Consultancy – Statistics and Monitoring Consultant, Education Unit, Data & Analytics, DAPM (remote-based)

Consultancy Title: Statistics and Monitoring Consultant

Section/Division/Duty Station: Education Unit, Data & Analytics, Division of Data, Analysis, Planning and Monitoring (DAPM), NYHQ (remote-based)

Duration (estimated start date and end date of contract (provide # of months): approximately 4.5 months

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:

The overarching aim of this consultancy is to deliver a comprehensive suite of technical assistance and specialized knowledge across various facets of the educational data and analytics, with the experience in producing educational indicators from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) program. Furthermore, this intricate endeavor includes pivotal support and technical lead in data work related to the production of the new cross-sectoral composite measure of child wellbeing, with the special focus on human capital (i.e., health and educational outcomes) throughout the lives of children in countries across the globe. 

In addition to that, the consultancy will undertake critical analysis within the MICS-Link project, an initiative that strives to merge and link household survey data with administrative records from Ministries of Education in several countries, thereby creating a robust and coherent data ecosystem that can fuel strategic educational planning at the national level. 

Finally, another essential component of this role includes the standardization and harmonization of education database ensuring the reproducible workflows and collaborative work environment. 

Scope of Work:

The Consultant will perform the following tasks: 

1. Database Management, Data Harmonization and Analysis: 

• The consultant is responsible for unifying the database of key educational indicators which are part of the UNICEF educational database to ensure consistency and comparability of the variables across datasets.
• Carry out benchmarking of countries’ performance across educational child-related SDGs using the established methodology and submit the resulted database with the country-level assessment.
• Develop codes published on GitHub repositories so that all the harmonization work can be easily reproduced.

2. Child Wellbeing Index: 

• Create a comprehensive database of indicators relevant to produce a cross-sectoral measure of child wellbeing.
• Carry out coverage analysis and identify key data gaps based on the produced dataset.
• Run the sensitivity analysis of the pilot measures of child wellbeing.

3. Technical Support for MICS-Link: 

• Provide technical assistance to the MICS-Link project in Fiji, Eswatini, and Vanuatu, aiding in the integration of MICS education data with administrative data from Ministries of Education.
• Support the inception and customization workshops for MICS-Link, tailoring the approach to fit the context of each country and ensuring effective implementation.

Terms of Reference / Deliverables

Deliverable 1:

1.1. Produce the input dataset of educational indicators for UNICEF SDG report that should further be used to benchmark countries’ performance on reaching the SDG targets. 

1.2. Prepare the database of educational indicators for Country Reporting Validation Exercise. 

Deliverables/Outputs:

1.1. Scripts in R on GitHub and harmonized data files in accordance with the UNICEF Data Warehouse format. 

1.2. Database submission for the UNICEF Consult platform. 

Delivery deadline: 15 October 2024

Deliverable 2: Carry out the selection and produce a cross-sectoral database of key child-related indicators that could feed into the composite measure of child wellbeing and carry out the analysis of the coverage of indicators in terms of countries/population, as well as identify key data gaps.

Deliverables/Outputs:

Scripts in R on GitHub, output dataset in csv (both in long and wide format). Report in pdf/notebook on data coverage and gaps.

Delivery deadline: 15 November 2024

Deliverable 3: Based on the produced dataset, calculate several potential measures of child wellbeing using multiple statistical methodologies. Run the sensitivity analysis of the calculated composite measures. 

Deliverables/Outputs: Script in R on GitHub; report in pdf or notebook. 

Delivery deadline: 15 December 2024

Deliverable 4: Carry out linking of MICS household survey data with the administrative data from ministries of education in the countries under the MICS Link initiative.

Deliverables/Outputs: Scripts in R published on GitHub, as well as linked datasets. 

Delivery deadline: 30 January 2025

• Include travel if applicable (destination and estimated number of days)

1. Annual education conferment CIES (location TBD) – 4-5 days
2. Workshop/training related to deliverables (location TBD) – 20 days

Qualifications

Education

• Advanced university degree (i.e., Masters or equivalent) in Economics, Sociology, Statistics, Education, Social Sciences, or related discipline is required. PhD is a strong advantage.

Work experience

• A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in education data and analytics, preferably in the international organizations.

Competencies

1. Advanced Data Analytic Proficiency: 

• Demonstrable expertise in data analysis with a strong command of statistical software, with an emphasis on R programming skills as a significant asset. The candidate must be adept at utilizing these tools for complex data manipulation, analysis, and visualization to support decision-making processes. Skills/familiarity with Stata and/or SPSS is an advantage.

2. Reproducible Research Techniques: 

• Proficiency in using GitHub for version control, with a proven track record of developing and maintaining reproducible codes. This skill is critical for ensuring transparency, consistency, and collaborative potential in all analytical work.

3. Sector-Specific Experience with MICS and other household survey data: 

• In-depth knowledge and practical experience in handling, interpreting, and analyzing education data from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) household survey program. This experience is crucial for generating actionable insights from large datasets. Experience with producing educational estimates from DHS and other household surveys is an advantage.

4. Project Management in Education Data: 

• A history of effectively managing education data projects, demonstrating a capacity to oversee complex tasks from inception through to completion while maintaining high standards and meeting deadlines.

5. Collaborative Work with Educational Authorities: 

• A background in working collaboratively with Ministries of Education, aiding in data project delivery. This includes providing technical support, facilitating capacity-building initiatives, and ensuring that data projects align with educational policies and goals.

6. Delivery of Donor-Specific Outputs: 

• Experience in creating and delivering high-quality donor products, such as reports and presentations, that align with donor requirements and effectively communicate the outcomes of education data analysis.

Requirements: 

• Completed profile in UNICEF’s e-Recruitment system
• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
• the costs per each deliverable and the total all-inclusive (lump-sum) fees 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, 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.

Health Insurance:

The Consultant is fully responsible for arranging at their own expense, such as life, health, and other forms of insurance covering the term of the Contract as he or she considers appropriate. The Consultant is not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to UNICEF and United Nations staff members.

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

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: 

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. 

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