National Consultant to Design and Implement Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) Surveys of the humanitarian SP programmes, Damascus, Syria, 164 working days within 11.5 months

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.

For every child, commitment

BACKGROUND (RATIONALE AND CONTEXT):

As part of its monitoring mechanism, UNICEF uses periodic monitoring surveys to document the beneficiaries’ feedback and perceptions, and to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme. Based on global experience and good practices, a household-based monitoring survey is devised to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme, to verify the extent to which it has achieved its intended purpose, and to create a feedback loop informed by the beneficiaries’ perceptions to enable timely corrective actions.

UNICEF intends to recruit national household survey expert to prepare for the surveys, train the enumerators and the field supervisors, and provide quality assurance to the data collection and data processing for the monitoring surveys that are planned to be conducted across all the implementation sites in 2023 and 2024.

How can you make a difference?

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT (PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT):

The consultancy aims to provide technical and coordination support to the design, implementation, and quality assurance of the post distribution monitoring survey of UNICEF Syria’s Cash plus Transfer Programmes; namely, the integrated social protection programme for children with disabilities (CwD) and the cash transfer for basic needs programme (BNSP).

- Review the questionnaires (PDM and CT tracking) and do the necessary changes so the questionnaire becomes relevant and consistent to the context and the purpose of the survey and meets the indicators proposed. Draft the instruction manuals that help the enumerators and the supervisors to fill the questionnaires. They will also prepare for the protocols required, i.e., Subjects’ Protections Ethics Review, Covid-19 arrangements, …. The questionnaires are in paper and in KoBo in both languages: Arabic and English. The protocols and instruction manuals are also in English and Arabic.

- Prepare for the training materials and conduct training sessions on the questionnaires and interview techniques and ethics. The sessions are for the enumerators and the filed supervisors in the IPs in locations where programmes are conducted. The expert has to prepare for the presentations and the exercises for the trainees. The expert will evaluate the enumerators and the supervisors at the end of the training sessions.

- Provide quality assurance to data collection, suggest the corrective actions and make sure they are followed.

- Provide technical support to the data processing phase including data checking and data cleaning, so the datasets collected from the interviews become ready for the tabulation

LOCATION (GEOGRAPHIC AREA/ DUTY STATION): Damascus, Syria

On-site working days: 164 working days (estimated)

Off-site working days: NA

Field Missions/Travel: as needed

DURATION:

The selected consultant will work for a total number of 164 working days within a period of 11.5 months. The deadline for submission of final deliverables to UNICEF is two weeks before the end of the contract.

SUPERVISOR:

The consultant will be supervised by and report to the Social Policy Specialist with regular de-briefing with UNICEF on the progress of the assignment. The consultant will coordinate on weekly basis with UNICEF Social Policy Section.

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT (TASKS, SMART DELIVERABLES, DEADLINES):

PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payment of professional fees will be against the submission and the approval of the agreed deliverables, as per the Description of Assignment schedule.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

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

- Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Demography, Statistics, Economics, Social Policy, or other related technical fields (Means of Verification (MoV): education credentials)

- At least 5 years of experience in coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (MoV: professional records)

- Proficiency in data processing (MoV: professional records)

- Excellent communications and presentation skills

- Proficiency in English language (MoV: CV)

EVALUATION PROCESS (OF APPLICATIONS):

Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Applications through UNICEF’s Talent Management System (TMS) or P11 form

2. Cover Letter

3. CV.

4. Financial quote as lump sum for professional fees only.

5. Examples of previous work/proposed methodology/approach to managing the project

6. At least 3 Referees from Direct Supervisors

Shortlisted applicants may be invited for further technical assessment. Final recommendation will be made based on “best value for money”, i.e. the hiring section/office shall normally select the individual who quoted the lowest fee from among the candidates who are assessed as suitable for achieving all tasks on time, as per the criteria stipulated in this ToR, and based on the outcome of the evaluation/assessment conducted.

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.

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 the 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.