Household Survey consultant: Lebanon Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey ( MICS), Beirut, 11.5 Months

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a chance!

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) is an international household survey programme developed and supported by UNICEF. MICS is designed to collect estimates of key indicators that are used to assess the situation of children and women. Over the past 20 years, MICS has evolved to respond to changing data needs, expanding from 28 indicators in the first round to more than 200 indicators in the current sixth round, and becoming a key source of data on child protection, early childhood education, and a major source of data on child health and nutrition. In addition to being a data collection tool to generate data for monitoring the progress towards national goals and global commitments for promoting the welfare of children, MICS provided valuable data for MDG monitoring as a major source of data for the UN Secretary General’s Final Millennium Development Goals Report.

Since the inception of MICS in the 1990s, over 300 surveys have been carried out in more than 100 countries. As part of the global effort to further develop national capacities to generate and analyses high quality and disaggregated data, UNICEF launched the sixth round of MICS in October 2016, with results of first surveys expected to be available by the end of 2017. This new round is in accordance with the list of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission in 2016, following the global adoption of the 17 SDGs and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The final SDG indicator framework currently includes 230 global indicators, of which around 30 per cent are household survey-based. Today, MICS, covering almost half of the SDG indicators that are household survey-based, is well positioned to play a central role in this new Agenda alongside other key demographic, health and socio-economic surveys and to complement data from administrative sources and censuses. The MICS questionnaires have undergone rigorous methodological and validation work to broaden the scope of the tools and include new topics that reflect SDG indicators and emerging issues in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development context.

UNICEF Lebanon Country Office is supporting a MICS as part of the 6th round of the survey programme in 2022-2023. The Lebanon MICS6 2022-2023 sample is 15,000 households covering the residents of Lebanon, displaced Syrians, and Palestinian refugees across all Lebanon. The Lebanon MICS 2022-2023 will include 1 Household-level Questionnaire, 3 Individual Questionnaires: Women 15 to 49; Children under 5 years (including anthropometric measures); Children 5 to 17 years of age, and a separate rapid water quality test. The survey will be implemented using CAPI (Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing) which collection can reduce the time needed to collect and process survey data, facilitate real time monitoring, improve the quality of the data and reduce survey costs. In specific locations, the MICS6 will be implemented using PAPI (Paper-Assisted Personal Interviewing) due to security concerns in using tablets. The MICS uses a two-stage cluster approach. The first phase of the MICS will entail the household listing of the Primary Selected Units (PSUs) to provide the frame for the Secondary Selected Units (SSUs). This process is expected to end by December 2022 and the MICS fieldwork to commence early 2023. To ensure that the implementation of the MICS survey runs smoothly, specific deadlines are met and that the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS), which is the National Statistics Office (NSO), receives the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, the UNICEF Lebanon Country Office will hire a full-time Household Survey Consultant to oversee the MICS process from preparatory work to release of results.

How can you make a difference?

Tasks/Milestone 1: Survey Planning

Deliverables / Output 1: *The Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable is finalised and shared with all stakeholders; *Survey supplies are procured and distributed in time for training and data collection;

2) Sample design is finalised by the sampling expert of CAS with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant; 3) Listing and Mapping materials and operations are reviewed by the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant and carried out on the field per MICS recommendations; 4) Sample design is reviewed by the UNICEF RO and/or HQ before finalisation. 5) The final selection of households is reviewed. 6) The weights are reviewed.

*MICS questionnaires: 3) Questionnaires undergo translation and back translation process; 4) Questionnaires and manuals undergo an ethical review; 5) Questionnaires are pre-tested and a pre-test report is produced; 6) Questionnaires are reviewed by the UNICEF RO and HQ before finalisation.

*Manuals: 1) MICS Household Listing and Mapping, Supervisor, Measurer, and Interviewer Manuals are customised for the country specific context and translated. 2) CAPI application template: 3) CAPI application template is customised by the data processing expert of the NSO with the guidance of the UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant; 4) CAPI application template is reviewed by the UNICEF RO and/or HQ before finalisation; 5) Secondary editing guidelines and Field Check Table syntax are customised by the data processing expert of the CAS with the guidance of the UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant.

Timeline 1: 3 Months

Tasks Milestones 2:

Mapping, Training and Fieldwork, and Data Processing

Deliverables / Outputs 2:

* Mapping is planned and performed per MICS guidelines; *Training schedules are adequately adapted to the county context while following MICS guidelines; *Appropriate resource persons are identified to facilitate training (i.e. nutritionists for anthropometry training, survey experts for methodology, etc.); *Contribute to the fieldwork training; *Fieldwork and fieldwork monitoring visits are planned and performed according to MICS guidelines; *Field Check Tables are produced on a weekly basis, immediately analysed by survey managers, and main findings reported to field supervisors for action. Field Check Tables are immediately shared with UNICEF RO; *Participation of UNICEF CO staff is organised to assist in monitoring data collection; *UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant is timely provided with necessary information and country visits are well managed and coordinated; *Hardware is made available for the CAPI application (data collection and central office menu components), and software is properly installed and a working, data transfer system and data backup system is established; *Monitor data processing and secondary data editing.

Timeline: 4 Months

Tasks/Milestone 3:

Data Analysis and Report Writing

• Sampling Weights are included in the datasets and reviewed by the sampling expert of the CAS with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant; • MICS tabulation plan and standard syntax are customised and used in generating SPSS dataset and tables. • Dataset/Tables including the wealth index are substantively reviewed by technical (e.g. sampling expert) and subject matter experts at the CAS, as well as by UNICEF RO and HQ MICS Team before the report writing commences; • Coordinate and contribute substantively to the elaboration of the Survey Findings Report (and eventually to the Final Report), using the MICS template and according to MICS standards to ensure a timely release; • Ensure that the Survey Findings Reports (and Final Report) undergoes the technical review process by RO and HQ; • Coordinate the printing and distribution of the Survey Findings Report (and Final Report); • Organise and facilitate the presentation of the Survey Findings Report (and Final Report) through a national seminar; • Provide technical expertise and advice for wide dissemination of the Survey Findings Report (and Final Report) and main results; • Ensure that the MICS survey archive with all final survey documents and materials (MOU, CSP, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, field reports, CAPI application, syntaxes, database, tables, survey findings report (and final report), dissemination materials, etc.) is being produced by the CAS.

Timeline 3: 3.5 Months

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An Advanced university degree in Psychology, Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology or any other related technical field is required.
• Proven minimum of 5 to 7 years of experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MICS or Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)requested)
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Extensive knowledge in conducting household surveys and data collection in a volatile context. Proven knowledge in sampling strategies and designs. Strong knowledge and experience in assuring the quality of data collection. Strong computer skills and proven expertise in using statistical software, specifically data processing and analysis (SPSS is an added value). Proven experience in managing and conducting interviews on paper and using tablets. Experience in facilitating training for a large and diverse group. Excellent skills in writing succinct and concise reports Language proficiency in Arabic is a must, English is an added value

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

The marking is divided as follow:

30% on financial offer

70% on the technical

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. The candidate may also be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid).