Local Project Coordinator - Consultant (Cancelled)

Result of Service 1. By 17 February: - Draft workplan as prepared jointly with NSO and UNSD - Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work 2. By 17 March: - Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work 3. By 17 April: - Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work 4. By 17 May: - Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work 5. By 17 June: - Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work 6. By 17 July: - Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work - 6 month report on the implementation of activities according to the workplan, to be submitted to the Permanent Mission of Italy and UNSD

Performance indicators

• Range and frequency of contacts with different stakeholders in the country, degree to which in-country contacts are handled diplomatically and quality of information provided to UNSD colleagues on new developments in the country
• Quality of the meeting materials and documentation provided with every output
• Degree to which reports are reader-friendly, concise, clearly structured and written

• Timeliness of delivery of outputs

  Work Location The consultant will be based in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The consultancy is home-based with regular phone and web conference meetings with staff members of NSO, UNSD and other relevant stakeholders as well as in-country visits.

  Expected duration The consultant will work part-time in the period 16 January to 17 July 2023, with possible extension thereafter, depending on availability of funds.

The payment is calculated in accordance with the national UN salary scales.

Duties and Responsibilities The Data for Now initiative (Data4Now), co-led by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), aims to support countries in developing their capacities to deliver the information needed by local and national policy and decision makers to achieve the 2030 Agenda. To this end, it supports members of the national statistical systems in participating countries to collaborate more effectively with local, national and global partners from intergovernmental organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector, in order to leverage innovative sources, technologies and methods for the streamlined production and dissemination of better, more timely and disaggregated data for sustainable development.

As part of the implementation of the Data4Now initiative, under the project “Accelerating implementation of Data for Now in eight countries in Africa and Asia” funded by the Italian and Norwegian Government, the consultant will assist the National Statistical Office (NSO) of Viet Nam and other members of the National Statistical System with coordination activities related to:

• Strengthening statistical coordination capacity, with particular focus on identified project priority areas, contributing to the Data4Now initiative and enabling sustainable collaboration with multiple stakeholders.
• Developing a repository of field-tested methods and algorithms that can be used to produce specific statistical indicators on the key areas related to the Sustainable Development Goals and targets.
• Ensuring quality of source data and methods to produce statistical indicators on the areas that the country has identified as a priority (related to the Sustainable Development Goals and targets).
• Based on the IT infrastructure of the General Statistics Office of Viet Nam (GSO), further developing the IT infrastructure for data management and analysis necessary to handle the data sources and implement the methods selected to produce statistical indicators on the areas that the country has identified as a priority.
• Cataloguing of georeferenced and inter-operable source data for the priorities defined by GSO, along with their related metadata and access methods that can be used to produce specific statistical indicators on the selected Sustainable Development Goals and targets.
• Using data science methods to produce specific statistical indicators on the areas of priority.
• Validating and documenting statistical indicators produced on the areas of priority
• Developing data visualization and mapping for the dissemination and communication of disaggregated and high-frequency SDG-related data

The activities highlighted above require close collaboration across multiple organizations contributing to a wide range of data assets, technologies, skills, knowledge and expertise. They also require close coordination between the Data4Now national team led by GSO and representatives of UNSD, GPSDD, the World Bank and SDSN, as well as the UN country team, donors and other international partners supporting statistical development initiatives in the country.

Thus, the objective of this consultancy is to work closely with the national team, led by GSO, to follow up on project deliverables, oversee administrative tasks, and facilitate communication between the core national team, other national stakeholders/collaborators, international consultants and UNSD staff to achieve the common output and achieve a shared outcome under the project.

Specifically, the work assignment will involve the following:

• Under the guidance of GSO and UNSD focal points, liaise with, and support, the core national team (led by the National Statistics Office), other national stakeholders/collaborators (including representatives from the government agencies, international organizations, academia, civil society and private sector, etc.), international consultants (technical consultants, methodological experts, etc.) hired by the project, and UNSD staff for effective delivery of training and advisory services under the project.
• Develop and monitor a detailed plan of activities, specifying key outputs and timelines, as well as responsible focal points, under the guidance of the NSO project focal points and in close consultation with the core national team, UNSD staff as well as the UN Country Team, UN Regional Commission and other development partners in-country.
• Provide translation between English and local language during informal meetings and working level documents for the project implementation when and where this is necessary.
• Maintain regular communications with the focal points of each topic to identify bottlenecks in the processes and needs in time.
• Coordinate workshops and training sessions in consultation with the NSO and the Data4Now core team.
• Identify opportunities for outreach and advocacy in-country and regionally and develop communication materials for user engagement activities aimed at integrating key outputs of the project in the policy process and advocacy.
• Foster accountability and coordination through the issuance of monthly progress reports, which highlight the current state of the agreed deliverables and suggesting outreach activities, to both the UNSD and NSO Staff. The reports are also a tool for coordinating activities within the country team and will be shared with the Director General of the National Statistical Office, the UN Resident Coordinator Office, and the Data4Now Core Team.

• Prepare comprehensive progress report to be submitted to the Permanent Mission of Italy and to the United Nations for monitoring and reporting purposes every 6 months of the project.

  Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in development studies, economics, international relations, public administration, or a related field with three (3) years of experience. A bachelor’s degree in combination with five (5) years of experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. Experience: A minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in social sciences, including statistics or economics, or a related field is required. Good knowledge of national planning processes in Viet Nam and the landscape of development partners in the country is required. Knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals and national efforts to implement them is desirable. Experience working with National Statistical Offices is desirable. Experience in coordination with various stakeholders is desirable.

  Languages Full command of spoken and written English and Vietnamese. Knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.

  No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.