Individual National Consultancy – National MICS 2023 Consultant

Contract

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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.

The UNICEF Turkmenistan has already supported MICS surveys in 2019 and years before that. As part of the Mid-Term Review of the 2021-2025 Country Programme cycle, UNICEF Country Office will support theMICS as part of the 7th round of the survey programme in 2023. To ensure that the implementation of the MICS survey runs smoothly, specific deadlines are met and that the implementing partner, the National Statistics Office (NSO) receives the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, the UNICEF Turkmenistan Country Office will hire a full-time consultant to oversee the MICS process from preparatory work to release of results.

The 2023 Turkmenistan MICS7 will be implemented using CAPI (Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing) in which the interviewer uses a tablet to record data. CAPI data 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.

Purpose of the Job

Under the overall supervision of the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the National MICS Consultant (NMC) will support and provide guidance to UNICEF Turkmenistan and the NSO for the preparation, implementation and completion of the MICS survey in Turkmenistan. The NMC will advise the NSO, especially the Survey Coordinator and sampling and data processing experts, during survey planning, questionnaire design, sampling, training, fieldwork, data processing, data analysis, dissemination and archiving, ensuring that MICS protocols and recommendations are being followed at all times. The NMC will communicate effectively between the UNICEF CO and NSO, responding promptly to MICS related needs and issues as they arise.

The NMC will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of other resource persons hired by UNICEF to provide technical assistance to the MICS process. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the survey team, the stakeholders, and Steering and Technical Committees and will represent UNICEF in meetings and workshops in relation to the survey as needed. The NMC will also work in close collaboration with the Regional MICS Coordinator at the UNICEF Regional Office (RO) and the MICS Team at UNICEF Headquarters (HQ), as well as expert consultants assigned to support the Turkmenistan MICS (collectively labelled “The UNICEF MICS Team”).

Main Tasks Related to the Job

1. Provide technical and managerial support to the MICS survey;
2. Present the MICS methodology, tools, and guidelines to partners/stakeholders (e.g. ministries, UN Agencies, etc.);
3. Finalise, in collaboration with national partners and UNICEF CO, the Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable and share with the Regional MICS Coordinator;
4. Ensure that the Ethical Protocol and other ethical recommendations are addressed in the survey implementation process and that all MICS-related documents are shared with the national Ethical Committee on time for approval;
5. Oversee each stage of the survey process and ensure that the MICS protocols and standards are followed by the NSO, more specifically during training and field supervision visits;
6. Communicate regularly with the UNICEF CO and/or the UNICEF MICS Team responding to all MICS related issues in a timely manner;
7. Provide monthly updates on MICS activities to the UNICEF CO and Regional MICS Coordinator;
8. Coordinate the work of NSO specialists and the UNICEF MICS Team and other resource persons assigned by the UNICEF CO and/or the UNICEF MICS Team to support different survey stages;
9. Ensure that external technical reviews by experts (i.e., Sampling, Data Processing, and Household Survey expert consultants) are carried out at key survey stages and coordinate the feedback and response between the CO, the UNICEF MICS Team and the NSO;
10. Ensure that all survey related documents and deliverables are properly archived throughout the survey process (for example: Memorandum of Understanding, Survey Plan and Budget, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, training/pre-test reports, expert reports, CAPI application, output and tabulation plan tables, syntaxes, datasets, Survey Findings Report, Statistical Snapshots, dissemination materials etc.);
11. Participate in all MICS Steering and Technical Committee meetings;
12. Participate in, and contribute to, MICS Regional Workshops;
13. Organise, as required, and facilitate in the national Data Interpretation and Report Compilation Workshop.

Ensure that lessons learned, problems, and good practices are documented throughout the MICS process and rapidly shared with the MICS community (other MICS implementing countries and the UNICEF MICS Team) through all means available.

Education:

University degree in, Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology or any other related technical field is required.

Skills and Experience:

• Proven minimum of 5 year experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MICS or Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)requested; ;
• Strong computer skills and strong expertise in statistical analyses (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, particularly SPSS);
• Experience with CAPI data collection;
• Training experience and ability to organize and facilitate training and presentations;
• Experience in data analysis and survey report writing.

Other competencies:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent oral and written communications in language(s) required;
• Familiarity and previous experience of working in country and/or in the region highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organisation, more specifically with National Statistical Offices;
• Demonstrated leadership, managerial and supervisory ability; Ability and willingness to travel extensively in-country and to attend regional workshops.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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:

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. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.