Project Officer (Data Platform Owner)

UNICEF; København; On-site; DKK 750,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

UNICEF is seeking a Product Owner for the Azure Databricks-based Data Platform during a five-month parental leave period. You will own data pipelines end-to-end, drive architecture, and ensure reliability, observability, and cost efficiency across the Supply Division data ecosystem.

The role requires delivering production-grade data products, enforcing governance with Purview, and guiding teams through DataOps practices while maintaining high performance and security.

Qualifications

• First-level university degree required in relevant field or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of two years of professional experience in data engineering or data platform management.
• Experience with cloud data platforms (Azure Databricks) and ETL/ELT processes essential.
• Experience in product ownership and agile methodologies is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

• Own Data Platform for UNICEF Supply Division, acting as Product Owner for Azure Databricks and managing workspace architecture, cluster strategy, cost optimization, and data lake/lakehouse design.
• Define and enforce platform standards, best practices, and reusable patterns; own platform roadmap for stability, scalability, security, and performance.

Skills

Azure Databricks

Data Pipeline Management

Data Architecture

Data Governance

Microsoft Purview

Data Quality Management

Agile Project Management

DevOps/DataOps

CI/CD

Cloud Data Platforms

Product Ownership

Monitoring and Alerting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, Engineering, or related field

Job description

Organizational context: UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential. We are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling. UNICEF is a place where careers are built, offering diverse opportunities for professional and personal development.

Job purpose: The purpose of this role is to ensure the uninterrupted ownership, operational stability, and continued development of the Supply Division Data Platform and its data pipelines during a five-month parental leave period. The incumbent will act as the Product Owner for the Azure Databricks platform, driving end-to-end data services aligned with Supply Division strategy. This includes taking full ownership of data pipelines (ETL/ELT), data integration, and data lifecycle management, translating business needs into robust, production-grade data products and pipelines that are reliable, performant, and maintainable. The role is critical for maintaining the integrity and efficiency of UNICEF's data infrastructure within the Supply Division.

Responsibilities: The Project Officer will be responsible for Data Platform Ownership, acting as the Product Owner for Azure Databricks, managing workspace architecture, cluster strategy, cost optimization, and data lake/lakehouse design. They will define and enforce platform standards, best practices, and reusable patterns, owning the platform roadmap for stability, scalability, security, and performance. Operational health, including monitoring, capacity planning, and incident management, will also be key. Responsibilities extend to ETL/ELT & Data Pipeline Ownership, managing the end-to-end lifecycle of all data pipelines, defining and enforcing standards for reliability, observability, resilience, and efficiency. This includes establishing a centralized monitoring framework, automated alerting, and standardized error handling. The role involves incident management, root cause analysis, and driving migration from legacy systems to Databricks-native pipelines. Further responsibilities include Data Architecture & Integration, defining enterprise data architecture, establishing data integration patterns, and ensuring interoperability and single source of truth principles. Data Governance, Catalog & Purview Ownership involves implementing and evolving Microsoft Purview for data cataloging and governance, defining data ownership models, and ensuring end-to-end data lineage visibility. Finally, Data Quality & Reliability Engineering includes defining and implementing data quality controls, establishing automated validation rules and SLAs, and owning the resolution of data quality issues. Product & Project Management involves owning the data platform backlog and managing delivery across engineering teams, ensuring adoption of Agile and DataOps practices.

Education: A first-level university degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field is required. In lieu of a degree, a combination of relevant education and extensive experience may be accepted.

Work experience: A minimum of two years of relevant professional experience in data engineering, data platform management, or a related role is required. Experience with cloud data platforms (e.g., Azure Databricks) and ETL/ELT processes is essential. Experience in product ownership and agile methodologies is a strong asset.

Skills: Azure Databricks, Data Pipeline Management (ETL/ELT), Data Architecture, Data Governance, Microsoft Purview, Data Quality Management, Agile Project Management, DevOps/DataOps, CI/CD, Cloud Data Platforms, Product Ownership, Monitoring and Alerting

Required languages:

Desired languages: