Digital Solutions Specialist Full Time NEW

The Digital Solutions Specialist leads the design, development, deployment, integration, and day-to-day operation of the AI-powered digital solutions package that underpins WVIE’s nine-sector RISE Fund response across 27 conflict- and crisis-affected woredas. At the core of the role is software development: the Specialist builds and maintains the data-consolidation layer — the connectors, integration services, data pipelines, and unified data model — that pulls data from WVIE’s feeder systems into a single real-time, multi-sector monitoring and reporting dashboard. The feeder systems include LMMS/ITS for beneficiary registration and distribution, CommCare (Dimagi) for GPM+/MHPSS case tracking, Kobo for assessments, PDM and JMMI, mWater for WASH scheme monitoring, MEQA for education quality, and CPIMS+ (via BoWSA) for child protection casework. The consolidation layer gives programme, MEAL, and senior management a coherent view of coverage, gaps, pipeline status, and complaint trends as they emerge — so the response can act weeks earlier.
Beyond development, the Specialist operationalizes AI-supported analytics (deduplication, anomaly detection, forecasting, and local-language complaints analytics) strictly under WVI data protection policy and responsible-AI safeguards, trains and supports field and partner staff, and ensures the package delivers against DHR indicators and consortium accountability indicators (feedback heard; complaints actioned within the agreed timeframe). He/She works within an agile, iterative delivery model — short sprints, a prioritized backlog, regular increments, and continuous feedback from programme and field users — well suited to a fast-moving humanitarian start-up where requirements evolve as the response scales. He/She keeps child protection and personally identifiable data safeguarded within their mandated systems and translates complex technical details for non-technical programme staff. He/She communicates World Vision’s Christian ethos and demonstrates a quality of spiritual life that is an example to others.

Job Description

Software development – data consolidation layer & integrations

• Design, develop, test, and maintain the data-consolidation software that ingests and unifies data from all feeder systems (LMMS/ITS, CommCare, Kobo, mWater, MEQA, CPIMS+, and SMAP where applicable) into a single data model behind the dashboard.

• Build and maintain connectors, APIs, scheduled exports/ETL pipelines, and transformation/validation logic so each system’s outputs map cleanly to consortium indicators (e.g., mWater;  CommCare; MEQA).
• Follow a disciplined, agile development lifecycle — iterative sprints, a prioritized product backlog, regular working increments, sprint reviews and retrospectives, and continuous user feedback — consistent with WVI/GTD development standards and security requirements; deliver a usable first version of the dashboard early and improve it iteratively rather than waiting for a single big release.
• Implement automated data-quality checks, deduplication logic, and error handling; manage version control, code review, and release management.
• Maintain a clear data architecture map and enforce, in code and configuration, that CP case data and PII remain in their mandated systems and are never duplicated into CommCare or the AI analytics layer.

Real-time multi-sector dashboard – build and operation

• Build and operate the centralized real-time monitoring and reporting dashboard on top of the consolidation layer, covering all nine sectors and 27 woredas — tracking reach, geographic coverage, sex/age/disability disaggregation, progress against quarterly ITT targets, supply pipeline status, complaint trends, and PDM findings.
• Develop custom, interactive data visualizations using D3.js (and equivalent libraries) for bespoke charts, geographic/woreda-level maps, and drill-downs that standard BI widgets cannot deliver, complementing Power BI dashboards for routine reporting.
• Develop and integrate AI-supported anomaly detection (implausible values, sudden coverage drops) and short-horizon forecasting of pipeline status, admission trends, and ITT trajectory.
• Produce monthly maps, sector snapshots, gap and coverage products for management, OCHA/AIT, zones, government counterparts, and donor reporting.
• Maintain dashboard performance, access controls, and version control; iterate based on user feedback from sector and field teams.

Feeder-system configuration & technical support

• Configure and support LMMS/ITS registration, deduplication, and distribution tracking at scale, including AI-assisted duplicate detection for human verification across sectors, rounds, and funding streams (USDA/DHR Raya-corridor reconciliation; ECC cash deduplication).
• Configure and support the CommCare (Dimagi) GPM+/MHPSS case-tracking and supervision platform; support mWater WASH asset/functionality monitoring and MEQA education-quality data capture; configure Kobo forms (offline, multilingual).
• Coordinate with BoWSA/UNICEF on CPIMS+ so child protection case data flows correctly within the mandated system; assess SMAP only where a genuine GIS gap exists rather than duplicating Kobo/mWater.
• Provide deskside/remote helpdesk support and resolve incidents across the feeder systems.

AI-supported analytics, complaints & accountability

• Operationalize AI-assisted complaints and feedback analytics in Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali, and Afar languages — speech-to-text, categorization, and severity flagging — routing safeguarding/PSEA-related complaints to confidential human handlers immediately.
• Ensure AI assists triage and trend analysis only; every complaint is handled, resolved, and closed by trained staff (consortium indicator).
• Generate accountability analytics that evidence whether affected people feel heard and able to influence decisions.
• Provide AI-supported drafting and harmonized reporting templates, with all outputs reviewed and validated by technical/MEAL staff before use.

Training, capacity building & user support

• Develop training materials, SOPs, and quick-reference guides for the dashboard and each feeder system; deliver training and ToTs to WVIE field staff, MEAL teams, and local implementing partners across the five zones.
• Run a cascade model so woreda-level digital focal points can register, collect, and report independently; provide ongoing helpdesk support.
• Strengthen the digital capacity of local/national partners as part of the localization commitment, including secure data handling and responsible use.
• Evaluate trainings, document lessons learned, and refine materials; promote effective and secure use of all digital tools.

Data protection, responsible-AI assurance & security

• Conduct and maintain a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), security review, and consent tooling across the digital package; run quarterly responsible-AI reviews.
• Ensure external AI services process no personally identifiable beneficiary data; keep all AI processing of personal data within WVIE-controlled systems.
• Apply WVI data protection policy and the IASC Operational Guidance on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action; manage user access, roles, audit logs, and incident response.

Deployment & start-up readiness

• Define the technical specification for the hardware and licenses the package needs — ruggedized tablets for woreda focal points, and platform licenses — and submit these specifications.
• Deploy and configure systems within days of award signature, leveraging existing WVIE deployments rather than building parallel systems.

Required Professional Experience

• BSc/MSc in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, Data Science, or a related field.
• 5–7 years’ experience in software development and data systems / information management, ideally in humanitarian or development programes.
• Demonstrated experience developing data integration/consolidation software — connectors, APIs, ETL pipelines — that brings multiple source systems into a unified data model and dashboard (BI tools such as Power BI).
• Experience delivering software in an agile/iterative model (e.g., Scrum or Kanban): backlog management, sprints, increments, and user feedback loops.
• Hands-on experience with humanitarian data platforms — required familiarity with several of: LMMS/ITS, CommCare/Dimagi, KoboToolbox/ODK, mWater, CPIMS+/Primero, MEQA, SMAP.
• Experience delivering at speed in an emergency or start-up context; able to make sound decisions under pressure.
• Experience training and supporting non-technical users and local partners.
• Committed to World Vision Core Values; exhibits professional ethics in handling confidential and personally identifiable data, consistent with WVI policy and humanitarian data-responsibility standards.

Required Technical Knowledge & Skills

• Software development: proficiency in at least one general purpose language (e.g., Python, C#, JavaScript/Node) and SQL; REST API development/consumption; version control (Git) and a disciplined, agile SDLC (Scrum/Kanban, backlog and sprint tooling such as Azure DevOps or Jira).
• Data-integration and pipeline/ETL development connecting multiple source systems into a unified data model; data quality and validation techniques.
• Data visualization and BI: Power BI or equivalent for routine dashboards, plus D3.js (or a comparable JavaScript visualization library) for custom interactive charts and maps; data modelling.
• Mobile data collection configuration (Kobo/ODK/CommCare): form logic, offline sync, multilingual forms in Ethiopian languages.
• Working understanding of applied AI/analytics for operational use (deduplication, anomaly detection, forecasting, NLP for complaints) and of their limits and risks.
• Strong grasp of data protection, consent, and responsible-AI principles; ability to design and enforce PII and CP-data firewalls in code and configuration.
• Microsoft 365 / Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI), Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive. • Able to communicate complex technical detail clearly to technical and non-technical audiences; excellent written and spoken English.

Preferred Knowledge & Qualifications

• Certification in data analytics (e.g., Certified Analytics Professional), Power BI, or data engineering.
• Training in humanitarian information management (e.g., IM cluster training) and data responsibility.
• Experience with CVA/cash systems and beneficiary deduplication across agencies or funding streams.
• Knowledge of Ethiopian languages (Amharic, Afaan Oromo, Tigrinya, Somali, Afar) for complaints analytics configuration.
• Project management training (PMP, PRINCE2) or agile certification (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster, PSM, SAFe) and cloud/security certifications (e.g., CSSLP) are a plus.