Project coordinator consultant

Result of Service

1. (i) Proposed instruments to keep track of the following: country engagement, project workplans, country templates, consultation records and key project outputs (ii) Comments to the first versions of the template and guidance note of the national level exercise for defining pathways for national health and demographic statistics (iii) Meeting notes and recordings of the meetings held with stakeholders 2. (i) Up to date tracking report, using the instrument proposed in the deliverable 1 (ii) Meeting notes of the meetings held with stakeholders (iii) Draft plan on managing the information collected from the national exercises

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

2 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The Inter-Secretariat Working Group on Household Surveys (ISWGHS) Task Force on Sustainable Demographic and Health Statistics through Surveys was established by the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) at its 56th session in March 2025. The Task Force operates with four core objectives: (1) facilitate continued access to Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data as a public good; (2) support the completion of interrupted DHS activities; (3) assess the impacts of the termination of the DHS Programme; and (4) propose long-term, sustainable approaches to demographic and health data production that are nationally owned and internationally comparable. Through a series of global assessments, country consultations, and the Technical Meeting held in Kitakyushu, Japan in November 2025, the Task Force identified two important areas of work to inform the support infrastructure for countries. They are: (a) defining country pathways for sustainable health and population data; and (b) building the Blueprint: Foundations for Sustainable Demographic and Health Data Systems. Findings from work area (a) will inform the work of the building the Blueprint (area (b)), which will submitted to the UNSC at its 58th session in February 2027. In this context, the United Nations Statistics Division is hiring a project coordinator at the global level to coordinate national level activities, manage the development of tools, and coordinate peer review. The consultant, under the supervision of UN Statistics Division and the Inter-Secretariat Working Group on Household Surveys, will be acting as the project coordinator for the national national level exercise within the ISWGHS Task Force Secretariat. The coordinator is responsible for managing all aspects of the global coordination of the exercise across participating countries. Specifically, the project coordinator will: ● Engage participating countries — confirm participating countries, prepare invitation letters, identify national focal points, and conduct orientation webinars/virtual meetings to brief national stakeholders and regional partners on the exercise's purpose, tools, and process. ● Provide guidance to national focal points regarding the implementation of national exercise tools — the questionnaire template for defining national pathways for demographic and health statistics, and the Completion Guidance Note, which include steps to take, and partners to be engaged at country level. ● Provide continuous support to country teams (UN and national governments) throughout the national implementation. ● Document relevant topics and agreements from the meeting notes held with different stakeholders. ● Carry out regular follow-ups with country teams to ensure milestones are met, and the national level exercise is completed within the planned timeline. ● Keep track of the following: project workplans, country templates, and consultation records. ● Prepare a draft plan on managing the information collected from the national level exercise ● Support the preparation of presentations and briefings for the Task Force, related to the exercise for defining national pathways for demographic and health statistics in the participating countries; ● Assist with consultations with development partners and countries; ● Support other work within the Statistics Division

Qualifications/special skills

A minimum of ten years of relevant professional experience in statistical systems, demographic and health data, or intergovernmental coordination is required. Demonstrated experience working within or closely with national statistical systems in low- or middle-income countries, ideally including direct engagement with NSOs on household surveys or demographic and health data systems, is required. Stakeholder engagement and relationship management: ability to build trusted bilateral working relationships with senior NSO officials across diverse national contexts is required. Written communication: ability to draft clear, concise documents in a UN institutional style — including ToRs, guidance notes, synthesis reports, and decision briefs, is required. Prior experience coordinating multi-country exercises or programmes within a UN or intergovernmental context is desired. Ability to manage a complex multi-country programme with multiple workstreams and stakeholders, maintain a tracking system, anticipate risks, and adapt the plan as needed without losing coherence is desired. Familiarity with the DHS programme, and the ISWGHS mandate and work programme is desired.

Languages

Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required.

Additional Information

Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in statistics, demography, social sciences, international development, or a related field.

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.