The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Sudan is implementing Maternal and Child Cash Transfers Plus for the first 1,000 days of Life (MCCT+). The MCCT+ is an integrated social protection programme that provides vulnerable pregnant women and lactating mothers with regular cash assistance together with skills and access to basic health, nutrition, and protection services. The programme first started in Red Sea and Kassala States with then further expansion to different States, including in River Nile under MCCT+ phase IV. UNICEF Innocenti is collaborating with the UNICEF Sudan on mixed-methods evidence generation on the MCCT+. As part of this, a mixed-method evaluation of the MCCT+ Phase IV started in 2024, involving three waves of data collection: baseline, midline, and endline. The baseline report was finalized in November 2025. The Midline is planned to start in June 2026. It will rely on an exclusive qualitative methodology. These Terms of Reference (ToR) specifically address support for the qualitative midline data collection activities.

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture., coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

For every child, the right to Care

How can you make a difference? 

The objective of this consultancy is to support the above-mentioned research activities in Sudan. The consultancy will support the finalization of the midline design (protocol) and instrument, amendment of the ethical clearance, training of the fieldwork team, quality assurance of field data, causal analysis of the interviews with Causal Map and thematic analysis of the focus groups with MAXQDA, drafting of report (draft and final versions) and brief (draft and final versions) and dissemination activities.

Key responsibilities:
•Inception: Conduct up to 10 key informant interviews at the programme level to complement the description of the intervention; conduct desk research about maternal health, care practices and gender norms in the region, for the background chapter of the report.
•Design: Develop the final study design, research protocol, instrument, and amendment of the ethical clearance (including addressing the Board requests, as needed).
•Training: Prepare the QUIP enumerators training and facilitate the training, in close collaboration with the national partner (data collection firm). This will require an in-country mission of approximately 7 working days.
•Data collection: Monitor the data collection operation and the transcription process (in close collaboration with the local data collection firm), transcripts quality assurance.
•Analysis: Elaborate the analytical strategy and codebook for the thematic analysis, clean the QuIP data set, conduct the coding and analysis through Causal Maps and MAXQDA of the 112 transcripts.
•Draft report: Following the analyses, draft the report (all chapters), including revisions following the internal review.
•Validation workshop: Preparation work for the workshop, presentation of the report preliminary findings to key stakeholders to collect their feedback. The workshop will be held online.
•Final report (post-workshop): draft of the final version of all chapters based on the feedback collected from the validation workshop, and feedback from two external reviewers.
•Dissemination activities: draft the report brief (including any revisions), one slide-deck, and deliver presentations as required.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here:Download File TOR QuIP Researcher.pdf

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

Minimum requirements:

Education: Master's degree in Sociology, anthropology, public/social policy, public health, or related field.

Work Experience: 
  • At least 5 years of professional experience in qualitative research and evaluation, in low- and middle income contexts, especially in Sub- Saharan Africa. Strong experience with Qualitative Impact Protocol (QUIP) data collection, including in QuIP training for data collection.
  • Strong experience in applying the Qualitative Impact Protocol (QUIP) for the analysis using CausalMap.
Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:
  • Excellent qualitative analytical skills and writing skills
  • Expertise in social protection
Language Requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
Desirables:
  • Proficient in Arabic
  • Research experience in Sudan and/or in humanitarian contexts.
  • A PhD in Sociology, anthropology, public/social policy, public health, education, or related field.
  • Knowledge of maternal health and nutrition, and their linkages to social protection.
  • Experience with mixed-method impact evaluation

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF provides reasonable accommodation throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). 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 based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 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, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

  • An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
  • Cover letter
  • A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Download File Financial proposal xxx3314.docx
  • A detailed technical proposal 
    Applicants are requested to submit at least one, and up to three, report samples demonstrating relevant experience applying the QUIP methodology. The sample(s) should be (co)-authored by the applicant.

Remarks:  If the TOR or financial proposal documents are not visible on certain recruitment platforms, please visit our official page Vacancies | UNICEF Careers.

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

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Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.