Brief Details About MICS Consultant PMC Job at UNICEF in Pakistan:
- Close Date: 29 May 2023
- Contract type: Consultant
- Duty Station: Lahore
- Level: Consultancy
- Location: Pakistan
- Categories: Research, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
About UNICEF:
UNICEF, originally called the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children’s Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.
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Main Duties and Responsibilities:
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 the timetable, are finalized and shared with all stakeholders;
- A Memorandum of Understanding between UNICEF Country and BoS-Punjab is signed before funds are spent on survey activities;
- Ensure that other MICS initiatives (MICS Plus, MICS GIS, MICS Link) are discussed with national/provincial partners and properly addressed during the survey planning stage,
- Survey supplies are procured and distributed in time for training and data collection;
2. Sample design:
- The UNICEF Sampling expert consultant is provided with the necessary information, and visits are well managed and coordinated within survey plans;
- The sampling expert of BoS-Punjab finalizes the sample design 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 and carried out on the field per MICS recommendations.
- 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 shapefile representing the sampling frame, including the boundaries of sample stratification, if GPS coordinators will be collected.
- The UNICEF MICS Team reviews the sample design before finalization.
- The final selection of households is reviewed; and
- The weights are reviewed.
3. MICS questionnaires:
- Appropriate UNICEF program staff and the Technical Committee are involved in reviewing the customization of relevant sections of the MICS questionnaire & selected Modules that address country data gaps and address SGD data needs.
- Questionnaires undergo a translation and back-translation process & Questionnaires and manuals undergo an ethical review.
- Questionnaires are pre-tested, and a pre-test report is produced and Questionnaires are reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team before finalization.
4. Manuals:
MICS Household Listing and Mapping (GPS Data Collection, if applicable), Supervisor, Measurer, and Interviewer Manuals are customized for the country-specific context and translated.
1. CAPI Application Template:
- The CAPI application template is customized by the data processing expert of the BoS-Punjab with the guidance of the UNICEF Data Processing expert consultant;
- The UNICEF MICS Team reviews customized CAPI applications before finalization.
- Secondary editing guidelines and Field Check Table, tabulation plan, and syntax are customized by the data processing expert of the BoS-Punjab with the guidance of the UNICEF Data Processing expert consultant and household survey experts/consultants.
2. Listing and Mapping, Training and Fieldwork, and Data Processing:
- Listing and mapping are 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 every week and immediately analyzed by survey coordinators/managers, and the main findings are reported to field supervisors for action. Field Check Tables are immediately shared with the Regional MICS Coordinator.
- The participation of UNICEF CO staff is organized to assist in monitoring data collection.
- UNICEF Data Processing expert consultant is 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), software is properly installed, and a working data transfer system and data backup system is established.
- Monitor sample selection with the BoS 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 BoS-Punjab with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Sampling expert consultant.
• MICS tabulation plan and standard syntax are customized, reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team, and used in generating SPSS datasets and tables.
• Dataset/Tables, including the wealth index, are substantively reviewed by technical experts (e.g., sampling and household survey experts) and subject matter experts at the BoS-Punjab, as well as by the UNICEF MICS Team before the report writing commences.
• Facilitate communication on the process of anonymization of geocodes between the UNICEF MICS Team and the BoS-Punjab as per the Memorandum of Understanding/LOI.
• 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.
• Organize 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 (MoU, CSP, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, field reports, CAPI application, syntaxes, database, geocoding, tables, Survey Findings Report and Statistical Snapshots, dissemination materials, etc.) is being produced by the BoS-Punjab.
• Attend all MICS Provincial and Divisional Workshops.
Deliverables:
1. Survey Planning :
- A Steering Committee is established and composed of all relevant national and international stakeholders, including National Ethical Committee
- At least one Technical Committee comprised of all relevant technical experts is established.
- The Survey Plan and Budget, including the timetable, is finalized and shared with all stakeholders.
- A Memorandum of Understanding between UNICEF Country and BoS-Punjab is signed before funds are spent on survey activities.
- Well-managed and coordinated Sample design, MICS Questionnaire, Manuals, and CAPI application are prepared as per guidelines.
2. Listing and Mapping Training Fieldwork, and Data Processing:
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. 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
3. Data Analysis and Report Writing:
• Sampling Weights are included in the datasets and reviewed by the sampling expert of the BoS-Punjab with the guidance and review
of the UNICEF Sampling expert consultant
- MICS tabulation plan and standard syntax are customized and used in generating SPSS datasets and tables.
- Coordinate and contribute substantively to elaborating the Survey Findings Report and Statistical Snapshots, using the MICS template and according to MICS standards, to ensure a timely release.
- Ensure that the MICS survey archive with all final survey documents and materials (MoU, CSP, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, field reports, CAPI application, syntaxes, database, geocoding, tables, Survey Findings Report and Statistical Snapshots, dissemination materials, etc.) is being produced by the BoS-Punjab.
- Monthly Progress Report of activities, describing activities undertaken during the month and highlighting problems met and solutions put in place to mitigate them.
Required Skills, Education and Experience:
- An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a relevant field combined with professional experience in Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology, or any other related technical field is required.
*A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree. - Minimum 4 years of relevant experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MICS or Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).
- 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 organize and facilitate training and presentations.
- Experience in data analysis and survey report writing.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent oral and written communication in Punjabi, Saraiki is required.
- Familiarity and previous experience of working in Pakistan/Punjab and/or in the region highly desirable.
- Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organization, 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.
- Experience working with UN agencies is an asset.
- Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.