National Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) 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.

For every child, education

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 25 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 Millennium Development Goals 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 analyse high quality and disaggregated data, UNICEF launched the sixth round of MICS in October 2016, with results of first surveys were 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 2015, 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 231 global indicators, of which more than 33 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 2030 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, including: rapid water quality testing, social transfers, foundational learning skills (children age 7-14), child and adult functioning, migration status, use of clean fuels and technology, and victimisation.

As governments develop national frameworks to monitor progress towards the SDGs and establish baselines, strategic planning and investments will be required to collect robust, more frequent, and timely data. The 6th of MICS presents a unique opportunity to support this process.

The UNICEF Azerbaijan Country Office (UNICEF CO) already supported MICS surveys in 2000. To support monitoring and reporting on the prioritised Sustainable Development Goal target indicators UNICEF Azerbaijan Country Office will support a MICS as part of the 6th round of the survey programme in 2021-2022. To ensure that the implementation of the MICS survey runs smoothly, specific deadlines are met and that the implementing partner, the State Statistical Committee (SSC) receives the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, the UNICEF Azerbaijan Country Office will hire a full-time consultant, by involving the SSC to all stages of the hiring process, to oversee the MICS process from preparatory work to release of results.

The 2021-2022 Azerbaijan MICS6 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.

How can you make a difference?

Under the overall supervision of the Child Rights Monitoring Specialist, the National MICS Consultant (NMC) will support and provide guidance to UNICEF Azerbaijan and the SSC for the preparation, implementation and completion of the MICS survey in Azerbaijan. The NMC will advise the SSC, 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 SSC, 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 Azerbaijan MICS (collectively labelled “The UNICEF MICS Team”).

More specifically the main tasks related to the Job include:

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 SSC, 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 SSC 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 SSC;
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.
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.

Reporting Line

The NMC will report directly to the Child Rights Monitoring Specialist in the UNICEF Country Office.

Confidentiality of Data and MICS Documents

The NMC must respect the complete confidentiality of the MICS data as well as any specific MICS documents that will be produced throughout the MICS process. The NMC can use the documents and the datasets only for the tasks related to these Terms of Reference.

Office Arrangements and Travel Requirements

During the contract period, the NMC is expected to travel within the country and to MICS Regional Workshops in other countries and UNICEF Regional Office. The travel costs will be covered by the UNICEF Country Office. The NMC will be based at the SSC who will provide her/him space, adequate working conditions with Internet access and equipment as necessary.

Note: According to UNICEF’s procedures each consultant should have mandatory service break of 2 weeks after 11.5 months of contract. This means the NMC’s contracts will be split into 11.5 months and 5.5 months respectively.

Mandatory Training

All consultants regardless of contract duration must complete the applicable mandatory training. The link to these online training will be provided during the selection process for the successful candidates.

To qualify as a****n advocate for every child you will have…

• Bachelor 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)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 organise and facilitate training and presentations;
• Experience in data analysis and survey report writing.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent oral and written communications in English and Azerbaijani required;
• Familiarity and previous experience of working in Azerbaijan 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, and Accountability (CRITA)

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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:

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.

ToR National MICS Consultant for adv .pdf