National Consultant: Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) Consultant, Kathmandu, Nepal (Only for Nepalese Nationals)

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.

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For every child, result

The UNICEF Nepal Country Office has already supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) surveys in 1995, 2000, 2005-6, 2010-11, 2014 and 2019. To generate data for the assessment of the progress made in strategic and priority areas of the 2023-2027 Country Programme cycle, UNICEF Nepal will support MICS as part of the 7th round of the survey programme in 2024. To ensure that the implementation of the MICS survey runs smoothly, specific deadlines are met and that the National Statistics Office (NSO) receives the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, the UNICEF Nepal County Office is hiring consultant to oversee the MICS process from preparatory work to release of results.

Scope of Work

Under the overall supervision of the SPGE Section Chief and direct supervision of Program Officer (Data and Evidence), the National MICS Consultant (NMC) will support to provide guidance to UNICEF Nepal and the NSO for the preparation, implementation and completion of the MICS survey in Nepal. The National MICS Consultant will provide support to 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, provide support to ensure that MICS protocols and recommendations are being followed at all times.

The NMC will provide support to 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 provide technical support to work in close collaboration with the survey team, the stakeholders, Steering and Technical Committees and will provide support 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 experts and consultants assigned to support the Nepal MICS (collectively labelled “The UNICEF MICS Team”).

How can you make a difference?

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to the National Statistical Office (NSO) and support in managing and implementing the MICS7 survey across Nepal. The consultant will closely work with the NSO and UNICEF to provide support in assuring the quality of the entire work process and products of MICS7.

1. Provide technical and managerial support to the MICS7 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 UNICEF Regional Office (RO);

4. Ensure that the Ethical Protocol and other ethical recommendations are addressed in the survey implementation process and that all MICS7 related documents are shared with the national Ethical Committee on time for approval;

5. Oversee each stage of the survey process and support to ensure that the MICS7 protocols and standards are followed by the NSO, more specifically during training and field supervision visits;

6. Communicate regularly with the UNICEF CO, RO and/or Headquarters (HQ) responding to all MICS7 related issues in a timely manner; 7. Provide monthly updates on MICS7 activities to the UNICEF CO/RO/HQ;

8. Coordinate the work of NSO specialists and UNICEF Regional Consultants and other resource persons assigned by the UNICEF CO and/or RO to support different survey stages;

9. Ensure that external technical reviews by experts (i.e. Regional Sampling Consultant, Regional Data Processing Consultant, and Regional Household Survey Consultant) are carried out at key survey stages and coordinate the feedback and response between the CO/RO/HQ and 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 (and Final Report), dissemination materials etc.);

11. Participate in all MICS Steering and Technical Committee meetings;

12. Provide support to contribute for MICS Regional Workshops;

13. Organise, as required, and facilitate the national Data Interpretation and Report Compilation Workshop;

14. 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;

15. Support planning and customization of other MICS initiatives (MICS Plus, MICS GIS, MICS Link) in collaboration with the relevant experts of these initiatives from the Global MICS Team;

16. Attend to MICS Regional and/or National Workshops;

Duration of Contract: The total duration of the contract is for 230 working days within 12 months.

Deliverables for this Assignment:

Tasks/Milestone****Deliverables/Outputs****Timeline****Proposed Fee ( In Nepalese Currency)- Provide steering and technical committee participation report; - Finalize Country Survey Plan and budget, including survey timetable in consultation with UNICEF CO/RO/HQ and NSO; - Finalize the sample design by liaising with the sampling consultant, Regional Office and NSO; - Finalize procurement of supplies in coordination with supply section and ensure its availability in time for training and data collection field-work; - Ensure listing and mapping work are performed per MICS guidelines; - Coordinate with Section colleagues for collectively reviewing of MICS questionnaires: - Ensure relevant section colleagues from UNICEF programme participate in the Technical Committee meetings and help in reviewing the MICS Manuals: - Support customization of the CAP application together with the data processing expert of the NSO; - Provide timely information to the UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant for country visits; - Facilitate to onboard appropriate resource persons to support training (i.e. nutritionists for anthropometry training, survey experts for methodology, etc.); - Provide Monthly Progress Report of activities undertaken during the month and highlighting problems met and solutions put in place to mitigate them; - Provide field trip reports; - Provide regional workshop trip reports - Develop presentations and training materials and share with concern focal points at NCO/RO/HQ.

Submission of survey planning & sample designing and final country survey plan.January – April 2024 (Submit invoice by first week of May 2024 upon submission of deliverables completion report) - Ensure all supplies needed for the field work is available in time before the field-work; - Ensure CAPI application is finalized and ready for implementation; - Ensure secondary editing guidelines and Field Check Table syntax are customised by the data processing expert of the NSO with the guidance of the UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant; - Ensure training schedules are adequately adapted to the county context while following MICS guidelines; - Ensure fieldwork and monitoring visits are planned and performed according to MICS guidelines; - Support NSO MICS coordinator to produce Field Check Tables on a weekly basis and reports its findings to field supervisors for action and share report with UNICEF RO; - Ensure participation of UNICEF CO staff in monitoring data collection; - Provide Monthly Progress Report of activities undertaken during the month and highlighting problems met and solutions put in place to mitigate them; - Provide field trip reports; - Provide regional workshop trip reports; - Develop presentations and training materials which are used in trainings, workshops, and other meetings and share with concern focal points at NCO/RO/HQ;

Submission of training, fieldwork, data processing report including field check tables generated from the collected data.May – August 2024 (Submit invoice by first week of September upon submission of deliverables completion report) - Ensure fieldwork monitoring visits are planned and performed according to MICS guidelines; - Ensure Field Check Table are produced on a weekly basis and reports its findings to field supervisors for action and share report with UNICEF RO; - Ensure participation of UNICEF CO staff in monitoring data collection and facilitate their travel in consultation with the field supervisors; - Ensure sampling weights are included in the datasets and reviewed by the sampling expert of the NSO with the guidance the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant; - Ensure MICS tabulation plan and standard syntax are customised and used in generating SPSS dataset and tables. - Ensure Dataset/Tables including the wealth index are substantively reviewed by technical (e.g. sampling expert) and subject matter experts at the NSO, as well as by UNICEF RO and HQ MICS Team before the report writing commences; - 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); - Provide technical expertise and advice for wide dissemination of the Survey Findings Report (and Final Report) and main results; - Provide Monthly Progress Report of activities undertaken during the month and highlighting problems met and solutions put in place to mitigate them; - Provide field trip reports; - Provide regional workshop trip reports; - Share with concern focal points at NCO/RO/HQ presentations and training materials those are used in trainings, workshops, and other meetings.

Submission of report on data analysis, status of report writing, and the survey findings report.September – December 2024 (Submit invoice by last week of December upon submission of deliverables completion report) To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Master’s degree in Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology, or any other related technical field is required.
• Proven minimum of 5-year experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MICS or Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) is and added value;
• Strong computer skills and strong expertise in statistical analyses (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, particularly SPSS);
• Experience with CAPI data collection especially CSPro is an added value;
• Training experience and ability to organize and facilitate trainings and make presentations;
• Experience in data analysis and survey report writing;
• Proven knowledge and skills in Nepali typing is an asset;

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:

Request to submit financial proposal as per deliverables in Nepalese currency.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Candidates from under-represented ethnic groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

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.