UNICEF is seeking for a statistics specialist – MICS Plus Surveys (P-4), D & A, DRP – NYHQ #107703

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.

Since 1995, UNICEF has supported countries to collect data on the situation of children and women using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). These large-scale, nationally representative surveys provide data for monitoring progress towards national and international goals, generate baselines for country programmes, and are used extensively to gather new insights into children’s well-being.

In recent years, there has been growing demand to develop additional mechanisms to ensure that data can be collected on a representative and rapid basis which would allow faster decision making for programmes at the country level. While traditional household surveys such as MICS serve a different purpose and cannot meet this demand, with advances of technology and the increasing penetration of mobile phones across UNICEF programme countries, it may be possible to rapidly reach representative samples of populations, using the MICS surveys as a starting point. Using the MICS survey sample as a representative sample of the population, methods can be devised to collect data on the well-being of children and women by selecting sub-samples from the initial MICS sample, and continuing to survey them using mobile phones. These mobile phone follow-up surveys are the MICS Plus Surveys.

Under the guidance and direct supervision of the Statistics Specialist (Household Surveys & Censuses) who is tasked as the focal point for methodological development in household surveys, in particular MICS, the Statistics Specialist (MICS-Plus Surveys) supervises and leads the development, coordination and implementation of methods to collect data using mobile phones. The MICS-Plus Surveys use the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) as a mechanism to recruit participants for the mobile phone surveys, allowing for long-tern follow-up of respondents. Such applications ensure that data are representative, longitudinal, frequent, and useful for monitoring of emergencies, programme coverage and creating conditions for opinion polling and testing of new survey methods.

For every child, a new idea

You will be working in Data, Research & Policy to develop methodologies that use MICS surveys as sampling and recruiting base for future mobile phone survey and implement such surveys in selected countries with national governments.

How can you make a difference?

Convene and direct a technical expert group (TEG) on mobile phone data collection

• Create Terms of Reference for TEG and develop strategic partnerships with other UN and non-UN groups on mobile phone surveys and sources experts for the TEG
• Initiate and direct activities of the TEG such as expert group meetings, delivers minutes and decisions from the meetings.

Develop methodologies for collecting data on children and women using mobile phone surveys, using MICS surveys as a sampling and recruiting base

• Advise on design and implementation of MICS surveys to accommodate mobile phone survey follow-up, specifically in terms of identifying participants, consent, and mobile phone coverage issues.
• Oversee and contribute to the creation of sampling methods to extract representative samples from MICS surveys to use in mobile phone surveys over the short, medium and long term.
• Develop questions for use in crisis monitoring, opinion polling and MICS surveys and defines methods for testing in association with other staff at D&A.
• Develop protocols for the development and functioning of mechanisms such as call centres and SMS technology (such as Rapid Pro) to collect data.
• Create documentation and guidance tools for countries to use in implementing mobile phone surveys.
• Set up field testing of methods and document results and lessons learned.

Produce analysis and dissemination instruments for data collected using mobile phone surveys, mainly through online platforms and other rapid-release channels

• Interface with academic, UN and private sector partners to develop tools to analyse mobile phone data rapidly.
• Create open data guidance and how to link to MICS datasets.
• Define and develop guidance on how to disseminate results through online dashboards and easy-to-use platforms.

Support countries which implement MICS Plus for all stages of the survey cycle, with the support of other technicians as appropriate

• Liaise with countries interested in MICS Plus and identifies opportunities for MICS Plus.
• Devise a country-support system for implementation.
• Visit countries to work on MICS Plus planning, in collaboration with other experts and UNICEF staff.

Document key success and challenges of mobile phone surveys through the publication of methodological papers and other channels

• Publish key advocacy documents and communications on the project’s implementation, progress and successes.
• Create channels and opportunities to showcase the project and provides feedback to UNICEF and partners.

 

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s) or higher in social sciences with a strong quantitative background in survey research, including demography, economics, statistics, public health or market research or a directly-related technical field .
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant work experience, at the national and international levels, survey research with specific knowledge and experience in implementing or overseeing mobile phone surveys (developing country experience desirable) or other relevant fields (including polling) is required.
• Prior developing country experience is desirable.
• Experience in developing and fostering strategic partnerships is desired.
• Good analytical skills using standard analysis packages such as STATA, SPSS and R is desired.
• Dissemination of results to technical and non-technical audiences an asset.
• Fluency in English (verbal and written) is required. Knowledge of an additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish) is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Our core values of Commitment, Diversity and Integrity and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results. To view our competency framework, please click here.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

Apply here