Summary
Date Posted: Wednesday, June 21, 2023 , Base Salary: Not Disclosed

JOB DETAILS:
Background
The Zambia Statistics Agency (ZamStats) conducted Zambia’s post-independence 6th Population and Housing Census in August 2022, an exercise that is usually conducted in Zambia once every ten years. It allows the country to determine how many people reside within its borders, who they are and where they live. The 2022 Census Preliminary results were released in December 2022 three months after field data collection. The immediate follow up process is census data editing which is underway.

The Census is critical to the mission of Zamstats, as it contributes to national development through the provision of quality statistics to enable effective planning and decision-making, It also provides information for development planning, policy formulation and services delivery, and for monitoring and evaluating development programmes and plans.

The Census is also a vital resource for other data users such as entrepreneurs, civil society groups, faith-based organizations, researchers and students. Hence, it is important that the data collected is of high quality.

Justification
The 2022 Census of Population and Housing was Zambia’s first digital population and housing census, following previous censuses that were less underscored with information and technological innovations. While the conduct of a digital census promotes the achievement of complete coverage and ensure quality data. However, this can only be guaranteed after thorough data processing stage.

To this end, Zamstats desires to have final census data set with minimal errors. To achieve our desire, data must be free, to the greatest extent possible, from errors and inconsistencies, especially after the data processing stage. The procedure for detecting errors in and between data records, during and after data collection and capture, and on adjusting individual items is known as population and housing census editing. Editing is the process of reviewing the data for missing, invalid or inconsistent items and correcting of errors in order to improve the quality and accuracy of the data and make it suitable for the purpose for which it was collected.

Purpose
The purpose of these terms of reference (TORs) is to contract the services of an IT expert (hereafter referred to as ‘the IT Support Consultant’) with demonstrated knowledge and experience in large scale data management. The IT Support Consultant will be required to resolve all post-data capturing issues that will arise. The IT support services are critical to the successful implementation of the 2022 Census data editing.

Objective of the Consultancy
The objective of the Consultancy is to implement micro and macro editing of census data and run relevant tables in accordance with the tabulation plan. The consultant will specifically implement
Micro edits;
Macro edits; and
Tabulation plan.
The IT support consultant will achieve the above objectives by implementing the following: (see table below)

IT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR ZAMSTATS 2022 CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING
Consultant reports to: Census Manager, ZamStats. Lusaka – Zambia
Purpose of engagement:
The consultant will implement three levels of data edits, These are a) micro-editing and b) macro-editing (or validation of outputs) and c) run tables. Micro-editing corrects the data at the record level. This process detects errors in data through checks of the individual data records. The intent at this point is to determine the consistency of the data and correct the individual data records. Whilst Macro-editing detects errors in data but does this through the analysis of aggregate data (totals). The data are compared with data from the surveys, administrative files, or earlier versions of the same data. This process determines the compatibility of data. Finally, tables as specified by the subject matter specialists will be run.

Scope of work:
Assignment:
• Validity edits looking at one question field or cell at a time. Checking to ensure the record identifiers, invalid characters, and values have been accounted for; (i) essential fields have been completed (e.g., no field is left blank for key variables, such as sex, age, relationship to the head of household and marital status, and no quantity field is left blank where a number is required, such as CBN and date of the last live birth); (ii) specified units of measure have been properly used, such as number of children, and (iii) the reporting time is within the specified limits, such as day, month and year.
• Range edits are similar to validity edits in that they look at one field at a time. The purpose of this type of edit is to ensure that the values, ratios and calculations fall within the pre-established limits. For example, minimum and maximum age for giving birth.
• Consistency edits compare different answers from the same record to ensure that they are coherent with one another. For example, if a person is declared to be in the 0 to 14 age group, but also claims that he or she is retired, there is a consistency problem between the two answers. Inter-field edits are another form of a consistency edit. These edits verify that if a figure is reported in one section, a corresponding figure is reported in another. For example, number of household members should be equal to the number of individual records.
• Duplication edits examine one full record at a time. These types of edits check for duplicated records, making certain that a respondent or a household has only been recorded once.
• Historical edits compare census results in current and previous censuses. For example, any dramatic changes since the last census will be flagged. The ratios and calculations are also compared, and any percentage that falls outside the expected level or pattern will be noted and questioned.
• Statistical edits look at the entire set of data. Perform these edits only after all other edits have been applied and the data have been corrected. The data are compiled, and all extreme values, suspicious data and outliers are flagged for detailed analysis and make a decision if there is a need to continue micro editing.

Deliverables
• 2022 Census edited data set
• Structured 2022 Census Database
• UN system Descriptive Tables
• 10% Public Use Micro Datasets (PUMS)

Desired experience includes
Should possess the following skills:
• Large data manipulation SQL SERVER and CSPro /or ArcGIS;
• Performing statistical analysis tasks;
• Customizing CSPro toolboxes for generating tables;
• Implementing statistical functions in scripts;
• Working with Geodatabases, feature classes and external attribute tables;
• Creating Tables according to specifications;
• Facilitate on-Job training;
• Extensive knowledge in programing languages likes python, SQL, CSPro, SPSS/SAS/STATA;
• Extensive knowledge in Relational Database Management Systems; and
• Proven experience in planning and implementation of field Census logistics, and technical capacity building and training in developing countries
• Duration of assignment
• Start July 2023
• end December 2023 (on the site in Lusaka)

Academic Requirements
• Master’s Degree in Mathematics, Statistic, Computer Science, Information Systems, or as equivalent

Experience and References
• At 7 years of experience in practicing IT-related projects
• Previous experience in implementations of at least two censuses
• At least one of the references must have covered e-Census for at least 10 million People.
• Vendor must have at least three references in large scale IT Projects in African Countries.


Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: 84

Level of Education: Postgraduate Degree

Job application procedure

Interested and qualified click here to apply


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