Digital & Data Strategy Expert – Zambia

Aninver Development Partners SL (www.aninver.com) is looking for a Digital & Data Strategy Expert for a private sector consultancy assignment financed by UNIDO in Zambia.

Aninver Development Partners SL is currently preparing a competitive proposal for UNIDO in Zambia, focusing on the private-sector development domain within critical-mineral value chains. We are seeking a qualified Digital & Data Strategy Expert to contribute to a comprehensive baseline assessment and skills development needs analysis supporting artisanal and small-scale mining operators and workers.

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in establishing robust data frameworks, designing quantitative instruments, and ensuring high standards of data protection, reproducibility, and analysis throughout the duration of the project.

Aninver is preparing a proposal for this assignment. The selected expert will be part of the proposed team; the engagement is conditional on the contract being awarded to Aninver. The full Terms of Reference for the position are shared with shortlisted candidates.

Objectives of the assignment

• Consolidate existing information to construct a reliable operational sampling framework.
• Propose and implement an appropriate sampling and selection methodology, using probability-based selection where feasible.
• Establish baseline values and evidence for target setting concerning net income indicators.
• Design and deploy robust baseline and skills-assessment digital tools and instruments.
• Establish clear data foundations and analytical structures to link future project activities to outcomes.

Scope of work

• Consolidating available secondary information from government records, geological surveys, and previous studies.
• Identifying material data gaps and undertaking targeted validation where necessary.
• Developing the sampling and selection methodology to minimize selection bias across target provinces and commodities.
• Designing baseline and skills-assessment data instruments and measurement frameworks.
• Implementing approved survey samples and managing respondent access securely.
• Establishing practical methodologies for estimating reported net income and disaggregating findings by sex and youth status.
• Implementing strict do-no-harm data protection principles and managing data privacy.
• Providing reproducible raw data, clean analytical datasets, codebooks, and analysis code.

Your role as Digital & Data Strategy Expert

• Lead the digital and data strategy components of the assignment, ensuring methodological rigor in data collection and management.
• Collaborate with team members to integrate data collection instruments into digital platforms for field deployment.
• Oversee data quality assurance, cleaning, and processing during the fieldwork phase.
• Establish stable anonymized identifiers and data structures to support future project linkage and impact analysis.
• Manage secure data storage, adherence to privacy regulations, and compliance with do-no-harm data protection protocols.
• Contribute to the drafting of the sampling framework, data quality reports, and final analytical deliverables.
• Provide technical guidance on quantitative data analysis and disaggregation across provinces and target groups.

Requirements

• Advanced degree in Data Science, Statistics, Economics, Information Technology, or a related quantitative field.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in digital strategy, data management, quantitative research, or survey design.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing digital data collection tools (e.g., KoboToolbox, ODK) in field settings.
• Strong proficiency in statistical analysis software and reproducible coding practices (e.g., R, Python, STATA).
• Extensive knowledge of data protection, anonymization, and ethical data management principles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Desirable

• Prior professional experience working on UNIDO or other international donor-funded projects.
• Familiarity with the artisanal and small-scale mining sector or rural private-sector development in Southern Africa.

A meticulous quantitative and digital data specialist with extensive field research experience, capable of designing robust sampling frameworks and managing secure, high-quality datasets for international development projects.

Assignment details

• Location: Zambia
• Financed by: UNIDO
• Sector: Private sector
• Estimated duration: 4 months
• Contract: individual consultancy (conditional on award)

About Aninver Development Partners

Aninver is an international development consulting firm headquartered in Spain. It supports governments, development banks, UN agencies and bilateral donors with feasibility studies, technical assistance, evaluations and capacity building across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Asia-Pacific, working with a network of international and national experts.

Why apply

• Join a multidisciplinary team on a UNIDO-financed project in Zambia.
• Individual consultancy: flexible, output-based engagement with an experienced proposal team.
• Your CV stays in Aninver's expert network for future assignments that match your profile.

How to apply

Sign in (or create a free account) and upload your CV in English. Add your LinkedIn profile, indicative daily rate and availability to speed up the assessment. Aninver will contact the shortlisted candidates.

Frequently asked questions

Is the position confirmed? The engagement depends on the contract being awarded to Aninver. Shortlisted experts are included in the proposal with their consent.

Can I apply if I am not based in the country? Yes, unless the requirements say otherwise; relevant regional experience is an asset.

What happens with my CV? It is used to assess your fit for this and future positions and is not shared with third parties without your consent.