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Consultancy Title: Sampling Consultant for Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) Support

Section/Division/Duty Station: Data and Analytics, Division of Analysis, Planning & Monitor, UNICEF NYHQ

Duration: November 25, 2024, to October 31, 2025

Home/ Office Based: NYHQ / Remote

 

About UNICEF 

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. 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. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

As part of the MICS programme, UNICEF continues to strengthen its MICS support mechanism at all levels, so that implementing partners in countries can receive the required level of technical assistance on a timely basis at critical survey stages and are in a better position to support the implementing partner. The 7th round of the MICS programme (MICS7) was launched in March 2023 and there are already 40 planned and ongoing MICS7 surveys and potentially 20-30 more surveys in the pipeline. There are also 7 surveys from the 6th round of the MICS programme that are still in data processing or report finalisation stages.

A very important element of MICS design and implementation is sampling, which is a very specialized field of work. Excellent sampling support is needed during the design, implementation, and reporting stages of all surveys.

Scope of Work:

To fully support MICS planning, implementation and dissemination activities, UNICEF HQ needs to hire a high-level sampling consultant to advise on sampling related issues, provide feedback on data analysis including the calculation of sample weights, and report writing by reviewing sampling related components of the survey final reports.

Specifically, consultant support is needed in the following sampling-related areas of work:

• Advise and review MICS sample designs
• Calculation and review of MICS sample weights
• Calculation and review of MICS sampling errors
• Reviews of sampling related chapters of the MICS survey final reports

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Task 1

(a) Reviews of sample designs

(b) Calculation of sample weights

(c) Calculation of sampling errors

(d) Review of sampling related chapter of the survey final reports

Submit a technical review report with feedback and suggestions for

(a) sampling plans of 4 (four) surveys,

(b) sample weights of 4 (four) surveys,

(c) sampling errors of 5 (five) surveys, and

(d) of the relevant chapters of the 6 (six) survey reports.

Deadline: 24 February 2025

Task 2

(a) Reviews of sample designs

(b) Calculation of sample weights

(c) Calculation of sampling errors

(d) Review of sampling related chapter of the survey final reports

(e) Facilitate one Global MICS7 Survey Design Workshop (location TBC)

Submit a technical review report with feedback and suggestions for

(a) sampling plans of 4 (four) surveys,

(b) sample weights of 4 (four) surveys,

(c) sampling errors of 5 (five) surveys, and

(d) of the relevant chapters of the 6 (six) survey reports.

(e) 1 (one) workshop related materials presented, and details of country specific support provided during the workshop.

Deadline: 26 May 2025

Task 3

(a) Reviews of sample designs

(b) Calculation of sample weights

(c) Calculation of sampling errors

(d) Review of sampling related chapter of the survey final reports

Submit a technical review report with feedback and suggestions for

(a) sampling plans of 4 (four) surveys,

(b) sample weights of 4 (four) surveys,

(c) sampling errors of 5 (five) surveys, and

(d) of the relevant chapters of the 6 (six) survey reports.

Deadline: 31 October 2025

 

Travel International (if applicable): MICS7 Survey Design Workshop in Istanbul, Turkiye (Location TBC), February 2025

 

Qualifications

Education: 

Advanced university degree (Masters) in the area of Survey Sampling or Statistics with special expertise in survey sampling.

 

Work experience:

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *: 

• At least a master’s degree or equivalent in Survey Sampling or Statistics with special expertise in survey sampling.
• At least 15 years’ experience at senior level in designing samples for household surveys.
• Expertise with the sampling methodology of MICS and/or DHS (Demographic and Health Surveys).
• Proficiency in a range of PC/web applications, including but not limited to: SPSS, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint.
• Extensive experience of working in developing countries on sampling.
• Fluency in English and at least one of the following languages: Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian.
• Strong organizational, planning, and analytical skills.

 

Requirements:

Completed profile in UNICEF's e-Recruitment system and

- Upload copy of academic credentials

- Financial proposal that will include/ reflect :

• • the costs per each deliverable and the total lump-sum for the whole assignment (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference.
  • travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR.
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability

- Any emergent / unforeseen duty travel and related expenses will be covered by UNICEF.

- At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.

- Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed satisfactory 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.

U.S. Visa information:

With the exception of the US Citizens, G4 Visa and Green Card holders, should the selected candidate and his/her household members reside in the United States under a different visa, the consultant and his/her household members are required to change their visa status to G4, and the consultant’s household members (spouse) will require an Employment Authorization Card (EAD) to be able to work, even if he/she was authorized to work under the visa held prior to switching to G4.  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. View our competency framework at: Here

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. 

Remarks:  

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. Consultants 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 that the visa (applicable) and 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.