National MICS Consultant

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, a future

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 of MICS, which is at its final stages of reporting. To ensure that the implementation of the reporting stage of MICS7 survey runs smoothly, specific deadlines are met and that the implementing partner, the State Statistics Committee of Turkmenistan (SSC) receives the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, the UNICEF Turkmenistan Country Office will hire a national consultant to provide needed technical support to the SSC and UNICEF MICS Team.

How can you make a difference? 

Purpose of the Job

Under the overall supervision of the Child Rights Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the National MICS Consultant (NMC) will support the processes of developing and finalizing MICS7 reporting phase. The NMC will communicate effectively between the UNICEF CO and SSC, responding promptly to MICS related 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 expert consultants assigned to support the Turkmenistan MICS Team.

Main Tasks Related to the Job

1. Provide technical support with completing the reporting phase of the MICS7 including the development and translating of snapshots and SFR to Russian and English.
2. Communicate regularly with the UNICEF CO and/or the UNICEF MICS Team responding to all MICS related issues in a timely manner.
3. Provide monthly updates on MICS activities to the UNICEF CO and SSC MICS Coordinator.
4. Coordinate the work of NSO specialists and the UNICEF MICS Team and other resource persons assigned by the UNICEF CO and/or the UNICEF MICS Team to support MICS7 reporting activities.
5. 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.
6. Ensure that all survey related documents and deliverables are properly archived throughout the survey reporting process (for example: unput and tabulation plan tables, syntaxes, datasets, Survey Findings Report, Statistical Snapshots, dissemination materials).
7. Participate in all MICS Steering and Technical Committee meetings.
8. 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.

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.

Work Assignment Overview:   Specific Activities In consultation and collaboration with the UNICEF CO and SSC, the NMC will be responsible for ensuring the following activities have been undertaken following the MICS guidelines and will contribute to the coordination of these activities:
Tasks/Milestone:	Deliverables/Outputs:	Timeline:	Estimate Budget:
Snapshots and SFR developed and available in Russian and English (translated, and the translated Russian and English versions compared and fully identical) Output tables finalized and are available in Russian and English (translated, and the translated Russian and English versions compared and fully identical) MICS7 Steering Committee meeting preparation supported with materials and presentations. All technical aspects communicated to and addressed by the MICS Global Team; interactions between the SSC and Global Team facilitated, meetings arranged and interpretation provided; meetings’ protocols developed and share. The feedback from stakeholders documented and reflected in the SFR and Snapshots.	Monthly Progress Report on delivered results, describing activities undertaken during the month and highlighting challenges met and solutions put in place to solve or mitigate them.	Monthly, by the 6th day of each month
Tasks are not chronological and will require simultaneous management. The individual consultant will be required to produce monthly reports with updates describing his/her contribution to the achievement of key activities described in this ToR or any other activities identified by the supervisor.   No travel is expected under this assignment.

 

To read the TOR, please download the file. ToR_NC_MICS_Reporting2.pdf

Individuals engaged under a consultancy 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. 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.

Office Arrangements and Travel Requirements

During the contract period, the NMC will be providing services in the SSC facilities. No travel is envisioned.

Estimated Duration of Contract and Fees:

The contract duration is 2 months with the reservation of extension depending on the needs that may emerge. Only candidates that can commit for this whole duration will be considered.

The consultant is to indicate their monthly fee for the services to be provided. The fees payable to a consultant shall follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee. This contract does not allow payment of off-hours, medical insurances, taxes, sick leave.

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/output is incomplete or not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

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.

The proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

1. Technical Evaluation Criteria (70%) with the following weighting

The total amount of points allocated for the technical component is 70.                            

Criteria	Points
Educational Background	20
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 (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, particularly SPSS). Prior experience with MICS is desirable. 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.	50

           

2. Price Proposal Evaluation Criteria (30%)

–  Overall cost (unit costs, investments per phase, level of effort, etc.)

The price/cost of each of the technically compliant proposals shall be considered together with the evaluation of technical criteria. 

Technical proposals failing to reach a score of 60 in total will not be considered for the consultancy.

The bidders should ensure that all pricing information is provided in accordance with the following:

– The currency of the proposal shall be in USD.  Invoicing will be in the currency of the proposal.

– For the purpose of evaluation, UNICEF shall use US Dollars to evaluate all financial proposals.

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 (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, particularly SPSS).
• Prior experience with MICS is desirable.
• 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 of Turkmenistan.

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 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 jobs-near-me.org 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.