Individual Contractor (IC) – Chief Technical Advisor (CTA)–Economic & Business Statistics

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

General background information relevant to the assignment:

Saudi Arabia has realized and sustained, for the last four decades, remarkable progress along the socio-economic development path. It has been an epic socio-economic development in which all sectors of the economy contributed and benefited. As a result of this, the Kingdom has been able to move from an underdeveloped status to a high-income country with all the means of a promising and sustainable future.

The GDP, for instance, increased from SR156 billion in 1969 to SR2, 631 billion in 2018, putting the economy among the top 20 global economies in term of size. This is cogent evidence of the socio-economic advancement taken place in all sectors. Based on the annual ranking of the Human Development Index (HDI) of the Human Development Report, Saudi Arabia has steadily moved from the middle-income category in the 1990s to the very high-income category in 2018 at 0.857 value of HDI.

The Saudi Vision 2030 represents an ambitious resolve with long-term goals and expectations founded on the strengths and capabilities of the Kingdom. It covers the three themes of a vibrant society, a thriving economy and an ambitious nation. A thorough review of the three themes and their underlying issues of national concern would reveal a holistic approach to development that encompasses the three dimensions of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): the social, the economic and the environmental. Saudi Arabia recognises that achieving the SDGs requires rigorous, instant and continuous monitoring for which quality statistics is a must. The General Authority for Statistics (GaStat) has gone through a major revision of its corporate strategy and vision in alignment with the Saudi Vision 2030 and the SDGs. The revised strategy revolves around five pillars:

• Usage of statistics and information
• Production of statistics and information
• Application of advanced technologies in collecting and analysing datasets
• Communications and awareness towards statistical knowledge
• Governance of statistical sector

Under the framework of the Institutional Support to Statistics project, UNDP provides technical support to the GaStat to strengthen the institutional and human capacities of the national statistical system to support evidence-based development planning and policy-making.

Against this background, UNDP is seeking to recruit a Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) with experience in Economic and Business Statistics to lead and coordinate UNDP technical support to the General Authority for Statistics.

Duties and Responsibilities

The objectives of the assignment:

Under the supervision of the UNDP Programme Analyst, and in close coordination with the National Project Manager (NPM) as a second supervisor; the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) will provide substantive technical advice with focus on economic statistics and project management support to the implementation of the project “Institutional Support to Statistics”.

Duties and responsibilities: Specifically, the CTA will deliver duties and responsibilities under the following areas:

Technical Assistance:

• Provision of technical support in statistics with emphasis on economics and business statistics, and ensuring the quality of the produced economic statistics as per best international practices.
• Provide technical advice on economic indicators related to GDP estimates, standard pricing indices and the balance of payments to provide a clear picture of the economy.
• Provide technical advice on the best options to support Saudi Vision 2030 policies and give advisory support on the SDGs indicators.
• Work closely with the other technical experts hired by the project and the GaStat units to support the planning, conduct and management of statistical products and activities, including but not limited to census and surveys such as economic, wealth and industrial surveys.
• Conduct background research and develop policy options and strategies to provide timely quality information and technical advice to the GaStat, UNDP and other relevant partners in support of the delivery of the projects.
• Support the assessment of statistics & data needs and define strategic priorities in coordination with the NPM and the relevant GaStat departments.
• Facilitate learning and capacity development within GaStat, including coaching and on-the-job-training and support to training activities.
• Undertake other related duties required to achieve the project objectives.

Coordination and management:

• Ensure timely and quality implementation of activities outlined in the approved project document and the multi-year work plan in close coordination with the NPM.
• Ensure regular and effective planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of the project's performance against benchmarks and targets established by the project's work plans.
• Document lessons learned from project implementation and make recommendations for more effective implementation and better coordination of the project's activities.
• Lead the identification of technical experts, prepare/ review of TORs, ensure synergies of the work of experts hired by the project and ensure production of quality outputs. Backstop the National Project Managers if needed.
• Support the organisation of Project Board Meetings and follow-up on the implementation of Project Board decisions and recommendations.
• Closely coordinate with other UN agencies and other development partners working on statistics and information management and identify opportunities for partnerships and collaboration

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
• Display cultural, gender, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional competencies:

• Ability to work on own initiative as well as a member of a team and to work under pressure;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to establish strong cooperative relationships with senior government officials;
• Good understanding and practice of capacity development;
• Excellent communication, facilitation, presentation and reporting skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A Post-Graduate degree, preferably PHD, in Economics, Statistic or a related field; is required.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience working with government institutions, academia & research institutions, or international organisations. This includes experience in producing economics statistics and expertise in a leadership role supporting the implementation of large statistical projects.
• Knowledge and understanding of the economic and social situation in Saudi Arabia is desired. Experience of working with constituents in the Arab States, particularly in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is an advantage.
• Knowledge of modern data aspects such as geospatial analysis and big data is an asset.

• Good understanding of the UN and the UN capacity development mandate would be an asset.

• Language: Excellent command of English, working knowledge of Arabic would be considered an asset