Consultant (remote)

Result of Service• By 1 May: o Output 1: Detailed plan of activities and work strategy, specifying key outputs and timelines jointly agreed with DCS and UNSD. The plan will include information on priority administrative data sources identified. • By 1 June: o Output 2: Monthly report on the progress on the implementation of activities according to the listed tasks • By 31 June: o Output 3: Final report providing an overview of all contributions made and a recommendation for next steps for the project overall. Performance indicators • Communication with DCS, the Ministries, government departments and the degree to which contacts are handled diplomatically. • Quality of the contributions during meetings, assessment report and guidance materials prepared; including the degree of them being reader-friendly, concise, clearly structured, organized and written. • Collaboration with the UNSD project team and other key stakeholders to the project. • Timeliness of delivery of outputs Work LocationThe consultancy will be home-based. Contact will mainly take place through remote web conference meetings and through investigation of similar cases. The consultant will be required to travel to Sri Lanka to participate in meetings, workshops, interviews and events. Travel Authorization will be granted to the consultant prior to the travel date. The travel itineraries will be determined in due course and the related costs will be obligated separately. Airline tickets and Daily Subsistence Allowance will be covered by the project. Expected durationThe consultant will work part-time in the period from 15 April until 31 June 2024. Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground There is an urgent need to strengthen the capacity of national statistical systems to leverage the use of administrative data for statistical purposes, in order to fill gaps in the data available to policy and decision makers to monitor progress and implement the 2030 Agenda, and to address emerging challenges such as the COVID-19 crisis. When good-quality administrative systems are in place and their information is regularly updated, they can reliably and continuously provide a full picture of key aspects of a country’s population or economy, on a continuous basis. Re-use of data which are collected by government agencies and ministries in the course of their regular work often reduces the response-burden on the citizens and businesses and makes the statistical system more resilient to disruptions created by natural disasters and other emergencies. Data from existing administrative registers are, however, not primarily collected for the purpose of producing official statistics, but rather to fulfill other functions, such as legal or regulatory compliance, delivery of government services, etc. Many countries are still struggling with the lack of infrastructure and technical and institutional arrangements for the efficient exchange and processing of administrative data and metadata for the production of official statistics. The UN Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), has therefore initiated a project that aims to address the challenges currently faced by many national statistical systems, building on other ongoing initiatives, including the newly established Collaborative on use of administrative data for statistical purposes. It will take a cross-cutting approach and support 8 countries in their work to improve and increase the use of administrative data sources for statistical purposes, with a different area of focus in each country. The learnings from countries will be used to inform other countries and share experiences across. The general information will also feed into an e-learning course and general guidance materials that will aim at complementing the more thematically focused materials and tools already available. Objective To support the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) in Sri Lanka, one of the 8 project countries, in their efforts to substantially update and improve their statistical business register. The consultant will specifically support DCS in obtaining additional data sources, assessing their quality and in structuring and managing the statistical business register. An initial assessment of administrative data sources has been carried out, and the consultant will work closely with DCS and the respective ministries and government departments in assessing the quality of the identified data and provide concrete suggestions for next steps on quality assurance and data exchange. The work will take place in parallel to work on updating the statistical legal framework and input and support from the consultant in this process will also be appreciated. All engagement should also be coordinated with UNSD, the UN country team and other key partners should also be involved as relevant. Work assignment Specifically, the work assignment will be carried out in close collaboration with DCS and UNSD and involve the following: • Prepare a detailed plan of activities, specifying key outputs and timelines, in close consultation with DCS and the UNSD team. • Summarize experiences and good regional practices of similar cases. • Jointly with DCS assess current available administrative data sources and provide a prioritized list of sources to work on gaining access to and making use of. • Assess the quality of the prioritized sources of data that have been identified following international recommendations, including the UN Guidelines on Statistical Business Registers, the UN National Quality Assurance Framework as well as more specific guidance on the quality assessment of administrative data sources. • If needed, provide input to the development of Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with the administrative data owners of the prioritized data sources that help regulate the data sharing with DCS, specifying which data to share as well as format, means and frequency of exchange. • Provide input to and recommend an approach for DCS to manage the different data sources for the statistical business register, including prioritization of sources and data linkage • Guide DCS and data providers on work related to metadata, including use of ISIC, and other key concepts, standards and definitions • Provide input to and support the work on a new statistical legal framework as relevant and needed • Carry out other tasks as identified by the supervisors. Qualifications/special skillsAcademic qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in statistics, economics, development studies, international relations, public administration, or a related field. A Bachelor’s degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. Experience: • A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in social sciences, including statistics or economics, is required. • Solid knowledge of statistical production, ideally with particular focus on business statistics and the use of administrative data and quality management is desirable. • Experience on the development and use of statistical business registers at the national or regional level is desirable. • Knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals and national efforts to implement them is desirable. • Experience working with National Statistical Offices, providing guidance and training is desirable. LanguagesFull command of spoken and written English is required, and knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE 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.