• Country: Juba, South Sudan
• No of vacancies: N/A
  
• Salary: N/A 
• Organization: UNICEF 
• Gender: Both
• Deadline: 2024-01-26

Scope of Work

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Social Policy, the MICS Consultant (MC) will support and provide guidance to UNICEF South Sudan and the NBS for the preparation, implementation and completion of the MICS survey in the South Sudan. The MC will advise and support the NBS, especially the Survey Coordinator and sampling and data processing experts, during survey planning, questionnaire design, sampling, training, fieldwork, data processing, data analysis, reporting, dissemination and archiving, ensuring that MICS protocols and recommendations are being followed at all times. The MC will communicate effectively between the UNICEF SS CO and NBS, responding promptly to MICS-related needs and issues as they arise.

The MC will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of other resource persons hired by UNICEF 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 MC 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 experts and consultants assigned to support the South Sudan MICS (collectively labeled “The UNICEF MICS Team”).

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the overall guidance of the Social Policy Specialist, and in consultation and collaboration  with the National Bureau of Statistics, the consultant will deliver the following:

1.Survey Planning:

A Steering Committee is established and composed of all relevant national and international stakeholders, including National Ethical Committee,

A Technical Committee comprised of all relevant technical experts is established,

The Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable is finalised and shared with all stakeholders,

Survey supplies are procured and distributed in time for training and data collection,

Ensure that other MICS initiatives (MICS Plus, MICS GIS, MICS Link) are discussed with national partners and properly addressed during survey planning stage,

Sample design:

• The UNICEF Sampling expert/consultant is provided with the necessary information, and visits are well managed and coordinated within survey plans,
• Sample design is prepared by the sampling expert of NBS with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Sampling expert / consultant,
• Listing and Mapping materials and operations are reviewed by the UNICEF Sampling expert/consultant,
• Cluster geocodes (cluster centre points, multi-points, or boundaries), either existing or collected during the mapping and household listing operation, are assessed by the survey team and communicated to the UNICEF MICS Team, together with the boundary shapefiles representing the sampling frame, including the boundaries of one level lower than the sample stratification,
• Sample design is reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team before finalisation,
• The final selection of households is reviewed
• The weights are reviewed.

  MICS questionnaires:

• Appropriate UNICEF programme staff and the Technical Committee are involved in reviewing the customisation of relevant sections of the MICS questionnaire,
• Selected Modules address country data gaps and address SGD data needs,
• Questionnaires and manuals undergo an ethical review,
• Questionnaires are pre-tested, and a pre-test report is produced,
• Questionnaires are reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team before finalisation.

  Manuals:

MICS Household Listing and Mapping (GPS Data Collection, if applicable), Supervisor, Measurer, and Interviewer Manuals are customised for the country-specific context.

 CAPI application template:

• CAPI application template is customised by the data processing expert of the NBS with the guidance of the UNICEF Data Processing expert/consultant,
• Customised CAPI application is reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team before finalisation,
• Secondary editing guidelines and Field Check Table tabulation plan and syntax are customised by the data processing expert of the NBS with the guidance of the UNICEF Data Processing and Household Survey experts / consultants.

2. Listing and Mapping, Training and Fieldwork, and Data Processing:

Listing and mapping is planned and carried out per 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 experts for methodology, etc.),

Contribute to the pre-test, CAPI test, and 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 analysed by survey coordinator/managers, and the main findings are reported to field supervisors for action. Field Check Tables are immediately shared with the Regional MICS Coordinator,

UNICEF CO staff is trained and organised to assist in monitoring data collection,

UNICEF Household Survey and Data Processing experts/consultants are timely provided with the necessary information, and country visits are well managed and coordinated,

Hardware is made available for the CAPI application (data collection and central office menu components), the software is properly installed and a working, data transfer system and data backup system are established,

Monitor sample selection with the NBS after the listing and mapping exercise is completed,

Monitor pre-test, CAPI test, and main data collection

Monitor data processing and secondary data editing

3. Data Analysis and Report Writing:

•  Sampling Weights are included in the datasets and reviewed by the sampling expert of the NBS with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Sampling expert/consultant,

•  MICS tabulation plan and standard syntax are customised, reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team, and used in generating SPSS datasets and tables,

•  Datasets/Tables, including the wealth index are substantively reviewed by technical experts (e.g., sampling and household survey experts) and subject matter experts at the NBS, as well as by the UNICEF MICS Team before the report writing commences,

•  Facilitate communication on the process of anonymisation of geocodes between the UNICEF MICS Team and the NBS as per the Memorandum of Understanding,

• Coordinate and contribute substantively to the elaboration of the Survey Findings Report and Statistical Snapshots, using the MICS template and according to MICS standards to ensure a timely release,

• Ensure that the Survey Findings Reports and Statistical Snapshots undergo the technical review process by the UNICEF MICS Team,

• Coordinate the printing and distribution of the Survey Findings Report and Statistical Snapshots,

• Organise and facilitate the presentation of the Survey Findings Report and Statistical Snapshots through a national seminar,

• Provide technical expertise and advice for the wide dissemination of the Survey Findings Report, Statistical Snapshots, and main results,

• Ensure that the MICS survey archive with all final survey documents and materials (Memorandum of Understanding, Country Survey Plan, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, field reports, CAPI application, syntaxes, database, cluster geocodes, boundary shapefiles, tables, Survey Findings Report, and Statistical Snapshots, dissemination materials, etc.) is being produced by the NBS.

4. Attend all MICS Regional and/or National Workshops

Deliverables

1. Survey Plan finalized

2. List of households in all selected clusters/ Training delivery and report

3. Finalized dataset and tables for data analysis

4. Coordination of survey field activities (report)

5.  Data cleaning/analysis

6.  Survey Findings Report (SFR) and statistical snapshots

7.  Presentation and dissemination of MICS7 report

Minimum Qualifications required:

 Education:

Advanced Master’s degree in Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology, or any other related technical field is required. A PHD in the above mentioned disciplines is an asset.

Skills and Experience:

Proven minimum of 5 year experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MICS or Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)) preferred,

Strong computer skills and strong expertise in statistical analyses (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, particularly SPSS),

Experience with CAPI data collection,

Training experience and ability to organise and facilitate training and presentations,

Experience in data analysis and survey report writing.

Other competencies:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills,

Excellent oral and written communication in English local languages are an advantage.

Familiarity and previous experience of working in South Sudan and other emergency contexts are highly desirable,

Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organisation, more specifically with National Statistical Offices,

Demonstrated leadership, managerial and supervisory ability,

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

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