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 ToR_NC_MICS_Reporting2.pdf

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, opportunity 

UNICEF in Turkmenistan supports the Government of Turkmenistan in meeting its commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child as pledged in Turkmenistan’s National Plan of Action for Realization of the Rights of the Child. The current UNICEF Country Programme 2021 – 2025 responds to the strategic priorities of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

How can you make a difference? 

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 20 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 seventh 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 provides valuable data for the SDG monitoring.

The UNICEF Turkmenistan has already supported several MICS surveys in the past. Currently it supports the 7^th round – MICS7. The MICS7 in Turkmenistan is at its final stages of finalizing the reporting products such as snapshots, Key Indicators Report and Survey Findings Report. In early 2025, Turkmenistan is to launch the MICS+ survey to complement the MICS7 with data on wellbeing of women and children in Turkmenistan. To ensure that the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan (SSC) is supported with the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, as well to streamline all implementation processes of MICS+, the UNICEF Turkmenistan Country Office is to hire a national consultant to provide needed technical support to the SSC and the UNICEF MICS Team.

Purpose of the Job

Under the overall supervision of the Monitoring and Evaluation (Child Rights) Specialist, and the Survey Coordinator from the SSC, the National MICS Consultant (NMC) will support UNICEF Turkmenistan and the SSC with the preparation, implementation and completion of the MICS+ survey in Turkmenistan. The NMC will advise the SSC, especially the Survey Coordinator and sampling and data processing experts, during the MICS+ planning, questionnaire design, sampling, training, fieldwork, data processing, data analysis, and dissemination, 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 technical needs and issues as they arise.

The NMC will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of other resource persons UNICEF may hire 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 with the Turkmenistan MICS Team.

Main Tasks Related to the Job

1. Provide technical and facilitating 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 the SSC and UNICEF CO, the Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable and share with the Regional and Global MICS teams.
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 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 monitoring.
6. Communicate regularly with the UNICEF CO and/or the UNICEF MICS Team responding to all MICS related issues in a timely manner.
7. Take part in the calls with the MICS teams and provide updates on MICS+ activities.
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 the MICS Steering and Technical Committee meetings.
12. Organize, as required, and facilitate in training for interviewers and supervisors, and the national Data Interpretation and Report Compilation Workshop for MICS+.
13. 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.
14. Provide technical guidance on the dissemination methods and tools for MICS+ data nationally and sub-nationally.

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.

Tasks are not chronological and will require simultaneous management. The NMC will be required to produce reports with updates describing his/her contribution to the progress of key deliverables described in this ToR or any other activities identified by the supervisor.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

Education:

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

Skills and Experience:

• Proven minimum of 5 year experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys.
• Strong computer skills and strong expertise in statistical analyses
• Experience with MICS or CAPI data collection.
• Training experience and ability to organize and facilitate training and presentations.
• Experience in data analysis and survey report writing.
• Excellent knowledge of Russian and English. Turkmen is desirable.

Other competencies:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent oral and written communications in language(s) required.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organization, more specifically with State Statistics Committee

Submission of applications

The technical proposal should include

• A cover letter and CV, including P11 form
• Comments and suggestions on the ToR and proposed workplan and deliverables

Financial Proposal: Candidates needs to submit a financial proposal (All-inclusive consultancy fee) as a separate attachment in pdf file to complete the entire assignment based on the terms of reference. All-inclusive consultancy fee should be broken down to show the detail for the following:

Applications without financial proposal will be disqualified.

The applicants should ensure that all pricing information is provided in USD. Invoicing will be in the currency of the proposal.

Selection Criteria

Each proposal will be assessed first on its technical merits and subsequently on its price. In making the final decision, UNICEF considers both technical and financial aspects to ensure best value for money.  The Evaluation Team first reviews the technical aspects of the offer (on the basis of the qualifications described above), followed by review of the financial offers of the technically compliant candidates.  The proposal obtaining the highest overall score after adding the scores for the technical and financial proposals together, that offers the best value for money will be recommended for award of the contract.

A cumulative analysis will be used to evaluate and award proposals.  The evaluation criteria associated with this TOR is split between technical and financial as follows: 70% Technical, 30% Financial, 100 % Total.

For every Child, you demonstrate respect

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic background, and persons with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. To create a more inclusive workplace, UNICEF offers paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. Click here to learn more about flexible work arrangements, well-being, and benefits.

According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. In its Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030, UNICEF has committed to increase the number of employees with disabilities by 2030. At UNICEF, we provide reasonable accommodation for work-related support requirements of candidates and employees with disabilities. Also, UNICEF has launched a Global Accessibility Helpdesk to strengthen physical and digital accessibility. If you are an applicant with a disability who needs digital accessibility support in completing the online application, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF.

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.

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. 

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.