Local MICS Consultant, Prishtina, Kosovo, Monitoring and Evaluation, 12 months

UNICEF in Kosovo has supported the Kosovo Agency of Statistics (KAS) with the implementation of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) surveys in 2014 and 2020. MICS is the largest household survey globally that generates internationally comparable estimates for over 200 indicators. The Kosovo 2014 and 2020 Kosovo MICS surveys filled in significant data gaps on the situation of children and families. In both MICS rounds, Kosovo conducted a separate survey with Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities to ensure equity-based analysis on the situation of children and families among the general population and most marginalized groups. Kosovo MICS data showcased progress made in child survival over the past decade, but highlighted persistent challenges in health, development, and education indicators. Data provided by MICS have been instrumental to inform policy, strategies and decision-making processes in the situation of children in Kosovo.

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, the opportunity

Building upon the achievements of the previous two rounds of surveys, the KAS, in collaboration with UNICEF, plans to conduct the third round of MICS for Kosovo in 2025. To support MICS implementation, UNICEF is seeking a local consultant to provide technical assistance to KAS with MICS planning, questionnaire design, sampling, training, fieldwork, data processing, data analysis, reporting, dissemination and archiving.

How can you make a difference? 

• Provide technical and managerial support to the MICS,
• Present the MICS methodology, tools, and guidelines to partners/stakeholders (e.g., ministries, UN Agencies, etc.),
• Finalize, in collaboration with national partners and UNICEF Kosovo Office, 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 national/international Ethical Committee on time for approval,
• Oversee each stage of the survey process and ensure that the MICS protocols and standards are followed by KAS, more specifically during training and field supervision visits,
• Communicate regularly with the UNICEF Kosovo Office and/or the UNICEF MICS Team, responding to all MICS-related issues in a timely manner,
• Provide monthly updates on MICS activities to the UNICEF Kosovo Office and Regional MICS Coordinator,
• Coordinate the work of KAS specialists and the UNICEF MICS Team, and other resource persons assigned by the UNICEF Kosovo Office and/or the UNICEF MICS Team to support different survey stages,
• Ensure that external technical reviews by experts (i.e., Sampling, Data Processing, and Household Survey experts and consultants) are carried out at key survey stages and coordinate the feedback and response between the UNICEF Kosovo Office, the UNICEF MICS Team and KAS,
• Ensure that all survey-related documents and deliverables are properly archived throughout the survey process (for example: Memorandum of Understanding, Survey Plan and Budget, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, training/pre-test reports, expert reports, CAPI application, field check tables, output and tabulation plan tables, syntaxes, datasets, cluster geocodes, boundary shapefiles, Survey Findings Report, Statistical Snapshots, dissemination materials, etc.),
• Participate in all MICS Steering and Technical Committee meetings,
• Participate in, and contribute to MICS Regional Workshops,
• Organize, as required, and facilitate the Data Interpretation and Report Compilation Workshop in Kosovo,
• Ensure that lessons learned, issues, and good practices are documented throughout the MICS process and rapidly shared with the MICS community through all means available,

Specific activities include:

In consultation and collaboration with the UNICEF Kosovo Office and KAS, the Local MICS 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:

    • A Steering Committee is established and composed of all relevant 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 partners and properly addressed during survey planning stage,

    • Sample design:

                  o Sample design is prepared by the sampling expert of KAS with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Sampling expert / consultant,

                  oListing and Mapping materials and operations are reviewed by the UNICEF Sampling expert/consultant,

                  o 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,

                  o Sample design is reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team before finalisation,

                  o The final selection of households and weights is reviewed.

   • MICS questionnaires:

 

                  o Relevant UNICEF programme staff and the Technical Committee are involved in reviewing the customizatio of relevant  sections of the MICS questionnaire,

                  o Selected Modules address Kosovo data gaps and address SGD data needs,

                  o Questionnaires undergo translation and back translation process as relevant and depending on selected modules,

                  o Questionnaires and manuals undergo an ethical review,

                  o Questionnaires are pre-tested, and a pre-test report is produced if relevant depending on selected modules,

                  o Questionnaires are reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team before finalisation.

 

  • Manuals:

 

                  o MICS Household Listing and Mapping, Supervisor, Measurer, and Interviewer Manuals are customised for the Kosovo context and translated.

 

  • CAPI application template:

                   o CAPI application template is customised by the data processing expert of KAS with the guidance of the UNICEF Data Processing expert/consultant,

                   o Customised CAPI application is reviewed by the UNICEF MICS Team before finalisation,

                   o Secondary editing guidelines and Field Check Table tabulation plan and syntax are customised by the data processing expert of the KAS 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 Kosovo 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 Kosovo Office 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 KAS 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 KAS 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 KAS, 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 KAS 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, as required,

• 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, 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 KAS.

 

4. Attend all MICS Regional and/or National Workshops

The Local MICS Consultant 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 Local MICS Consultant can use the documents and the datasets only for the tasks related to these Terms of Reference.

 

The consultant will be engaged in data collection that will involve gathering of data for children which will be conducted in line with international ethical guidelines and UNICEF Child Safeguarding policies. UNICEF will ensure that the engagement 

 

For more details see the attached TOR's  2025 MICS national consultant ToR for TMS.pdf

 

Candidates are required to submit a monthly fee proposal.

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

 

       Education:

• University degree in, Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology, or any other related technical field is required.

       Skills and Experience: 

• • Proven minimum of 5 years experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys (prior MICS experience is 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 language(s) required,
  • Familiarity and previous experience of working in country and/or in the region 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,
• 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 | 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.