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Chief Technical Specialist, Population and Housing Census, ICS-11,UNFPA Zimbabwe

We are pleased to announce the following vacancy:

VACANCY NO.: Job ID 2032

CLOSING DATE: 13 August 2012 (5.00 p.m. New York time)

POST TITLE: Chief Technical Specialist, Population and Housing Census

CATEGORY: ICS-11 (equivalent to P-4)

POST NUMBER: New

DUTY STATION: Harare

POST TYPE: Non-Rotational

DURATION: One year (renewable) 1/

ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT: Zimbabwe, Africa Regional Office

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

The 2012 Zimbabwe Population Census (ZPC) will be the fourth census to be carried out in Zimbabwe after Independence, earlier ones having been undertaken in 1982, 1992 and 2002. Zimbabwe has thus maintained a decennial census programme. The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) is responsible for implementing the 2012 ZPC.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with other UN agencies and development partners, is supporting the Government in conducting the 2012 ZPC in the context of the 2012–2015 Zimbabwe United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF) and in accordance with the United Nations’ Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 2. The 2012 ZPC data, together with its derived national and sectoral projections, will be used for planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting purposes and for estimating population growth as well as internal spatial dynamics of the population. More specifically, the 2012 ZPC will update 21 MDGs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 indicators and several other indicators informing other national and internationally agreed development frameworks such as the 2011-2015 Zimbabwe Medium Term Plan (MTP), ZUNDAF, ICPD and the World Summit for Children (WSC).

It is against this background and in line with UNFPA policies and guidelines and in full compliance with internationally established standards and recommendations for census taking, that UNFPA is seeking the services of a Chief Technical Specialist to support the ZIMSTAT in implementing post-enumeration operations of the 2012 ZPC.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:

The Chief Technical Specialist (CTS) of the Census will be based at the Central Census Office (CCO), at the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) in Harare. The CTS will work under the overall guidance of the CCO Manager and direct supervision of the UNFPA Representative. S/he will liaise with other national and international stakeholders, in particular the funding partners and the United Nations in undertaking the following main tasks and responsibilities.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The CTS will provide overall support for the timely and successful implementation and management of post-enumeration operations of the 2012 ZPC. S/he will provide technical support and guidance, including quality assurance, in all aspects of the post-enumeration activities of the census. More specifically, the CTS will:

  1. Review and/or Preparation of Census Documents  Review and familiarize with any existing 2012 ZPC documents: Project Document, Project Implementation Plan, Resource Mobilization Strategy, Quality Assurance Plan, Proposal for donor support to the 2012 ZPC;  Support the CCO in preparing and/or finalizing any other relevant documents for the successful implementation of the post-enumeration phase of the 2012 ZPC. These include but are not limited to: Instruction Manuals for the coding and data entry phase, Analysis Plan, Tabulation Plan, Report writing Guidelines, Strategy for the dissemination of the census products, Knowledge Transfer Plan.

  2. Post Enumeration Survey (PES)  Support the CCO in the design and implementation of the PES. This includes but is not limited to: design and fine-tuning of all sampling aspects of the PES, development of the PES data collection instruments, implementation of the PES schedule of activities, processing and analysis of the PES data, production of the PES preliminary and final reports including documentation of lessons learned and dissemination of best practices;  Assist the CCO in adjusting the census results in light of the PES findings, as and when required.

  3. Data Processing  Support the CCO in preparing and/or finalizing data capture and processing plans and timely implementation of data processing schedules. This entails preparing and validating edit specifications for data cleaning and tabulation, as well as liaising with the DRS Team to ensure smooth conversion of scanned data onto ASCII format for subsequent use by routine census data processing and statistical software packages;  Assist the CCO data processing team in developing and rolling-out routine or tailor-made data processing programs, manuals or any other documents.

  4. Data Analysis, Report Writing and Production of Other Census Products  Support the CCO in developing and/or fine-tuning plans for tabulation and analysis of the 2012 census data;  Assist the CCO with coordination and supervision of all data analysis processes and production of preliminary and final census results as well as in-depth thematic analysis reports in due course;  Develop a strategy for in-depth thematic analysis of the 2012 ZPC data and provide oversight and technical assistance for such analyses;  Assist the CCO in producing any other census products, including but not limited to: national and sectoral population projections, revised sampling frame, updated ZimDat and web-based IMIS databases, updating of key indicators informing national and internationally agreed development frameworks such as the 2011-2015 MTP, ZUNDAF , MDGs, ICPD, WSC, etc.

  5. Dissemination of the Census Products  Assist the CCO with the development of a strategy for the dissemination of the 2012 ZPC products;  Assist the CCO with the production, design and printing of the census analytical reports as well as any other publications;  Advise the CCO on proven strategies to promote and maximize utilization of census results and products.

  6. Knowledge Transfer and Other Technical Assistance  Ensure mainstreaming of knowledge transfer in all post-enumeration activities of the 2012 ZPC in efforts to build/strengthen national capacity in census operations;  Assist the CCO with identification and design of training activities in all aspects of the post-enumeration census operations and the utilization of census results for development planning and policy formulation;  Provide oversight and technical support in conducting the 2012 Census project training activities in favor of national counterparts, as and when needed;  Identify and support South-South technical assistance opportunities in support of post-enumeration operations of the 2012 ZPC.

  7. Census Project Management, Monitoring and Reporting  Coordinate UNFPA’s and funding partners’ financial support for the implementation of the Census Project;  Monitor, assess and report on progress towards the logframe results of the Census Project and any challenges faced in the implementation of the Project and advise the UNFPA Representative, the Director General of ZIMSTAT and the CCO Manager in due course.  Prepare and submit the Census Project quarterly progress reports and any ad hoc reports to the UNFPA Representative;  Prepare interim substantive and financial reports for submission to UNFPA and funding partners as per set reporting deadlines;
     Prepare any briefing note on the 2012 ZPC operations as may be requested by the UNFPA Representative;  Attend the 2012 Population Census’ Steering Committee and the Technical Census Committee and update the UNFPA Representative in due course;  Undertake any other tasks relevant for the Census Project as may be required by the Director General of ZIMSTAT, the CCO Manager or the UNFPA Representative.

Core competencies

 Integrity/Commitment to UNFPA's Values and Guiding Principles;  Developing People/Fostering Innovation and Empowerment/Performance Management;  Team Work/Communication/Self-Management;  Strategic Thinking/Results Orientation and Commitment to Excellence/Decision Making;  Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Learning.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

 Conceptual innovation in the provision of technical expertise;  Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/Building strategic alliances and partnerships;  Job Knowledge/Technical expertise.

QUALIFICATIONS:

 Advanced University degree in Demography, Statistics or related field – PhD preferable or equivalent professional experience;  7 years relevant experience in post-enumeration census operations, preferably in sub-Saharan Africa;  Experience in providing on-the-job training to national counterparts in census or national survey data analysis, report writing and use of Internet resources;  Experience in the dissemination of census or national survey data and socio-demographic analyses to broad audiences as well as in effectively promoting utilization of census and survey results in development planning and policy formulation;  Demonstrated proficiency in census data processing software (CSPro, REDATAM+), demographic data analysis software (Mortpak, PAS), statistical packages (SPSS, STATA, SAS) and population projections programs (People, Spectrum, RUP).  Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English. Working knowledge of another official UN language is an added advantage. .

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender quality, teamwork, respect for diversity, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply.

We offer an attractive remuneration package commensurate with the level of the position. The package includes a competitive salary plus housing allowance, home leave, health insurance and other benefits.

1/ No expectancy of renewal in accordance with UN Staff Regulation 4.5

How to apply:

How to Apply:

UNFPA has established an electronic application management system. This allows applicants to create a candidate profile, which can be updated regularly and submitted for more than one vacancy.

Download the Step by Step Guide to Applying in the E-Recruit System of UNFPA at http://www.unfpa.org/employment/application_guide.doc. Please print out the Guide for your reference during the registration and application process. Notice: There is no application, processing or other fee at any stage of the application process. UNFPA does not solicit or screen for information in respect of HIV or AIDS and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

In accordance with the rules of the United Nations, persons applying to posts in the international Professional category, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, are required to renounce such status upon their appointment. Exceptions to this rule are very limited and can be made only for: (a) stateless persons; (b) newly appointed staff members who have applied for citizenship by naturalization, when such citizenship will be granted imminently; (c) acting staff members in the General Service and related categories with permanent residency status, on promotion to the Professional category; (d) staff members appointed under a temporary appointment. Please understand that UNFPA is not in a position to provide advice on or assistance in applying for any citizenship.

*This is a project-funded post.