Qualitative Research Consultants for the Disrupting Harm project - 11.5 months full-time, Office of Research - Innocenti, Florence Italy

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, Research

Purpose of Assignment: Qualitative Research for the Disrupting Harm project

Scope of Work: Background: The Office of Research-Innocenti (OoR-Innocenti) is the dedicated research office of UNICEF. It undertakes and commissions research on emerging or current issues of relevance for children in order to inform the strategic directions, policies and programmes of UNICEF and its partners. The Office explores next generation issues, identifies research gaps, brings together existing researchers, and supports or undertakes research and data collection to address critical questions and to inform global debates. It also facilitates research and knowledge management on the best evidence for children and convenes experts and leaders around next generation issues for children and young people.

UNICEF’s Office of Research has a dedicated research team focusing on children’s engagement with digital technology. Since 2015, the team has been leading and supporting primary data collection around the world, to understand the risks and opportunities children face online. The current portfolio of work involves past and future research in more than 40 countries, primarily in the global south, through our Global Kids Online and Disrupting Harm research projects.

The team is now seeking to recruit qualitative research consultants to support its expansion of the Disrupting Harm project, a joint research initiative conducted in collaboration with INTERPOL and ECPAT International. Disrupting Harm is a multi-method, multi-country project that aims to understand the extent to which children experience technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse, and identify how national legislation and protection systems can be better prepared to respond to this new crime.

Disrupting Harm is the most comprehensive evidence-generation project to date on online child sexual exploitation and abuse. The qualitative research consultant would be part of the team implementing this project in 10 countries over 3 years, which includes the execution and delivery of 5 simultaneous qualitative and quantitative research activities in each country, alongside other research conducted by INTERPOL and ECPAT.

1) Interviews with government stakeholders 2) Interviews with frontline service providers 3) Interviews with justice professionals 4) Interviews with children who have sought legal remedies after being sexually abused 5) A nationally representative household survey

The qualitative research consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Co-designing a semi-structured/structured interview guide for each research activity, together with the rest of the team • Support recruitment of local qualitative researchers to conduct the data collection in each country, together with the project manager and UNICEF country offices • Manage the ethical clearance and data collection process for each country • Identify the sample and support recruitment of participants • Develop the coding frame and analysis protocols • Train local qualitative researchers on the data collection tools and coding frame • Analyze qualitative data from each country and activity • Write up the final report, together with the rest of the team • Support with in-country partner meetings, national consultations and project launches • Provide other support to the Digital team as needed.

Travel may be required in order to complete these tasks.

Minimum Qualifications required: Advanced university degree in social sciences, psychology, sociology, or a related field. PhD is considered a strong asset

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required: • A minimum of three to five years of progressively responsible professional work experience at national or international levels as a qualitative researcher, with developing country experience desirable. • Experience with design of qualitative research and use of qualitative methods essential; experience with quantitative research considered an asset • Experience with research on digital technology, violence against children, or child rights is desirable; experience of conducting research with vulnerable groups considered an asset • Experience managing multi-country data collection and related trainings • Strong analytical skills and extensive knowledge of common software packages (e.g. nVivo) • Excellent written and oral communication skills and excellent attention to detail • Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work well as part of a geographically dispersed team and across sectors, and of managing partnerships; • Commitment to UNICEF’s core values of care, respect, integrity, transparency and accountability; • Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment; experience working in the UN or other international development organization an asset. • Fluency in English is required; Fluency in Spanish, French or Arabic considered an asset.

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 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. See General Terms & Conditions in the application portal.

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.

Depending on the type and length of contract, consultants may be eligible to receive Paid Time Off (PTO) credit at the rate of one- and one-half days (1.5 days) for each full month of service, to be credited on the last calendar day of the month, and up to 17 days for a maximum of 11.5 months contract.

Payment of professional fees shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including but not limited to lump sum travel, visa, health insurance and subsistence costs, as applicable.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. 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

Consultants and individual contractors traveling on behalf of UNICEF must meet the standard trip prerequisites, including but not limited to medical clearance and medical evacuation insurance coverage for the duration of the trip, obtain security clearance, be compliant with training requirements (BSAFE), arrange for own necessary visas, vaccinations and liability vaiwer where applicable. Trip prerequisites will be met at the expense of the consultant or individual contractor.

Travel costs to undertake any required fieldwork associated with this Consultancy will be covered by UNICEF’s Office of Research-Innocenti in accordance with UNICEF travel policy. The contract holder will be responsible for arranging their own travel and must be in line with UNICEF policy on entitlements for consultant travel. The consultant will be responsible to use the UNICEF approved airlines exclusively.