Local Project Coordinator - Consultant (Freetown)

1. By 15 July:

• Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work (Output 2)
• Draft workplan as prepared jointly with NSO and UNSD (Output 1)

2. By 15 August:

• Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work (Output 3)

3. By 15 September:

• Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work (Output 4)

4. By 15 October:

• Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work (Output 5)

5. By 15 November:

• Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work (Output 6)

6. By 15 December:

• Monthly report on the progress of the implementation of project activities according to the listed tasks and the workplan, also providing links or attaching concrete results of the work (Output 7)
• Progress report on the implementation of activities according to the workplan, to be submitted to the Permanent Mission of Italy and UNSD (Output 8)

Performance indicators

• Quality of the meeting materials and documentation provided with every output
• Degree to which reports are reader-friendly, concise, clearly structured and written
• Range and frequency of contacts with different stakeholders in the country, degree to which in-country contacts are handled diplomatically and quality of information provided to UNSD colleagues on new developments in the country
• Timeliness of delivery of outputs

The Data for Now initiative (Data4Now), co-led by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), aims to support countries in developing their capacities to deliver the information needed by local and national policy and decision makers to achieve the 2030 Agenda. To this end, it supports members of the national statistical systems in participating countries to collaborate more effectively with local, national and global partners from intergovernmental organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector, in order to leverage innovative sources, technologies and methods for the streamlined production and dissemination of better, more timely and disaggregated data for sustainable development.
As part of the implementation of the Data4Now initiative, under the project “Accelerating implementation of Data for Now in eight countries in Africa and Asia” funded by the Italian and Norwegian Government, the consultant will assist the National Statistical Office (NSO) of Sierra Leone and other members of the National Statistical System with coordination activities related to:

• Developing a repository of field-tested methods and algorithms that can be used to produce specific statistical indicators on the key areas related to the Sustainable Development Goals and targets.
• Developing data visualization and mapping for the dissemination and communication of disaggregated and high-frequency SDG-related data
• Cataloguing of georeferenced and inter-operable source data for the priorities defined by Statistics Sierra Leone, along with their related metadata and access methods that can be used to produce specific statistical indicators on the selected Sustainable Development Goals and targets.
• Validating and documenting statistical indicators produced on the areas of priority
• Using data science methods to produce specific statistical indicators on the areas of priority.
• Strengthening statistical coordination capacity, with particular focus on identified project priority areas, contributing to the Data4Now initiative and enabling sustainable collaboration with multiple stakeholders.
• Based on the IT infrastructure of Statistics Sierra Leone, further developing the IT infrastructure for data management and analysis necessary to handle the data sources and implement the methods selected to produce statistical indicators on the areas that the country has identified as a priority.
• Ensuring quality of source data and methods to produce statistical indicators on the areas that the country has identified as a priority (related to the Sustainable Development Goals and targets).

The activities highlighted above require close collaboration across multiple organizations contributing to a wide range of data assets, technologies, skills, knowledge and expertise. They also require close coordination between the Data4Now national team led by Statistics Sierra Leone and representatives of UNSD, GPSDD, the World Bank and SDSN, as well as the UN country team, donors and other international partners supporting statistical development initiatives in the country.
Thus, the objective of this consultancy is to work closely with the national team, led by Statistics Sierra Leone, to follow up on project deliverables, oversee administrative tasks, and facilitate communication between the core national team, other national stakeholders/collaborators, international consultants and UNSD staff to achieve a shared outcome and achieve the common goal under the project in Sierra Leone.
Specifically, the work assignment will involve the following:

• Provide translation between English and local language during informal meetings and working level documents for the project implementation when and where this is necessary.
• Identify opportunities for outreach and advocacy in-country and regionally and develop communication materials for user engagement activities aimed at integrating key outputs of the project in the policy process and advocacy.
• Under the guidance of Statistics Sierra Leone and UNSD focal points, liaise with, and support, the core national team (led by the National Statistics Office), other national stakeholders/collaborators (including representatives from the government agencies, international organizations, academia, civil society and private sector, etc.), international consultants (technical consultants, methodological experts, etc.) hired by the project, and UNSD staff for effective delivery of training and advisory services under the project.
• Prepare comprehensive progress report to be submitted to the Permanent Mission of Italy and to the United Nations for monitoring and reporting purposes every 6 months of the project.
• Coordinate workshops and training sessions in consultation with the NSO and the Data4Now core team.
• Foster accountability and coordination through the issuance of monthly progress reports, which highlight the current state of the agreed deliverables and suggesting outreach activities, to both the UNSD and NSO Staff. The reports are also a tool for coordinating activities within the country team and will be shared with the Director General of the National Statistical Office, the UN Resident Coordinator Office, and the Data4Now Core Team.
• Maintain regular communications with the focal points of each topic to identify bottlenecks in the processes and needs in time.
• Develop and monitor a detailed plan of activities, specifying key outputs and timelines, as well as responsible focal points, under the guidance of the NSO project focal points and in close consultation with the core national team, UNSD staff as well as the UN Country Team, UN Regional Commission and other development partners in-country.