International Consultant – Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) at United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)

Job Title: International Consultant – Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)

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 chance.

In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children’s rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families. UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally – click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

Background:

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 three decades, MICS has evolved to respond to changing data needs, expanding from 28 indicators in the first round to more than 250 indicators in the current seventh round, and has become 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 provided valuable data for Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and currently providing data for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) monitoring and reporting.

Since the inception of MICS in the 1990s, over 350 surveys have been carried out in 118 countries. As part of the global effort to further develop national capacities to generate and analyse high-quality and disaggregated data, UNICEF launched the seventh round of MICS in 2023, with results of the first surveys expected to be available by the end of 2023. This new round is in accordance with the list of Sustainable Development Goal indicators endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission in 2016, following the global adoption of the 17 SDGs and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The final SDG indicator framework currently includes 231 global indicators, of which around one-third are household survey-based. MICS is well positioned to play a central role in this Agenda alongside other key demographic, health and socio-economic surveys and to complement data from administrative sources and censuses. After undergoing rigorous methodological and validation work to broaden the scope of the tools and include numerous topics that reflect SDG indicators and emerging issues in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development context, MICS7 questionnaires in the new round cover half of the household survey-based SDG indicators.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

Under the overall supervision of the Monitoring Specialist and the Planning, Monitoring and Data Manager, the MICS Consultant will support and provide guidance to UNICEF Nigeria and the NBS for the preparation, implementation and completion of the MICS survey in Nigeria. The consultant 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 consultant will communicate effectively between UNICEF CO and NBS, responding promptly to MICS-related needs and issues as they arise.

The consultant will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of other resource people who provide technical assistance to the MICS programme. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the survey team, the stakeholders, and Steering and Technical Committees. The consultant will also work in 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 Nigeria MICS.

Scope of Work:

Provide technical support to the MICS program in Nigeria,

Project management, including maintaining an up-to-date implementation roadmap and schedule of MICS Programme related activities, and following up to ensure timely delivery of results.

Support implementation of MICS 7 household survey in Nigeria: Present the MICS methodology, tools, and guidelines to partners/stakeholders (e.g., ministries, UN Agencies, etc.)

Finalize, in collaboration with national partners and UNICEF CO, the Survey Plan and Budget, including the timetable, and share with the Regional MICS Coordinator.

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 international Ethical Committee on time for approval.

Specific Activities:

In consultation and collaboration with the UNICEF CO and NBS, the CONSULTANT will be responsible for ensuring the following activities have been undertaken following the MICS guidelines and will contribute to the coordination of these activities: 1. Survey Planning (Until July 2025):

•  The Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable is finalized and shared with all stakeholders,
•  The MICS communication and advocacy plan is finalized, including plans for resource mobilization.
•  Coordinate and support the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between UNICEF Country and NBS and monitor if funds are spent on survey activities,
•  Survey supplies are procured and distributed in time for training and data collection,
•  Ensure that other MICS initiatives (MICS Plus, MICS SAE, MICS GIS, MICS Link) are discussed with national partners and properly addressed during the survey planning stage. Expedite the familiarization and further utilization of MICS Plus in Nigeria,
•  Coordinate and support UNICEF Nigeria team in introducing and conducting related capacity building activities, while promoting SAE to avail LGA-level estimates on key selected indicators across the country.

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 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,
•  MICS Plus (October 2024 – December 2025)

3. MICS Plus (October 2024 – December 2025):

•  Support in the identification of relevant topics for the upcoming MICS Plus in Nigeria

4. MICS Small Area Estimation (SAE) (October – July 2025)

•  Review and develop communication package with SAE modelling results for MICS (2021), DHS (2018), and DHS (2024)
•  Support capacity building workshop with University of Washington to NBS and key sectors like FMOH, NPHCDA
•  Support testing and socialization with NBS for the development of the SAE Shiny App for Nigeria ebeQAhL B2NbVf
•  Support in collaboration with the University of Washington 4-6 Remote training sessions (2 hours) to build national capacity if the core team and of the modeling for Nigeria and establish a core team, to enable them to cascade the capacity building workshops for state level
•  Support rolls out with capacity building to GAVI MoU State NBS and NPHCDA/MOH and (incorporating key components of Data analytics and visualization on data) (Jan-March) (TBD if second mission is needed

5. Data Analysis and Report Writing (Jan- March 2026):

•  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 customized, 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 anonymization of geocodes between the UNICEF MICS Team and the NBS as per the Memorandum of Understanding.

If you would like to know more about this position, please review the complete Job Description here Terms of Reference MICS 2024.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

•  An advanced university degree in Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology, or any other related technical field is required.
•  A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in coordination and /or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MCIS or demographic and Health surveys (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 English is required,
•  Familiarity and previous experience of working in Nigeria and/or similar context is highly desirable,
•  Demonstrated understanding of data privacy and protection,
•  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,
•  Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered 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.

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is October 31st, 2024. Therefore, qualified and interested candidates can “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION” It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Website:

Official Job Website: https://unicef.org