National Consultant: Census Programme Coordinator, Malawi

The Government of Malawi, through the National Statistical Office (NSO), is preparing for the 2028 Population and Housing Census (PHC), a critical national statistical exercise that will provide the foundation for evidence-based planning, resource allocation, monitoring of Malawi 2063 and the SDGs, and strengthening access to disaggregated population data for development decision making. The census is expected to involve complex technical, operational, logistical, digital, and stakeholder coordination processes across multiple institutions and levels of government. UNFPA is supporting the Government of Malawi in strengthening census preparedness, coordination, resource mobilization, digital transformation, and institutional capacity for successful census implementation and wider dissemination and use of census data products.

UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The UNFPA Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 articulates the organization’s response to a complex global environment, providing a roadmap for resilience and renewal. It is designed to accelerate the implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. This mandate is pursued through a focus on four interconnected outcomes: ending the unmet need for family planning; ending preventable maternal deaths; ending gender-based violence and harmful practices; and adapting to demographic change through evidence and rights-based policies.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates who transform, inspire, and deliver high-impact and sustained results and ensure effective external relations, communications, and partnership-building and resource mobilization in a rapidly changing development and funding landscape. We need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them, and who commit to delivering excellence in programme results.

The Census Coordinator consultant will provide strategic, operational, and technical coordination support for implementation of the 2028 Population and Housing Census programme in Malawi.The consultant will support overall census preparedness, coordination of technical and operational workstreams, stakeholder engagement, implementation monitoring, resource mobilization, and strengthening of census management systems to ensure timely, efficient, and high-quality census delivery. The goal is to ensure the project is implemented smoothly and according to plan, achieving the goal of building the capacity of NSO to strengthen census delivery and widen access to statistics for decision making.

MA/MSc/Master of Social Sciences degree in a relevant discipline including demography, population studies, development studies/planning/Economics, and development communications.

The Consultant will be paid as per the UNFPA consultancy payment guideline.

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to applicants with disabilities upon request, to support their participation in the recruitment process. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here [link removed] to learn more.

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.