VAC-10129 Big Data Expert - Riyadh Municipality Project

Project description:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is undergoing major transformational economic & social change, driven by Saudi Vision 2030, which is aimed at reducing the county’s reliance on oil revenues & government spending. Launched in 2016, Saudi Vision 2030 is founded on 3 pillars:

• A vibrant society.

• A thriving economy.

• An ambitious nation

That draw on the nation’s intrinsic strengths. Key to its success is creating high performing, accountable government at all levels, attracting private sector investment; nurturing an entrepreneurial environment & ensuring employment opportunities for the country’s young population. Riyadh city, the country’s financial & administrative capital, is at the heart of this change & well positioned to support the achievement of Vision 2030 goals & targets.

The past 50 years have seen Riyadh evolve into the largest economy in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, having benefited from urban planning expertise, infrastructure investment, inward migration of workers & local & foreign direct investment. Riyadh’s strong growth is forecasted to continue for the next 20 years, with the city’s population projected to double from the current 7.5 million to 15 million people by 2030. The government has already committed more than US$ 250 billion for infrastructure projects as part of an US$ 800 billion investment package over the next 10 years, with the participation of the private sector, to transform the city.

Riyadh Municipality must support this substantial growth with effective & efficient infrastructure related facilities & public services by integrating business strategies, technology & people. In this regard, the Municipality has already adopted a number of innovative approaches to provide this support. Indeed, Riyadh Municipality has been a leader in KSA’s digital transformation efforts in line the rapid global technology development & government & institutional trends

The Riyadh Strategy 2030 vision is to transform the capital city into one of the world’s top ten city economies, doubling its population to 15 – 20 million people while increasing the number of visitors to more than 40 million by 2030. The strategy, which is due to be launched in 2022, will be implemented through 26 sectoral programs, including more than 100 initiatives & over 700 pioneer projects across various sectors & in different parts of the city. Riyadh Municipality will therefore have an important role to play in the implementation of the strategy & the achievement of its vision.

The strategic aim of the project is to enable Riyadh Municipality to more efficiently & effectively fulfil its mandate in the 4 areas of cooperation through provision of substantive technical assistance, advisory & quality assurance services from our client. This will enable Riyadh Municipality to contribute effectively to the achievement of the Riyadh Strategy 2030 vision & Saudi Vision 2030. 

To this end, drawing on its extensive international expertise & experience in institutional strengthening, assisting municipal infrastructure & service delivery & increasing community & voluntary engagement, our client will assist the achievement of the following 4 expected project outcomes based on the 4 agreed areas of cooperation:

• Mayor’s Office has access to international best practices & uses up to date international expert advice in decision making.

• Riyadh Municipality able to effectively use big data & evidence to support informed decision making on policy & strategy & infrastructure development & service provision.

• Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) actively involved in infrastructure development & service delivery.

• Increased & strengthened community & voluntary engagement through local bodies & digital channels.

The project will provide a strategic framework for our client to provide substantive technical assistance, advisory & quality assurance services to Riyadh Municipality to deliver on its mandate & in particular, perform its functions more efficiently & effectively in the areas of cooperation that are the focus of this project. The project will capitalize on our clients institutional & human capacity strengthening expertise & experience & its strategic role as a central & impartial knowledge provider, builder of capacities, partnership broker & facilitator of exchanges at country, regional & global levels.

Scope of work:

• The ultimate goal of the consultant is to enable Riyadh Amanah to effectively use big data & evidence to support informed decision making on policy & strategy & infrastructure development & service provision. The aim is to ensure that Riyadh Amanah, as the leading Amanah in the Kingdom, able to effectively use big data disaggregated by gender, demographic groups, geographic areas, etc. as appropriate & evidence to support informed decision making on policy & strategy & infrastructure & service delivery in line with global best practice.

The Big Data Expert will advise on efficient managing, analyzing & interpreting large data sets & provide insights & support data driven decision making particularly in the municipal sector. Some of the key duties & responsibilities include:

• Report on ongoing big data related initiatives in Riyadh Amanah.

• Conduct a participatory review of ongoing big data related initiatives in Riyadh Municipality, where the incumbent will be working in close collaboration with Riyadh Municipality staff in relevant departments, the Big Data Expert will undertake a participatory review of ongoing big data related initiatives in Riyadh Municipality in order to establish the status quo. This will help avoid duplication of effort & promote synergies between ongoing & proposed initiatives. The review will also inform the preparation of a detailed comprehensive work plan for the following 2 years. The active involvement of staff in relevant departments will provide them with a better understanding of the interrelationship between ongoing big data related initiatives.

• Prepare a detailed comprehensive work plan the Big Data Expert will prepare a detailed comprehensive work plan with specific tasks & responsibilities for Riyadh Municipality staff in relevant departments which will be made available to them in electronic & print format. This will help encourage their more active engagement, promote ownership & improve sustainability of the initiatives.

• Prepare best practice reports on big data driven & evidence based decision making on policy & strategy & infrastructure development & service delivery, participatory good practice review, led by the Big Data Expert & with the active involvement of Riyadh Municipality staff from the relevant department(s), a participatory international best practice benchmarking review will be carried to search for & identify best practice examples of use of big data & evidence to support informed decision making on policy & strategy & infrastructure development & service provision. The main sub activities will be identification & review of best practice & compilation, documentation & sharing of best practice.

The Big Data Expert will be reporting technically to the Chief Technical Advisor & administratively to the Project Officer & in coordination with the National Project Manager.

Education:

• A Master’s Degree in Statistics or Data Management with an emphasis on big data acquisition, management, visualization & analyses for decision making purposes. PhD in a relevant field is an advantage.

Experience:

• A minimum of 15 years of work experience in big data with at least 5 years of experience in top level management.

• Experience in municipalities & big data centers / organizations is an asset.

• Experience in urban projects is an asset.

• Knowledge of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 & the SDGs is an asset.

Required skills:

• Data management: This involves designing & implementing data management systems to store, retrieve & analyze large volumes of data. This can involve working with a variety of database technologies, such as Hadoop, SQL & NoSQL databases.

• Data analysis: This involves using statistical & machine learning techniques to analyze large data sets & identify patterns & trends. This can involve working with programming languages such as Python & R, as well as data visualization tools such as Tableau & Power BI.

• Data visualization: This involves creating visual representations of data to aid in data analysis & communication. This can include designing dashboards, charts & graphs using tools such as Tableau & Power BI.

• Data security & privacy: This involves ensuring that data is protected from unauthorized access & that privacy regulations are followed. This can involve working with encryption technologies, access controls & data anonymization techniques.

• Communication & collaboration: The big data expert is expected to communicate effectively with stakeholders from different backgrounds & disciplines, including technical & non technical staff. Collaboration is often required with Data Scientists, Data Engineers, Business Analysts & other stakeholders to ensure that data analysis & insights are relevant & actionable.

Desired skills:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s specific values & ethical standards & acts in accordance with the standards of conduct for international civil servants while advocating for our clients mission & vision

• Ability to negotiate for solutions through participatory methods with various stakeholders at different levels local, regional & national.

• Leads integral work of teams utilizing expertise, vision, problem solving capability & collaborative energy in professional area of expertise.

• Proficiency in the English language is required.

• Professional certificates is an asset if acquired in relevant fields.

• Set & align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact. 

• Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems.

• Create & act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences.

• Proactively initiate & champion change, manage multiple competing demands.

• Think beyond immediate task / barriers & take action to achieve greater results.

• Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter agency collaboration.

• Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce & champion inclusivity.

• Ability to manage programs & projects with a focus at improved performance & demonstrable results.

• Ability to take decisions in a timely & efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise & resources.

• Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue, negotiates mutually acceptable solutions through compromise & creates win win situations.

• Ability to engage with a wide range of public & private partners, build, sustain & / or strengthen working relations, trust & mutual understanding.

• Ability to allocate & use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability & integrity.

• Effective & efficient delivery & implementation of urban programs & projects.

Team management experience is desired for this role.

• Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.

• This assignment will be based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

• Our client will cover the round ticket to / from the duty station.

• If unforeseen travel outside the consultant’s duty station city is requested by our client & not required by the Terms of References (ToR), such travel shall be covered by our client in line with applicable rules & regulations & upon prior written agreement. In such cases, the consultant shall receive living allowances not exceeding the United Nations (UN) Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rate for such other location(s).

• A written approval from our client & relevant authorities will be required to facilitate the consultant's travel to any locations than stated in this TOR on official missions where necessary.