ROBERT PETER NDUGWA

Work History

Chief

Statistics and Analytics, United Nations Human Settlements Programme

2017.01 - Current

Responsible for overall leadership on the design, formulation and implementation of the global urban monitoring and reporting agenda, manage linkages with UN agencies, donors and oversee resource mobilization
Supervised over 16 professional staff and consultants in the field of Data and Statistics
I contribute to effective leadership and partnership management towards support for research undertaken by the Data/Statistics unit and Research Section and the programme management activities by the Branch, to ensure that the substantive work programmes and programmed activities are carried out in a timely and coordinated fashion
Ensure urban policy and statistical networks are integrated as cross cutting issues
Mobilized resources to promote best practices in data and analytics area
Ensured an organizational culture is nurtured where data is treated as an asset and individuals take personal accountability for the quality and application of business data
Ensured foundational data and analytics platforms and services are established, maintained and future-proofed in line with needs, with high target user adoption in cities and internally within the agency
Ensured a flexible and scalable Data and Analytics function that is adaptable to business needs through blending internal talent with external sourcing options
Mobilized US$10 million for quality of life global performance index development, 5 million dollars for urban data production with the Economist Impact, and USD 1.5 M for new global strategy to advocate for use of urban and city definitions alignment to promote harmonized concepts and uniform reporting on SDGs on the urban measures
Developed and coordinated the formulation of the global programme with focus on cities monitoring for urban poverty eradication
Prepared projects on income generation and sustainable livelihood for several countries including using evidence to advocate inclusion of sustainable livelihoods for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in urban areas
Served as focal point in the preparation of the Multi-Country SDG 11 synthesis report 2018 and 2023
Guided several countries on national and sub-national level monitoring and reporting on urban policies and development
Prepared a Resource Mobilization Strategy: secured $1.5M from the Saudi Government on State of Saudi Cities monitoring, $1.5M for Global Monitoring of SDGs from UN Development Account, and contributions totaling $575,000 from Bahrain, Botswana, Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Spain
Lead development of the global urban monitoring framework to track progress on SDGs and NUA performances at global, national and city levels
Leveraged text, charts and graphs to communicate findings in understandable format
Analyzed large amounts of data to identify trends and find patterns, signals and hidden stories within data
Used business objects, business intelligence and other reporting tools to extract data from data solutions and data warehouses
Created and automated data visualizations to present insights and tell compelling stories
Interpreted business questions and collaborated with engineering teams to identify data sources
Identified, reviewed and evaluated data management metrics to recommend ways to strengthen data across enterprise
Assessed large datasets, drew valid inferences and prepared insights in narrative or visual forms
Performed root-cause analysis on data-related system problems to recommend or execute corrective action
Developed and implemented data collection systems and other strategies to optimize statistical efficiency and data quality
Managed key tasks and resources to achieve cost, schedule and strategic growth initiatives
Managed financial, operational and human resources to optimize business performance
Represented organization at industry conferences and events
Established and maintained strong relationships with customers, vendors and strategic partners
Oversaw business-wide changes to modernize procedures and organization.

Chief

Global Urban Observatory Section, United Nations Human Settlements Programme

2014.04 - 2017.05

Developed software applications for statistical modeling and graphic analysis to understand data and drive accurate insight
Evaluated statistical techniques and extracted urban data and information from research data to provide different ways to assess robustness of research outputs
Prepared statistical analysis plans and provided statistical interpretation for graphs, tables and charts
Evaluated reliability of source information by weighing raw data to make data easier to interpret
Developed integrated spreadsheet and database templates for accumulating, formatting and organizing program data and presented findings to management
Coordinated statistical activities for over 30 projects and created, maintained and updated data dictionaries and coding guides
Applied statistical methods to solve specific problems and managed assigned deliverables related to study
Performed data cleaning and data preparation to support high-quality data and catch errors before processing
Developed statistical models for over 20 projects to analyze and represent tasks required to complete project
Developed data tables and databases to create relation between tables to allow efficient data retrieval
Manipulated, transformed and analyzed data by reviewing computer reports, printouts and performance indicators
Conducted quality checks on data sources to check for inconsistencies and perform data cleaning activities
Demonstrated creativity and resourcefulness through the development of innovative solutions
Demonstrated leadership skills in managing projects from concept to completion
Exercised leadership capabilities by successfully motivating and inspiring others
Participated in team projects, demonstrating an ability to work collaboratively and effectively
Demonstrated a high level of initiative and creativity while tackling difficult tasks.

Senior Information Management Specialist

United Nations

2014.07 - 2015.03

Emergency Ebola response – Multi-country mission, based in Ghana
In this 6-month Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) role, I was tasked to build smart systems to monitor and track cases of Ebola as part of a large Ebola response for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
I supported Resident Coordinator's and country teams, including many UN agencies with timely responses to the Ebola epidemic in the 3 countries with mobile-based tracking systems
Supported two RC/HC/RRs (the first also a DSRSG) to restore UN's advisory, programmatic and operational leadership and coordinator of UN Agency operational activities role at the country level
Led emergency capacity building of health information management and collection teams in the 3 countries and HQ Office, significantly improving NGO-Government relations through study/workshops; managed sensitive information that allowed tracking Ebola cases leading to the end of the crisis
Played a pivotal role in formulating the second phase of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Development Programme, a US $16M programme to support health and economic stabilization for the 3 countries; linking relief and development; rehabilitating the health infrastructure; and addressing the needs of the rural and urban poor
Developed a resources mobilization strategy that resulted in US$6M being raised from eight donors for information management support
Built trusted and simplified business data processes that were made available to those who need it, when they need it, in line with data, security, compliance and ethical standards
Support timely and robust insights sharing enabled by advanced analytics and complete, accurate, up-to-date data based on business optimization, innovation and reinvention
Demonstrated creativity and resourcefulness through the development of innovative solutions
Proved successful working within tight deadlines and a fast-paced environment
Learned and adapted quickly to new technology and software applications
Demonstrated strong organizational and time management skills while managing multiple projects
Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions
Worked flexible hours across night, weekend and holiday shifts.

Research and Evaluation Specialist

UNICEF

2010.05 - 2014.04

Managed Monitoring, Research and Evaluation programme, linking with UN system agencies, and resource mobilization
Supervised 4 professional staff and 7 consultants
Coordinated Inter-Agency Programme Working Group of all UN agencies, which facilitated preparation of the first UN Development Assistance Framework (2013) for the country
Led data management of all studies and surveys conducted within the UNICEF country office as part of the strategic planning, management, research and evaluation functions of UNICEF
Managed the Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for the country office
Completed data analysis and compilation of a child development index for initially Kenya and later extended to other countries
Including coordinating the roll out of the Multiple Indicator Cluster surveys in hard to reach areas
Managed and led the implementation of a real time evaluation during the drought emergency crisis in the Horn of Africa region
Responsible for developing a social intelligence system that provided a local level monitoring of the impact of UNICEF activities on local communities
Managed the compilation of the annual reports for the country office
Contributed as a senior planning officer to the development of the UN Development Assistance framework and the new country programme
Supported the social policy dialogues and development with the Government and engaged in and established constructive dialogue and partnerships between international and local stakeholders to support the development of social policies and programmes contributing to the progressive realization of children's rights and strengthening of implementation and monitoring mechanisms at all levels, and ensure that the services reach out to the most needy
Monitored and managed information on state budgeting and spending patterns for social sector programmes and decentralization status of social services on an on-going basis to support advocacy for greater public resources and budget allocation for social development
Supported data collection for assessment of the situation of children and women to provide the base-line information to guide decisions on interventions and evaluations
Developed information systems for monitoring child rights indicators, with emphasis on community and child participation
Provided timely, regular data-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development; facilitate results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling-up specific social policy initiatives
Analyzed the macroeconomic context of social policy programmes and its impact on social development, emerging issues and social policy concerns, as well as implications for children, and proposed/ promoted appropriate responses in respect of such issues and concerns, including government resource allocation policies and the effect of social welfare policies on the rights of children
Provided support and contributed to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the country programme
Promoted and raised awareness on children's rights with both the general public and with policy makers, effective information dissemination, mass media campaign, special events, and other means, to ensure local buy-in, commitment, and continued relevance of UNICEF
Evaluated current processes to develop improvement plans
Restructured procedures through coordination with compliance director to create and execute projects
Compiled research data and gave professional presentations highlighting finds and recommended optimizations
Worked effectively in fast-paced environments.

Research Fellow/Lecturer

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

London

2008.06 - 2010.04

Led the team that managed a 5-million-pound research grant on urbanization, health and education dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa leading to publication of several high-profile articles and research papers on Urbanization trends, adolescents, and vulnerable populations
Was responsible for teaching, demography, biostatistics and epidemiology to master's level Students
I led a Wellcome Trust funded Project: "Urbanization Poverty and Health Dynamics”- involved in a theme addressing adolescent health transitions and maternal and child health outcomes in Urban Slum settings in Nairobi
Helped other global partners such as APHRC who were part of the research consortium to conceptualize, negotiate, and mobilize additional resources and launch US$ 19M for urban health dynamics and capacity building projects
Provided technical leadership for data and analytics services, platforms and tools, and overseeing the development lifecycle and associated processes for the project
Established a data governance framework as an enabler of better organizational decision making and business outcomes for the project
Inspired, through showcasing and demonstrating the ability to tell a story with data and how to drive value for the business through data for various partners
Maintained high levels of confidentiality to protect data quality and project research
Upheld all university and regulatory requirements for documentation of findings
Followed best practices and scientific protocol to reach defensible conclusions based on solid evidence
Applied research technique to determine effectiveness of 6 interventions
Authored professional scientific papers for publishing in peer-reviewed journals
Edited papers for submission to prestigious academic and industry journals
Supported and supervised students in 4 research programs from brainstorming areas for potential research through publishing papers on completed projects.

Researcher PhD Student

Heidelberg University school of Medicine

Heidelberg

2005.06 - 2008.06

I led and managed a German Research Foundation grant/Project on "The burden of malaria in holoendemic area compared to a mesoendemic area in West Africa"
I coordinated the investigations to compare the burden of malaria in a holoendemic area (Nouna/Burkina Faso) and in a mesoendemic area (Farafenni/The Gambia) based on a meta-analysis of data from several clinical trials in combination with Demographic and Surveillance System follow-up data
I also supervised, mentored and supported teaching two statistics courses on the Masters programme for two years
Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions
Assisted with day-to-day operations, working efficiently and productively with all team members
Analyzed data to determine which theory to select for further research
Edited papers for submission to prestigious academic and industry journals
Conducted and evaluated research using cutting-edge technology
Computed complex statistical analyses and interpreted data using STATA, SAS and SPSS software
Upheld all university and regulatory requirements for documentation of findings.

Research Officer

African Population and Health Research center, APHRC

2003.01 - 2005.06

Managed the demographic Surveillance system in Nairobi, where I was responsible for data management and analysis on over 10 projects
Contributed to several project proposals on the side of data collection and management and represented the center at several forums discussing the needs and challenges of demographic surveillance system data and urban monitoring at major conferences and global forums
Technically led and designed the conceptual development of the Nairobi Demographic Surveillance System, a longitudinal study that follows up about 60,000 individuals in urban slums of Nairobi
I managed several other projects including; Urban Health & Poverty Partnership project Regional Program on Urban Poverty & Health in Africa, Education Research Programme project on improving access to slum children, Understanding HIV/AIDS Risks among Adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa - Protecting the Next Generation, HIV/AIDS among the Urban Poor project , Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights of Poor and Vulnerable Populations, Improving Maternal Health Services and new born health in resource poor Countries
Performed site monitoring visits to verify adherence to clinical research protocols and good clinical practice(GCP) guidelines
Planned and initiated research study protocols, monitored regulatory and subject binders and organized, implemented and administered data collection and analysis systems
Coordinated with advanced practitioners and physicians during pre-study visits, staff orientation, study startup to close out, drug accountability, patient screening, enrollment and follow up, study reimbursement and data collection, sustaining HIPAA requirements at all times
Established strategic goals for broad-scale research through acquisition of appropriate funding and program support
Set cultural norms for institutional research community with collaboration and health of research goals as primary considerations
Conducted risk assessments for research where applicable
Edited, reviewed and supported grant applications to provide comprehensive funding for research objectives.

Summary

Overview

Work History

Chief

Chief

Senior Information Management Specialist

Research and Evaluation Specialist

Research Fellow/Lecturer

Researcher PhD Student

Research Officer

Education

Ph.D - Statistics and Epidemiology

Master of Science - Statistics

Bachelor of Science - Statistics, Quantitative Economics

Skills

Affiliations

Timeline

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