Result of Service

This consultancy is expected to provide evidence-based strategic advice on strengthening AI adoption, development and innovation within Jordan’s private sector. It will support MoDEE and other stakeholders in leveraging AI startups and businesses to advance national development priorities and progress toward the SDGs. The consultant will submit the following deliverables: 1. Survey questionnaire including contextual background and rationale; 2. Data analysis report (survey findings); 3. Insights from the national consultation meeting; 4. Final report.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Cluster Leader of the 2030 Agenda and SDG Coordination Cluster and/or delegated staff. Coordination and follow-up with the consultant will be done through e-mails, phone calls and virtual meetings. The consultant will be required to provide updates on progress and submit phased deliverables, as per the agreed timeline. The consultant will develop an analytical report examining the contributions of Jordan's AI startups to national development priorities. The report will assess challenges facing AI development, innovation and adoption, identify capacity and skills gaps, document emerging good practices or success stories, and propose actionable recommendations to strengthen the role of the private sector working in AI in advancing Jordan's development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report will identify and distinguish the needs of startups at the ideation stage from those of high-growth startups, organizing them into two tracks. To fulfill this objective, the consultant will undertake the following activities: 1. Design a structured questionnaire to collect evidence on the experiences, challenges and skills and knowledge needs of AI startups and other private-sector actors working in AI in Jordan, if relevant. The survey will primarily draw on the database of AI startups maintained by MoDEE, among other potential sources. The questionnaire will seek to answer the following questions: What AI solutions have companies developed and to which national development priorities and sectors have these solutions contributed? What are major AI success stories and what made them possible? What challenges are companies facing in this respect? What are their emerging needs based on their development phase which could include capacity and skills, partnerships, networks, etc. and what support would enable them to further develop, deploy, and scale AI solutions? The consultant will: a. Conduct background research to inform and justify the survey design and question selection. The consultant will develop the survey questions in both English and Arabic and consider developing different sets of questions or survey pathways based on the startup development phase (ideation, early-stage vs. high-growth), b. Ensure that the questionnaire allows for appropriate disaggregation of responses by gender of founder or leadership, geographical location, sector, technology subsector, company size, and other relevant demographic, social and contextual variables, c. Collaborate with ESCWA to review, validate and refine the questionnaire, including the incorporation of additional disaggregation variables as needed, d. Pilot the questionnaire with a small number of respondents and revise it based on the feedback received before its full launch, e. Support administering the survey and implement activities that help maximize the response rate, f. Monitor the responses, identify any gaps or underrepresented groups, and recommend targeted follow-up measures as needed, g. Assess the quality and completeness of the collected data and identify potential response biases and any methodological limitations, and document these in the analysis, h. Analyze the collected qualitative and quantitative data and prepare a summary of findings, including relevant visualizations, key insights and policy implications. The consultant will also submit the cleaned dataset and a document explaining the variables and response categories. 2. Support ESCWA in the organization and facilitation of a national consultation meeting in Jordan bringing together government and private sector representatives, as well as other relevant stakeholders such as academia. The national consultation will facilitate a stakeholder dialogue to: a. identify untapped AI opportunities for further leveraging private sector contributions to national development priorities in Jordan, b. identify various needs (capacity building, partnerships, networking, accessing funds, and others) and the corresponding policy measures needed to strengthen the AI ecosystem, c. validate and enrich the findings emerging from the survey and desk research. The consultant will contribute to identifying relevant stakeholders; preparing the proposed agenda, discussion questions and facilitation methodology; presenting the preliminary survey findings; supporting the facilitation of the technical discussions; and developing g a summary of the consultation outcomes. 3. Develop a final comprehensive report building on the survey findings, national consultation outcomes and desk research. The report should: (i) include practical and prioritized recommendations for Jordan targeting different stakeholders based on the analysis and consultation; (ii) identify priority areas for the capacity-building programme to be developed during the next phase of the initiative; and (iii) include a regional outlook section covering the potential of replicating the approach in other countries and implementing similar recommendations, subject to adaptation to their national contexts.

Qualifications/special skills

A Master's degree in economics, finance, international development, public policies, information technology, or a related field is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in development research, policy analysis or private sector development is required. A focus on AI or technology companies is desirable. Experience in data analytics or a related area is desirable. Knowledge of, or experience with, the startup ecosystem in Jordan in desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. Arabic is also one of the six official languages of the United Nations and a working language of ESCWA. For this consultancy, fluency in English and Arabic are required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Consultant on Assessing the needs of AI startups in Jordan to better contribute to national sustainable development priorities