Role: Senior R Developer for a Custom Data Quality Validation tool
Location: Home based, with minimal CET working hours overlap
Type of contract: Short term - Full time Self Employed Contract (40 hrs per week)
Duration: 10 weeks full time + 3 months 1 day a week
Compensation: $320 gross per day (hourly rate $40)
Reports to: Technical Lead & Project Manager

Open Knowledge Foundation

Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) is a global non-profit organisation focused on realising open data’s value to society by helping civil society groups access and use data to take action on social problems. Through teaching, creating and campaigning, it works for a fair, sustainable and open future for all. The wide range of projects we work on aim to give people access to data, the knowledge to understand it, and the power to use it in our everyday lives.

Role

We are looking for a Senior R Developer with at least 5 years experience to develop a Shiny Data Quality Validation tool using packages like PointBlank or DataValidator. The developer will be in charge of the technical design and development of the tool while working closely with the Technical Leader and Project Manager for customer facing activities and product design.

Responsibilities

• Write ingestion logic to get data from APIs and OneDrive/Sharepoint.
• Requirements gathering, definition of rule-based checks.
• Write validation rules logic functions.
• Write logic to read and parse configuration files.
• Write logic to configure validation pipelines based on configuration files
• Write RMarkdown logic to render reports in PDF, Excel and CSV Formats.
• Integrate all the elements into a Shiny application.
• Participate in weekly meetings with the customer, the Tech Leader and the Project Manager to refine requirements and discuss progress.

Required Skills

• Strong R Programming skills
• Data engineering skills including data validation
• Shiny development
• Familiarity with data validation packages like PointBlank or DataValidator.

Desired Skills

• Proven ability to design and implement data quality and data validation tools..
• Training skills for successful delivery and handover of the built solution.
• Familiarity with data standards and data schemas like https://frictionlessdata.io/

Some examples of the types of activities you may be involved with:

• Weekly meetings with the OKFN team and the customer to share progress, refine requirements and discuss technical issues.
• Develop some R functions to get data from Sharepoint and External APIs.
• Develop custom R functions to execute data validation pipelines based on pre-defined configuration files.
• Design and implement a Shiny dashboard to display results of the data validation pipelines.
• Write comprehensive documentation about the tools usage.
• Do a solution Demo and Presentations to stakeholders.

Technical Overview

At a high level the application should be able to: get data from a set of predefined external sources, run validation pipelines and print a report. The tool should be able to define those pipelines using reusable configuration files. The following could be considered a high level design of the solution:

The Organisation

Open Knowledge Foundation is a distributed team, based all over the world, so experience or strong understanding of what is required to work in a global, multicultural, highly transparent, remote team is a distinct advantage. 

This is a short term consultancy contract for 40hrs a week for 10 weeks. Consultants need to have good internet connectivity and conduct the activities with their own equipment, including video conferencing equipment. 

Closing date: 12th September 2025

If you’d like to apply, please send your CV and a cover note highlighting why you are interested in the role and stating your start date availability to: jobs@okfn.org. Note that the position will be open until filled. When applying, please indicate if you are interested in providing services for short-term contracts with the Foundation, authorising OKFN to keep a copy of contact details and CV. We may contact you if opportunities arise. 

At Open Knowledge Foundation we are committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace and aim to cultivate and sustain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team. We value and encourage diversity because a range of experiences and perspectives enriches our work and strengthens our ability to address complex challenges. Applicants from communities that are under-represented in our workplace - ethnic minorities, women, people with disabilities, and LGBTI+ individuals are encouraged to apply.

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