1 - Personal Information
Nome: Maria João Gaspar Tavares Zilhão
Birthdate: 1966
2 - Academic Degrees
Master Degree in Statistics and Information Management, Instituto Superior de Estatística e Gestão da Informação, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (1996).
Licenciatura in Economics, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (1990).
3 - Professional experience
Since October 2010 – Director of the Planning, Control and Quality Management Unit at Statistics Portugal (SP), responsible for coordinating the activities for the implementation of SP Quality Management System (QMS) and the coordination of the strategic and current planning activities both at SP and National Statistical System (NSS) levels. Responsible for the Working Groups (WG), within the Statistical Council, for preparing the General Guidelines of Official Statistical Activity 2013-2017 (2012) and 2018-2022 (2017), for the NSS. Member of the Resources Directors Group of Eurostat, since 2015. Member of the task force “Quality in the ESS Vision 2020”, within the working group of Eurostat “Quality in Statistics”. National Coordinator of the Peer Review on the implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP) (2014/2015). Member of the task force for the revision of the ESS CoP and for the Peer Reviews Methodology, developing the “ESS Quality Assurance Framework” (ed 1.1 (2012) e 1.2. (2015)), at Eurostat level.
October 2007 to September 2010 — Head of the Planning, Control and Quality Management Unit at SP. Responsible for the preparation and monitoring of the Evaluation and Responsibility Framework of SP (SIADAP 1) and for facilitating the implementation of the ESS CoP. At Eurostat level, member of the “Sponsorship on Quality” for the development of a common approach for Quality Management; WG “Quality in Statistics”; and WG “Programming and Coordination”. Responsible for the organization of the Peer Review to SP on the implementation of the ESS CoP (2008).
December 2006 to September 2007 — Responsible for the Planning and Control Unit at SP, producing the Annual Activities Plans and Reports of SP and ONA and the respective planning monitoring system. Coordinator of the General Guidelines of Official Statistical Activity 2008-2012, for the NSS (2007).
September 2004 to September2007 — Responsible for the Quality Management Unit at SP. Member of the task force on the implementation of the ESS CoP; participation on the project, at ESS level, “DatQam — Handbook on Data Quality Assessment Methods and Tools” (2007).
July 1999 to August 2004 — First head of the Quality Management Unit at SP, responsible for the coordination of SP Quality Management System (QMS) implementation, namely, organizing the documental system, conducting customer satisfaction surveys, producing quality indicators, implementing the Suggestions/Complaints management system, and organizing internal quality audits. At ESS level: Participation on the “Leadership Expert Group on Quality”; on the project - “Handbook on Process Variables” (2003); and coordinator of the project - “State of the art on the auditing Activity” (2003).
February 1996 to June 1999 — Statistician in the Planning and Quality Control Cabinet at SP, producing the Annual Activities Plan of SP and ONA and the first projects for the implementation of the QMS at SP, namely: the 1st edition of the Statistical Production Handbook Procedures, Quality Manual and Quality Charter. Responsible for organizing the process for the Quality award in public services (SP recognition in 1998), and for the Quality Sessions at organization level.
October1990 / January 1996 — Statistician in the area of Agriculture Economic Statistics in the SP Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Statistics. Projects involved: Agriculture Producer Price Indexes; Economic Accounts of Agriculture.
4 - Other professional experience
2001/… — Trainer in the “European Statistics Training Programme” courses, of the European Statistical System, in the area of Quality Management in Statistics.
Member of the Programme Committee of the European Quality Conference in Statistics, at ESS level (8 editions).
Participation in several European/International Cooperation Projects in the area of Quality Management and Planning.
