other staff members, consultants and interns as needed. Provide technical support and supervision to temporary staff and consultants supporting the work.

4.Support and actively promote the adoption of reproducible research and open science practices by World Bank researchers. This includes identifying inefficiencies, developing tools and trainings, and offering customized support.

5.Serve as point of contact for WBG researchers submitting works to the PRWPS dealing with computational reproducibility problems. This includes, but is not limited to, advising research teams on how to set reproducible workflows for data ingestion, data management, data processing, data analysis, and exporting research outputs.

6.Contribute to the movement toward reproducible research at DIME, DEC, and the WBG, and engage with external stakeholders in the broader reproducible research community.

7.Develop and maintain public goods to support reproducible research and high-quality coding practices.

Time division

Activity

Role

Percent of time

Reproducibility verification

Coordination, implementation

50%

Coordination with temporary staff, consultants and interns supporting reproducibility checks

Implementation

10%

Capacity building (trainings, outreach, technical support)

Implementation

25%

Development of tools and protocols to address common issues and inefficiencies in reproducibility checks

Lead, implementation

15%

Selection Criteria

• Master's degree in economics, public policy, statistics, data science or related field

• 3+ years of relevant work experience

• Demonstrated interested in reproducible research and familiarity with computational reproducibility standards

• Demonstrated ability to communicate reproducible research and open science concepts and to audiences with varying levels of computer and coding literacy.

• Strong analytical and conceptual skills; demonstrated ability to conduct statistical analysis, and demonstrated experience in development economics research

• Advanced proficiency in Stata, R and Git are required. Demonstrated experience developing Stata packages, reviewing reproducibility packages for projects, and/or performing causal inference analysis is preferred. Experience with tidyverse packages in R required. Proficiency using git commands through the terminal required.

• Advanced proficiency in Python is preferred, including familiarity with parallel programming, machine learning, and text analysis

• Knowledge of other programming languages such as MATLAB, SPSS, SAS, Fortran, Julia, and others are a plus. Knowledge of form programming languages such as ODK and SurveyCTO a plus.

• Familiarity with non-GUI computer interfaces to interact with cloud servers, run code, and transfer files through the terminal is preferred. Experience working within World Bank IT infrastructure will be an advantage

• Demonstrated experience teaching statistical software or similar technical content highly desirable

• Strong oral and written communication skills in English are required. Fluence in other working languages of the World Bank is a plus

• Proven ability and willingness to work as part of a team in a multicultural environment, and work across teams in cross-thematic projects, foster teamwork, and mentor junior team members

• General Development Knowledge and Analytical Skills: Demonstrates knowledge of cross-country information and the ability to link the macro, institutional, and micro-level behaviors; able to support findings/policy recommendations with credible analysis and tools.

• Drive for Results: Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results and has the personal organization to do so.

• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries - initiates collaboration beyond the team.

• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge - Proactively and regularly shares knowledge.

• Make Smart Decisions - Identifies information needed to support decisions.

• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making: Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

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