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Social Statistician - Poverty Monitoring Programme Officer

Joint Support towards the Monitoring Development Intervention
and Evidence Based-Policy Making
 

I. Background
The Government of Lesotho has a long-established commitment to poverty reduction, which is unquestionably one of the most salient national development challenges confronting the country. Lesotho’s human development indicators have worsened rapidly over the last decade, this is undermining past gains in socio-economic and human development. In response to these and other development problems, the Government, with the assistance of its development partners, has been putting in place aggressive policy and programme interventions to address the priority challenges.

The present UNDP focus on reducing poverty, especially through the Poverty Reduction Strategy, the National vision 2020 and the Millennium Development Goals processes, therefore represents a unique opportunity to further consolidate activities that are directed at addressing these challenges.

II. Objective
There is an urgent need to assist the Government of Lesotho (GOL) in its endeavors to enhance the statistical system through the formulation and implementation of a National Strategy for Development Statistics (NSDS) and establishment of National Monitoring and Evaluation System. This system is intended to ensure evidenced based decision making, accountability, and transparency in the allocation of resources while evaluating the impact on economic growth and poverty reduction. The monitoring and evaluation system will have the following important components and characteristics:
a. collection, processing, validation, analysis and interpretation of a range of relevant qualitative and quantitative economic growth and poverty data;
b. data should be timely, reliable, credible and user-friendly; the system should be comprehensive, inclusive, transparent and sustainable;
c. in addition to conventional monitoring based on administrative data and surveys, the system should integrate qualitative approaches (participatory methods) as a complementary tool for monitoring poverty reduction efforts at national, district and community levels, building on the methodology used during the nationwide consultations for the Vision 2020 and the PRS and drawing significantly on the knowledge and resources of stakeholders, namely civil society, the private sector and government; and it should build on, strengthen and integrate with existing mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating government services and activities.

III. Institutional Arrangements

The institutions currently involved in data collection, analysis and management include: the Bureau of Statistics (BOS); the Central Bank of Lesotho (CBL); the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP); line ministries; consultants; the National University of Lesotho (NUL); parastatals and non-governmental organisations. Each of these organisations collects their own data using different methods and reference points. Data are often unreliable and become available late, making access difficult for those who need to use this information in making decisions for national planning and development. Consequently, many policies are made with inadequate information and analysis.
The monitoring of the development towards the achievement of the MDGs has set out the options for a joint programme for the UN Country Team (UNCT) in order to strengthen coordination and complementarities within the UN support to the National Statistical System in Lesotho. This process will be facilitated by the Social Statistician who will be based in UNDP under Governance Unit to facilitate the strengthening of National Institutional Capacities to monitor the PRS interventions and the Achievement of the MDGs through the following:
o Support the process of building capacity of planners and policy makers in the country and promote the process of formulation of evidence-based policy.
o Support the implementation of DevInfo in the country to promote indicator harmonization and data sharing to monitor the MDGs and other national agenda.
o develop an integrated system to support the tracking of the Millennium Development Goals, PRS , Vision 2020 and other national development theme Strengthen Statistical Governance through an appropriate institutional set-up;
o ensure usage of the available statistics by civil society, business committee and other public- and private actor;
o utilize national, regional and international experts in relevant technical areas to reinforce the capacity of Government in preparation of the 2007 – 2012 Bureau of Statistics National Strategy for Development Statistics
o Support the development of a Continuous Multi-Purpose Household Survey as a crucial part of the tracking system.


IV. Specific TOR for Social Statistician
The staff member will have the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Manage the nationally executed project Joint Support towards the Monitoring of Development Intervention and evidence based-policy making. Within the context of “The Strengthening of the Statistical System to Monitor Development Progress in Lesotho” the incumbent will:

2. Support the mainstreaming and coordinating of monitoring and evaluation activities within development intervention programmes, specifically through policy advisory services to support:
- Preparation of indicators and monitoring tools for national strategies such as the long term Vision, PRSP, National Development Plan;
- Regular analysis of the effects of Government spending on the reduction of poverty (monitoring inputs);
- Establishment of quantifiable indicators and systematic monitoring of sectoral policies and programmes (monitoring of outputs and outcomes) within the Government of Lesotho, UNDP and other UN Agencies;
- Preparation of surveys and research conducted by the Bureau of Statistics and other institutions that track changes in Human Development (monitoring of impacts);
- Practice the innovative use of Information and Communications Technology for gathering, analyzing and disseminating data and research on developments database system;
- Strategic capacity building efforts in the area of poverty monitoring and human development based on assessment and upon request from Government of Lesotho and its partners.
3. Within nationally based institutional context, guide the work for the preparation of National Human Development Reports, as well as support to the UN system including preparation of Common Country Assessments (CCA), establishment and maintenance of CCA database and country level reports on the MDGs.
4. Conduct research into the longer-term effects of poverty reduction policies and programmes, which along with the other functions, will serve to support a culture of evidence based policy making in Lesotho.
5. Provide technical input and presentations in meetings, seminars and workshops at national and international levels.

V. Expected Deliverables
i. setting up a national monitoring and evaluation system;
ii. maintaining the national monitoring and evaluation system and ensuring that relevant input, output, outcome and impact data are obtained from the various data producers;
iii. commissioning special studies and research to augment the available database;
iv. undertaking budget and expenditure tracking for poverty reduction;
v. analysing poverty patterns and trends;
vi. establishing an oversight database for decision-making and policy formulation;
vii. using information and analysis to facilitate pro-growth and pro-poor policy advocacy;
viii. producing routine and annual reports for dissemination of poverty-related information to stakeholders.

VI. Qualifications, Work Experience and Remuneration

The incumbent should be a Social Statistician with MSc in Social Statistics and at least 5- 7 years of working experience with quantitative and qualitative aspects of Poverty Monitoring and Analysis either in government, a central statistics office or the UN system.

Working experience in Lesotho will be an added advantage. Good organizational skills, initiative and sound judgment are a must as are strong communications and interpersonal skills, and ability to perform under a heavy workload and tight deadlines.

The incumbent must have a good knowledge in NEX procedure and ATLAS system and must also be willing to work in an environment, where focus is as much on individual performance as on the performance of the team. Full command of both written and spoken English and computer literacy and experience with statistical software packages such as SPSS, SAS, DBASE, DevInfo are essential.

This a Fixed Term (200 series) Post level 3 (L3/4) of the United Nations Job Classification and remuneration.

VII. Commencement and Duration of Tenure

It will be desirable to recruit the Social Statistician as soon as possible, preferably by 1st January 2008. The duration of the contract is for one year, with possible extension.


Applications, with detailed C.Vs plus a one-page summary description of applicants’ experience and qualifications including names and telephone contacts of three referees, should be submitted to:
The Resident Representative
United Nations Development Programme
3rd Floor, UN House
P.O.Box 301
Maseru
 

Or

E-mailed to: Registry.ls@undp.org  and copied to veronic.sekhibane@undp.org

 Only short listed candidates will be responded to:
 Salary negotiable and commensurate with work experience and qualifications
 The selected candidate may be recruited at a lower level

Closing date for applications: 24th December 2007