In 2023, Bhutan graduated from the UN list of Least Developed Countries (LDC. Over the past decades, the country has made remarkable progress in reducing income and multidimensional poverty, aligned with its commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG. Despite the impressive progress, the country is grappling with critical socioeconomic challenges such as largescale emigration of the productive and skilled labor force, youth unemployment, declining fertility rate, increasing trade deficit, and shrinking fiscal space. These challenges take place amidst a slow postpandemic economic recovery and against the broader backdrop of structural challenges, such as limited economic diversification, a stillnascent private sector, absence of robust regulatory and institutional framework.

Bhutan’s 13th FYP (20242029) sets out the ambitious target of doubling the size of the country’s economy within the next five years and then doubling it again over the subsequent five year, reaching USD 10 billion by 2034, a target year that Bhutan plans to reach the highincome status. To achieve this, Bhutan must maintain a nominal GDP growth rate of approximately 9% annually for the next 12 yearsIf development plans uphold as projected, the GNI per capita would experience an annual increase of 11% over the same period, propelling Bhutan into the ranks of uppermiddleincome Southeast Asian countries.

Recognizing the challenges and potential opportunities in Bhutan’s 21stcentury economy, the Royal Government of Bhutan aims to accelerate and foster a robust economic recovery and growth. It is in this context that the Royal Government of Bhutan requested UNDP’s policy advisory assistance to support the Prime Minister’s Office in a highlevel consultation and the subsequent development of a development roadmap for the realization for the government’s development vision as outlined above.
At the core of UNDP’s policy support and highlevel consultation is the institutionalization of a Policy Innovation Lab, that will execute three key functions of carrying out ondemand policy analysis and provide advisory services, undertake targeted policy analysis and experimentation through people centered and innovative design approaches and oversight of the implementation of the visioning exercise roadmap and strategies to accelerate the implementation of the 13th FYP and achieve the target of developed economy by

To support this initiative, UNDP seeks to recruit a Data Scientist. The Data Scientist will be instrumental in driving the lab’s mission by conducting advanced data analysis, providing datadriven insights for ondemand policy advisory services, and supporting targeted policy experimentation.

Data Analysis and Insight Generation:

• Collect, clean, and analyze large datasets from various sources to identify trends, patterns, and insights relevant to policy challenges.
• Develop and deploy statistical models, machine learning algorithms, and predictive analytics to forecast outcomes and assess policy impacts.
• Perform exploratory data analysis to guide experimental design and policy recommendations.

DataDriven Policy Development and Analysis:

• Collaborate with policy analysts and stakeholders to translate data findings into actionable policy recommendations.
• Design datadriven experiments to test policy interventions and validate their effectiveness through rigorous statistical analysis.
• Develop visualizations, and reports to communicate complex data insights to policymakers, stakeholders, and the public.

Ensure Effective Collaboration:

• Work closely with crossfunctional teams, including policy experts, economists, and technologists, to integrate data science into the policy innovation process.
• Provide training and capacitybuilding sessions to enhance data literacy and analytical skills among lab members and policymakers.

Manage Tool and Technology Development:

• Develop and maintain tools, algorithms, and models that support realtime data analysis and decisionmaking within the policy innovation lab.
• Stay up to date with emerging data science tools, technologies, and methodologies, and assess their applicability to the lab’s work.

Ensure Data Ethics and Social Impact:

• Ensure that all data analysis and algorithms are developed with a strong ethical foundation, addressing issues of bias, fairness, and transparency.
• Evaluate the social impact of datadriven policies, ensuring that they promote equity and do not disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

Lead Innovation and Research:

• Lead or contribute to research projects that explore innovative uses of data in public policy, including the application of AI and machine learning.

Facilitate Stakeholder Engagement and Communication:

• Engage with government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and other stakeholders to understand their data needs and challenges.
• Engage in conferences, workshops, and public forums, sharing insights on datadriven policy innovation and the lab’s work.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization