Technical Specialist, Population Census, Population Development Branch, Technical Division, New York, P-4

The position:

The Technical Specialist for Population Census and Geospatial Data, is located in the Population and Development Branch of the Technical Division, reporting to the Technical Adviser and Lead on Census, and collaborating closely with the GIS team. His/Her primary responsibilities within the Population and Development Branch will be to serve as the Deputy Lead of UNFPA’s global census programme by providing technical support to all aspects of the census programme, including supporting the implementation of the census in 130 UNFPA programme countries and the integration of geospatial dimensions in census data collection, analysis and dissemination. S/he will support the key areas of UNFPA’s mandate by providing technical input in areas such as geospatial mapping, population modelling and analysis and use of population data for policies and programmes that address inequalities and serve those furthest behind. The Technical Specialist will work in an integrated, coordinated, and systems strengthening fashion, which is fundamental for the overall strategy and working ethos of the Technical Division and UNFPA.

Job Purpose

The Technical Specialist, as the Deputy Lead on Census, supports the Technical Adviser and Lead on Census in all aspects of fulfilling UNFPA’s mission to support implementation of the population and housing census programme. This includes ongoing communication with programme countries to track planning and emerging needs, and assuring timely technical and guidance on: overall census planning and budgeting; effective management of procurement and operational planning; guidance on cartography; field operations for census enumeration; promoting the generation and use of geospatial data within the census programme; and identifying potential synergies and opportunities with regard to geospatial census, the UNFPA Population Data Platform, and other forms of population data in countries. 

S/he works with the Census Lead to assure the design and deployment of up-to-date capacity strengthening programmes, guidelines, webinars, and related materials and support programmes. S/he supports close communication with other global leaders in population and housing census, including within the UN, donors and NGOs. 

In all activities s/he fosters collaboration within the Technical Division and with the Policy and Strategy Division, the Humanitarian Office, and with Regional and Country Offices, ensuring the timeliness, adequacy, relevance and quality of substantive outputs.  The primary roles of the Technical Specialist are:

● Technical support

● Capacity development

● Evidence and knowledge development and dissemination

● Technical representation

Requirements:

Qualifications and Experience

Education:   

An Advanced Degree in quantitative social sciences, e.g. demography, statistics, population studies, sociology, geography, public health epidemiology, information sciences or related field. PhD desirable. 

Knowledge and Experience:

7 years of experience in the area of population and development, of which 4  at international level, and with progressive levels of technical and managerial responsibility;

Demonstrated experience in the implementation of modern population and housing census;

Demonstrated experience in managing or coordinating a global programme or initiative, with deliverables across various countries and regions; 

Demonstrated technical expertise in the use of population and housing census data for development research and analysis;

Knowledge of GIS and geospatial analysis of population data is an advantage;

In addition to census, complementary expertise in related areas of population and development research, including area of UNFPA mandate, is desirable;

Proven excellence in writing, editing, and oral communication in English

Languages: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of another official UN language, particularly French, is highly desirable.