National Consultant - Data Specialist

WHO; Manila; On-site; PHP 1,339,000 - 2,009,000; Full time

Job summary

WHO Philippines Country Office seeks a Data Specialist to provide operational M&E and data management support. You will wrangle, validate, and analyze health data from DOH, PSA, and LGU sources to support SDG monitoring and UHC planning.

The role requires an advanced degree in a quantitative health field and at least 5 years of experience, with proficiency in R or Python, SQL, and data visualization. Strong English communication skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in quantitative health field required.
• 5+ years in health data analysis or epidemiological analytics.
• Experience producing decision-ready data products like dashboards.
• Proficient in R or Python with SQL and visualization experience.
• Experience with WHO/UN agencies is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Data wrangling, quality checks, and metadata documentation.
• Develop reproducible workflows and code repositories.
• Compile, clean, and validate data from DOH systems, PSA, and LGU datasets.
• Perform statistical analysis and simple modeling (e.g., time-series).
• Create compelling data visualizations and analytical summaries for SDG indicators.

Skills

Analytical skills

Statistical analysis

English proficiency

Data visualization

R or Python

SQL

Reproducible workflows

Data documentation

Planning and organization

Education

Master's degree in Biostatistics/Health Statistics/Epidemiology/Public Health

Tools

R

Python

SQL

Data visualization tools

Job description

Organizational context: The WHO Philippines Country Office supports the Department of Health (DOH) in strengthening evidence-based decision-making, tracking health outcomes, and aligning with Universal Health Care priorities. This involves supporting SDG 3 monitoring, national indicators, and subnational analysis. Operational support is needed for managing, processing, and analyzing health data from various sources to ensure quality and usability for routine monitoring and reporting.

Job purpose: This consultancy provides essential operational Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and data management support to the WHO M&E team in the Philippines. The role is crucial for enhancing evidence-based decision‑making within the Department of Health (DOH) and supporting Universal Health Care (UHC) priorities. The specialist will contribute to SDG 3 monitoring, national indicator tracking, and subnational performance analysis. Key contributions include managing, processing, and analyzing health data from diverse sources, ensuring data quality and consistency for routine monitoring and reporting. The role also supports subnational data initiatives, developing data products, and improving data reliability for key health indicators, ultimately informing planning and resource allocation.

Responsibilities: The Data Specialist will provide operational M&E and data management support. Key duties include data wrangling, quality checks, metadata documentation, and developing reproducible workflows. This involves compiling, cleaning, and validating data from multiple sources such as DOH systems, PSA, and LGU datasets. The role requires performing statistical analysis and simple modeling, including target population estimation and time‑series analysis. Responsibilities also encompass conducting data quality checks, documenting data sources and assumptions, and contributing to analytical summaries, reports, and M&E documentation. Developing clear, decision‑friendly data visualizations and contributing to methods briefs and reproducible code repositories are also expected. Additionally, the specialist will support strategic monitoring and reporting of SDG indicators and M&E datasets, assist in updating monitoring datasets, and prepare tables and analytical outputs. Coordination support for data groups, including facilitating stakeholder consultations, will be required.

Education: An advanced degree (Master's or higher) in Biostatistics, Health Statistics, Epidemiology, Public Health, or a related quantitative health field is essential. Desirable qualifications include additional formal training in data science, statistical modeling, or health informatics, along with coursework or certification in data visualization or advanced analytics.

Work experience: A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in health data analysis, statistical modeling, or epidemiological analytics is required. Demonstrated experience in producing decision‑ready data products like factsheets and dashboards is essential. Proficiency in R or Python, along with experience in SQL and data visualization tools, is necessary. Desirable experience includes working with WHO, UN agencies, or government health programs, applying statistical methods to subnational data, and familiarity with health information systems in the Philippines.

Skills: Strong analytical and statistical skills. Ability to communicate complex results to non‑technical audiences. Proficiency in reproducible research workflows and data documentation. Strong planning and organizational skills. Expert knowledge of English (Read/Write/Speak).

Required languages: English