UNICEF National MICS Consultant (UNMC)

11 months with a possibility of 3 months extension. Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Social Policy the UNICEF National MICS Consultant (UNMC) will support and provide guidance to UNICEF Lesotho Country Office and BOS for the preparation, implementation, and completion of the MICS survey in Lesotho. The UNMC will advise BOS, 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 recommendation are being followed at all times. The UNMC will communicate effectively between the UNICEF CO and Bureau of Statistics, responding promptly to MICS related needs and issues as they arise.

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For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Background

Statistically sound and internationally comparable data are essential for developing evidence-based policies and programmes, as well as for monitoring countries' progress toward national goals and global commitments. Since 1995, UNICEF globally has supported the implementation of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), assisting countries in generating high quality data on the situation of children and women. Over the last 17 years and five rounds of MICS, 240 MICS surveys have been conducted in more than 100 countries.

MICS enables countries to produce statistically sound and internationally comparable estimates of a range of indicators in the areas of health, education, child protection, water and sanitation, and HIV and AIDS. For many countries, MICS surveys are among the most important sources of data used for monitoring of SDGs, situation analyses, policy decisions and programme interventions, and for influencing the public opinion on the situation of children and women.

During 2017-2018, UNICEF will support the sixth round of MICS surveys. MICS will be generating information for over 20 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators and will be, along with other nationally representative household surveys, critically important for SDGs reporting.

MICS surveys are usually carried out by government organizations, with the support and technical assistance of UNICEF. The entire MICS process can last 12 to 14 months with UNICEF working closely with the implementing agency to ensure that MICS guidelines[1] and international standards are met at all stages.

The Government of Lesotho will conduct a MICS survey in 2017-2018. In order to ensure that the implementation of the MICS survey runs smoothly, specific deadlines are met, and that Bureau of Statistics (BOS) receives the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, the UNICEF Lesotho Country Office will hire a full time consultant to oversee the MICS process.

 

[1] All guidelines are provided in the MICS manual available at www.childinfo.org.

 

 

Purpose of the Assignment

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Social Policy the UNICEF National MICS Consultant (UNMC) will support and provide guidance to UNICEF Lesotho Country Office and BOS for the preparation, implementation, and completion of the MICS survey in Lesotho. The UNMC will advise BOS, 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 recommendation are being followed at all times. The UNMC will communicate effectively between the UNICEF CO and BOS, responding promptly to MICS related needs and issues as they arise.

The UNMC will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of other resource persons hired by UNICEF to provide technical assistance to the MICS process. He/she 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.

Assignment Tasks

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. Finalize in collaboration with national partners and UNICEF Lesotho Country Office (LCO), the Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable and share with UNICEF Regional Office (RO);
4. Oversee each stage of the survey process and ensure that the MICS protocols and standards are followed by the BOS, more specifically during training and field supervision visits;
5. Communicate regularly with the UNICEF LCO, RO and/or Headquarters (HQ) responding to all MICS related issues in a timely manner;
6. Provide progress reports on MICS activities to the UNICEF LCO/RO/HQ on a monthly basis;
7. Coordinate the work of BOS experts and UNICEF Regional Consultants and other resource persons assigned by the UNICEF LCO and/or RO to support different survey stages;
8. 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 LCO/RO/HQ and BOS;
9. Ensure that all survey related documents and deliverables (questionnaires, manuals, expert reports, final report, datasets, etc.) are properly archived throughout the survey process;
10. Participate in all MICS Steering and Technical Committee meetings;
11. Participate in, and contribute to, MICS Regional Workshops;
12. 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, RO, and HQ) through all means available.

Expected Deliverables

 

In consultation and collaboration with the UNICEF CO and BOS, the UMC will be responsible for ensuring the following activities have been undertaken following the MICS guidelines and will contribute to the coordination of these activities:

• Survey Planning:

 

• The Memorandum of Understanding between UNICEF and BOS has been understood by both parties and signed;
• A Steering Committee is established and comprised of relevant line ministries/Development Partners;
• A Technical Committee comprised of all relevant technical experts is established;
• The Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable is finalized and shared with all stakeholders;
• Survey supplies are procured and distributed in time for training, data collection, and data entry;
• Sample design:
  • The UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant is provided with necessary information and his/her visit is well managed and coordinated within survey plans;
  • Sample design is finalized by the sampling expert of BOS with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant;
  • Household Listing and Mapping operations are reviewed by the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant and carried out on the field according to MICS recommendations;
  • Sample design is reviewed by the UNICEF RO and/or HQ before finalization.
  • The final selection of households is reviewed.
• MICS questionnaires:
  • Appropriate UNICEF programme staff and the Technical Committee are involved in reviewing the customization of relevant sections of the MICS questionnaire;
  • Questionnaires undergo translation and back translation process;
  • Questionnaires are pre-tested and a pre-test report is produced;
  • Questionnaires are reviewed by the UNICEF RO and HQ before finalization.
• Manuals:
  • MICS Supervisor and Editor, Measurer, and Interviewer Manuals are customized for the country specific context and translated.
• Data Entry Templates:
  • Data entry template is customized by the data processing expert of BOS with the guidance of UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant;
  • Data entry template is reviewed by the UNICEF RO and/or HQ before finalization.

• Household Listing and Mapping, Training, Fieldwork, and Data Entry:

 

• Household listing and mapping is planned and performed according to MICS guidelines;
• Training schedules are adequately adapted to the county context while following MICS guidelines;
• Appropriate resource persons are identified to facilitate training (i.e. nutritionists for anthropometry training, survey expert for methodology, etc.);
• Contribute to the fieldwork training;
• Fieldwork and fieldwork monitoring visits are planned and performed according to MICS guidelines;
• Field Check Tables are produced on a weekly basis, immediately analyzed by survey managers, and main findings reported to field supervisors for action. Field check tables are immediately shared with UNICEF RO;
• Participation of UNICEF CO staff is organized to assist in monitoring data collection;
• UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant is timely provided with necessary information and country visits are well managed and coordinated;
• Data entry room, hardware, and software are properly arranged and a working data entry and backup system is established;
• Monitor data entry and processing;
• Monitor secondary data editing.

• Data Analysis and Report Writing:

 

• Sampling Weights are included in the datasets and reviewed by sampling expert of BOS with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant;
• MICS tabulation plan and standard syntax are used in generating SPSS dataset and tables.
• Dataset/Tables including the wealth index are substantively reviewed by technical (e.g. sampling expert) and subject matter experts at BOS, as well as by UNICEF RO and HQ MICS Team before the report writing commences;
• Coordinate and contribute substantively to the writing of the Summary Findings Report and Final Report, using MICS templates and according MICS standards to ensure a timely release;
• Ensure that the reports (Summary Findings and Final) undergo the technical review process by RO and HQ;
• Coordinate the printing and distribution of the Final Report;
• Organize and facilitate the presentation of the Final Report through a national seminar;
• Organize wide dissemination of the Final Report and main results;
• Ensure that the MICS survey archive (questionnaires, manuals, sampling frame, field reports, database, tables, final reports, dissemination materials, etc.) is being produced by BOS.

 

1. Prepare an implementation plan jointly with Supervisor and Bureau of statistics, specifying deliverables; and payment plan, linking deliverables;
2. Monthly Progress Report of activities to LCO and RO;
3. Specific reports at the end of each of the following survey activities: Sample design, Questionnaire design, Listing and Mapping, Pre-test, Fieldwork training, Data collection, Data entry and editing, Data processing and tabulation, Report writing, Dissemination;
4. Field trip reports;
5. Regional workshop trip reports;
6. Presentations and training materials used in trainings, workshops, and other meetings.The duration of the contract should cover the whole MICS process: a minimum of 11 months (with possibility of 3 months extension). Only candidates who can commit for this minimum time in-country will be considered.The UNMC will report directly to the Chief of Social Policy in UNICEF Lesotho Country Office.
7. Confidentiality of Data and MICS Documents
8. Reporting Line
9. Estimated Duration of the Contract

The UNMC 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 UNMC can use the documents and the datasets only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

 

Qualifications and Competencies

Education:

University degree in Social Sciences, Demography, Statistics, Epidemiology or any other related technical field is required.

 

Skills and Experience:

• At least three to five years' of experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MICS or Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) coordination experience highly desirable);
• Strong computer skills and strong expertise in statistical analyses (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, particularly SPSS);
• Training experience and ability to organize and facilitate training and presentations;
• Experience in data analysis and survey report writing;

• Excellent oral and written communications in English required.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Familiarity and previous experience of working in Lesotho highly desirable and/or in the region.

 

• Ability and willingness to travel extensively in-country and to attend regional workshops.  

 

• Other competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organization;
• Demonstrated leadership, managerial and supervisory ability.

 

• Payment: Payment will be made based on agreed upon monthly deliverables
• UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/output is incomplete, not delivered, or for failure to meet deadlines.

 

• Office Arrangements and Travel Requirements

 UNICEF Lesotho Country Office will arrange the office space and office equipment including a laptop computer with relevant software installed.

During the contract period, the UNMC 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 UNICEF Lesotho Country Office.

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable).  Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.