INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION  

ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, with the mission to connect the world. To achieve this, ITU manages the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits at the international level, works to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishes global standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communication systems. ITU also organizes global Telecom events bringing together the most influential representatives of government and the private sector to exchange ideas and knowledge for the benefit of all.

Roster - Data Scientist 

 Vacancy notice no: 1955 
Sector: BDT
Department: DNE
Country of contract: Remote
Duty station: Home Based

 Position number: [[positionNumber]] 
Grade: [[PositionGrade]] 
Type of contract: Consultant
Duration of contract: Between 50 and 260 working days
Recruitment open to: External
Application deadline (Midnight Geneva Time): 31 December 2025

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT

The Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) is responsible for the organization and coordination of the work of the Telecommunication Development Sector of the Union. BDT deals mainly with development policies, strategies, programming, projects, as well as technical cooperation activities to enable and foster universal access to affordable, high-quality and secure telecommunications/ICTs and Foster equitable and inclusive use of telecommunications/ICTs to empower people and societies for sustainable development. To effectively and efficiently serve the needs of Member States, BDT is organized into four functional areas:

• Operations Coordination Department (Office of the Deputy to the Director) (DDR)
• Projects, Partnerships & Digital Skills Department (PPS) 
• Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE) 
• Digital Knowledge Society Department (DKS)

The Digital Networks & Environment Department (DNE) is responsible to assist the Member States, especially the G77 countries, in a wide range of ICT development challenges, as basic connectivity, spectrum management, evolution of current to future broadband networks and technologies, enabling universal and affordable access, and strengthening the security through the cybersecurity support. In addition, the DNE Department provides expertise and needed support for emergency telecommunications and the increasingly important and urgent aspects related to the environment and climate change.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Under the operational guidance of the Head of the Future Networks & Spectrum Management Division of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, and in close collaboration with the division's team members, the role of this Special Service Agreement (SSA) is to ensure the support of successful implementation of infrastructure projects and technical assistance. 

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Under the operational guidance of the Head of the Future Networks & Spectrum Management Division of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, the Consultant will:

• Work closely with Data Engineers, GIS specialists, and telecommunications experts to standardize a pipeline for analysing telecommunication infrastructure, microeconomic data, and connectivity.  
• Identify and evaluate telecommunication data sources and the types of data that can be used to assess connectivity and infrastructure development in specific regions and optimization problems in telecommunications network planning and development. Analyse population density datasets to estimate internet demand. 
• Conduct research on algorithmic solutions to enhance network efficiency and coverage. Extract insights from data to inform decision-making and strategic planning. 
• Review existing connectivity models based on geospatial data and contribute to the development of new models. Ensure these models are interoperable and implement them in executable code to facilitate practical application. 
• Provide support for the creation of data visualizations. This includes designing and developing visual tools that effectively communicate complex data insights to stakeholders. 
• Gather and preprocess data from various sources to ensure it is ready for analysis. This includes handling missing values, outliers, and ensuring data quality. 
• Perform Exploratory Data Analysis to uncover patterns, trends, and insights in the data and apply statistical methods to analyse data and draw meaningful conclusions. This includes hypothesis testing, regression analysis, and other statistical techniques. 
• Develop and train machine learning models to solve specific problems. This includes selecting appropriate algorithms, tuning hyperparameters, and evaluating model performance. 
• Prepare reports and presentations to communicate analysis results to stakeholders. This involves translating complex data insights into actionable recommendations.  

CONCRETE DELIVERABLES

• Standardized telecommunication infrastructure, microeconomic, and school connectivity data analysis pipeline and published data acquisition, processing scripts, and models for infrastructure and connectivity data. 
• Infrastructure and connectivity data validation and quality reports. 
• List of data sources for infrastructure development level analysis and connectivity cost estimations. List of optimization problems in telecommunications network planning and development, and their potential optimal or heuristic solutions. 
• Interoperable connectivity, geospatial, and business models implemented in code, data visualizations and maps. 
• Tools and products that support mapping and connectivity modelling needs of targeted countries. 
• Progress on connectivity and mapping workflow automation and supervised code-sharing account using Azure DevOps, Azure Machine Learning Studio, and GitHub. 

COMPETENCIES

• Proficiency in Python for data analysis and machine learning. 
• Advanced knowledge of data processing tools and libraries such as pandas and numpy. 
• Strong understanding of statistical methods and their application in data analysis. 
• Familiarity with machine learning frameworks and libraries such as scikit-learn, TensorFlow, scikit-learn and PyTorch. 
• Proficiency in visualization tools like Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, and Tableau. 
• Familiarity with big data tools and platforms such as Hadoop, Spark, and Kafka. 
• Knowledge of geospatial libraries and tools like geopandas, shapely and QGIS. 
• Proficiency in version control systems like Git and platforms such as GitHub and GitLab.
   

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Education: University degree in Telecommunication, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field OR education from a reputed college of advanced education with a diploma of equivalent standard to that of a university degree in one of the above-mentioned fields. An advanced degree would be an asset.

Experience: At least three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in the field relevant to the Special Service Agreement (SSA).
Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases, including PostgreSQL and MongoDB. Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud for data storage and processing.

Languages: Knowledge of English at advanced level. Knowledge of French is an advantage. 

REMUNERATION INFORMATION

Daily Fee:  Between 185-250 USD per working day to be defined according to the work experience of the consultant.

INFORMATION ON RECRUITMENT PROCESS   

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the ITU career website. The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. ITU uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates. Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided. Messages originating from a non ITU e-mail account - @itu.int - should be disregarded. ITU does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.

ITU applies a zero-tolerance policy against all forms of harassment. ITU is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. Achieving gender balance is a high priority for ITU.