Census Programme Coordination Specialist

The Census Programme Coordination Specialist will manage the UNFPA Census Support Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, ensuring efficient, transparent technical, financial, and operational support aligned with national priorities and UN standards. The role involves strategic programme management, stakeholder coordination, donor relations, monitoring and evaluation, and leadership of the technical team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the operational management of the UNFPA Census Support Project, ensuring alignment with the National Census Strategy, project documents, and work plans.
• Develop, monitor, and update the master project implementation plan, tracking critical path milestones, budget execution rates, and donor reporting deadlines.
• Establish and oversee risk management protocols, continuously assessing operational, financial, political, and security risks across DRC provinces and formulating mitigation strategies.
• Ensure tight integration between the Census Technical Team and UNFPA Operations (Procurement, Finance, HR, Logistics) to facilitate timely procurement of census equipment, recruitment of national personnel, and field deployment.
• Serve as the primary operational liaison between UNFPA, the Bureau Central du Recensement (BCR), the Institut National de la Statistique (INS), and the Ministry of Planning.
• Facilitate the functioning of national census governance bodies, including the National Steering Committee (Comité National du Recensement) and Technical Advisory Committees.
• Foster strategic alignment among key UN agencies to leverage operational synergies, logistics, and field infrastructure across the country.
• Lead the operational coordination of the multi-donor Fund established to support the census.
• Coordinate financial and narrative reporting to government, international financial institutions (e.g., World Bank, African Development Bank), bilateral donors, and diplomatic missions.
• Organize regular donor briefing meetings, prepare high-quality strategic briefs, and drive ongoing resource mobilization efforts to address census budget shortfalls.
• Monitor budget utilization across project components, ensuring compliance with UNFPA financial rules, donor agreements, and audit standards.
• Establish and maintain a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework for the census project.
• Conduct joint field monitoring missions across provincial capitals and remote zones to verify implementation progress, validate financial/logistical tracking, and report on field challenges.
• Facilitate mid-term reviews, technical reviews, and independent evaluations of the census project.
• Supervise and guide international and national project coordination staff, fostering a high-performance, collaborative team culture.
• Coordinate the development of strategic advocacy and communication plans to build public confidence, citizen participation, and high-level political support for the census

Requirements

• Advanced University degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Development Studies, Public Administration, Business Administration, International Relations, Demography, Social Sciences, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible professional experience in international program management, project coordination, or operational leadership within the UN system, international organizations, or government frameworks.
• Proven experience coordinating large-scale national development initiatives, population censuses, or large multi-sectoral operations (experience in Sub-Saharan Africa or complex humanitarian/post-conflict settings highly desirable).
• Direct experience in managing multi-donor trust funds, donor reporting (World Bank, EU, bilateral donors), and inter-agency mechanisms.
• Strong working knowledge of UN programming processes, operational procedures, and financial/procurement rules.
• Fluency in French and working knowledge of English is required.

Skills

• Programme Management
• Project Coordination
• Operational Leadership
• Population Census Coordination
• Multi-donor Fund Management
• Donor Reporting
• Inter-agency Coordination
• UN Programming Knowledge
• Financial Rules and Regulations
• Procurement Compliance
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Strategic Programme Management
• Engineering Team Leadership
• Development Studies
• Public Administration
• Business Administration
• International Relations
• Demography
• Social Sciences

Languages

French, English