Individual consultant for Development of The Bottom-UP Costed Action Plan for LAO PDR's National Demographic Dividend Roadmap (DDR 2025-2030), Population and Development (PD), Vientiane City, Lao PDR, P4

Organizational Context

UNFPA is the UN agency dedicated to delivering a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled. The organization's Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 focuses on achieving the ICPD Programme of Action and SDGs by 2030. This role sits within the UNFPA Country Office in Lao PDR, reporting to the Policy & Census Coordinator, and operates in a context of adapting to demographic change through evidence-based policies.

Job Purpose

The International Consultant will provide advanced technical expertise in development economics, activity-based costing, and public financial management to support the Ministry of Finance and the National Population and Development Steering Committee in Lao PDR. The primary goal is to translate the high-level policy interventions of the Demographic Dividend Roadmap (DDR) 2025-2030 into a rigorous, bottom-up Costed Action Plan. This plan will be crucial for resource mobilization, justifying budget allocations within the 10th National Socio-Economic Development Plan, and addressing the country's narrow window of opportunity to invest in human capital before demographic shifts occur.

Responsibilities

The consultant will guide the Ministry of Finance team and line ministries through five implementation phases. This includes formulating an inception report detailing costing methodologies, establishing protocols for data gaps using proxy and reference costing, and conducting on-site workshops for unit-cost validation. Responsibilities involve breaking down policy interventions into verifiable physical inputs across health/SRHR, CEFM/GBV, employment, social protection, and education/skills pillars. The consultant will consolidate inputs into a time-phased financial model, identify funding gaps, and map costing baselines for integration with financial management systems. Finally, the role involves guiding the team in compiling executive policy presentations and formatting the costed output into a "Revenue Packaging Pipeline" using ROI language for advocacy and resource mobilization.

Work Experience

Requires a minimum of 7 years of progressive professional experience in programme costing, medium-term expenditure frameworks, public financial management, or activity-based strategic planning in developing countries. Demonstrated technical experience with high-level government entities (Ministries of Finance, National Statistics Offices) is essential. Proven track record in facilitating capacity development workshops and providing technical coaching is also required.

Skills

Key skills include expertise in development economics, activity-based costing, public financial management, and demographic dividend analysis. Proficiency in translating complex fiscal data into policy briefs, strong analytical and strategic thinking, and excellent communication and teamwork abilities are essential. Experience with data modeling and financial systems integration is also important.

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