UNICEF Liberia Consultancy - National SMART Nutrition Survey

UNICEF Liberia

International Consultancy - Nutrition SMART Survey

Background and Justification:

A National Nutrition Survey has been planned by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Government’s Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), and UNICEF as one of the key activities under the post-Ebola recovery and restoration efforts in nutrition by the Government of Liberia. As the Government of Liberia strives to build a resilient health and nutrition system, understanding the nutrition situation in the country is important to inform appropriate programmatic adjustments.

Objective and targets of the Consultancy Assignment:

Overall objective of consultancy is to lead the survey from the planning phase up to the reporting stage in order to have updated information on the nutritional and health status of children and women in Liberia and inform policy makers and program managers on priority issues/strategies for program adjustment.

Specifically, the consultancy will:

· Enable development and finalization of survey protocols, training materials and data collection tools following the SMART survey standards

· Effective coordination with Government for the timely approval of the survey protocols by the Ethics Committee

· Ensure strict adherence of the survey team members to survey protocols and standards during data collection and data processing

· Support technical validation of the survey results and finalization of the survey report

9. Specific activities to be completed to achieve the objectives

Under the supervision of the Nutrition Specialist, the consultant will conduct following specific tasks:

• Provide primary technical guidance and advice to Government (Ministry of Health and LISGIS) in conducting a nationwide SMART survey for the duration of the contract

• Support technical working group coordination and discussion led by Government

• Lead the survey design development in consultation with the technical working group

• Develop concept note, budget, survey and training protocols, questionnaires and other survey tools in collaboration with the technical working group

• Co-lead the training of survey enumerators, supervisors, and monitors on protocols and use of materials

• Manage supervision of data collection teams and ensure implementation of quality control measures during data collection and data entry at all levels

• Lead data analysis and report writing process in consultation with the technical working group

Tangible and Measurable Expected Outputs of Consultancy Assignment

Submission of monthly work plan and progress reporting matrix that indicates specific tasks and activities, progress in relation to outputs, and lessons learned. Monthly outputs and work plan will be prepared using the TOR as reference.

Specifically the following milestones are expected to be done during the following period:

· 1st month: Survey protocol, data collection tools and training manual developed and pre-tested

· 2nd month: Survey team member recruitment and training

· 3rd and 4th month: Completion of data collection in the field by all team members, and completion of data entry

· 5th month: Analysis of data, technical validation of results, and final draft of survey report

Please note contract payment will be linked to satisfactory and timely delivery against the payment deliverables and milestones (as certified by Consultant's Manager) as listed above.

Performance indicators for evaluation of results

· Protocols, materials and tools developed on time

· Ethical approval of the survey protocols by Government

· Survey results and report validated and endorsed by Government

Qualifications, Specialized Knowledge and Relevant Experience Required

a. Academic qualifications. Advanced University Degree in Nutrition, Public Health, or Biostatistics, along with relevant technical knowledge in Survey Methodologies, Research methods etc

b. Necessary experience. Extensive experience (5-7 years) in coordinating and managing SMART nutrition surveys is required. Experience in managing a national survey in an African/West African context will be considered a plus

c. Language skills. Fluency required in English.

d. Other necessary/desirable skills/qualifications.

• Documented experience in survey protocol development
• Proven skills to analyze identify needs and respond with recommendations to address supply, human resources and implementation issues
• Ability to conduct data analyses, including collating and presenting survey data
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Willingness to travel and work in tough field environments
• Documented supervisory, coordination and organization skills
• Excellent English Fluency

Time Frame & daily rate
The consultancy is scheduled to take place between February to June 2016, over a 5 month period. The consultant will work within UNICEF Liberia CO in close collaboration with Government Partners, based in Monrovia, Liberia with extensive field travel to sampled intervention counties.

In addition to the daily expected rate, the following costs will be covered by UNICEF:
 Travel to and from Liberia
 Daily Subsistence Allowance
 Activities (including field trips and workshops)
 Miscellaneous (Visa, health insurance/Immunization, phone costs/expenses etc.)

HOW TO APPLY:

How to Apply:
Qualified & interested applicants can send their applications to liberia_recruitment@unicef.org by 12th Jan 2016 by quoting reference# VN 2015-022 Nutrition SMART Survey International Consultancy in email subject (a cover letter, CV, Daily Expected Consultancy Rate and some previous work samples and signed UN Personal History Form P11 form which can be downloaded from our website at
http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html),
Kindly note that the successful candidate will be requested to share proof of medical insurance
(including medical evacuation clause) prior to the issuance of the contract. This is in line with the UNICEF Corporate Emergency Framework L3 currently in effect for Liberia, one of the three Ebola affected Countries.