Technical Consultant for Data Processing Documentation and Guidelines, Data Collection Unit, Data and Analytics Section, DATA Team, DAPM, NYHQ, remote. Req# 585321

About UNICEF

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you. For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines fordeveloping countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. UNICEF has over 12,000 staff in more than 145 countries.

Consultancy: Technical Consultant for Data Processing Documentation and Guidelines

Duty Station: Data Collection Unit, Data and Analytics Section, DATA Team, DAPM, NYHQ    

Duration: 01 December 2025 – 15 August 2026  

Home/ Office Based: Remote

 

BACKGROUND

Purpose of Activity/ Assignment:

In today's dynamic landscape of survey and census activities, digital data collection has become the established standard procedure. However, with a wide array of tools designed for various applications, including household surveys, face-to-face interactions, and telephone surveys, the decision-making process around tool selection has become a complex task. Currently, UNICEF's headquarters, regional and country offices independently make these selections without access to a comprehensive overview of the respective advantages and disadvantages.

Recognizing the critical importance of well-informed tool choices in this digital age, the primary objective of this consultancy is to conduct a thorough and detailed review of the digital data collection tools available today. These versatile tools are compatible with a variety of platforms and offer unique capabilities. The purpose is to perform a comprehensive assessment that will cover technical specifications for each tool, providing insight into their complexities, strengths, and areas for improvement, while also encompassing practical recommendations. These will include best practices concerning ease of use, associated costs, training resources, and technical support. The desired outcome of this consultancy is to offer clear guidance on which digital data collection tools are best suited for specific data collection activities. By pursuing this informed approach, UNICEF aims to not only prevent the potential selection of less suitable or inappropriate tools but also ensure the highest standards of efficiency, data security, and child protection in the realm of digital data collection

Scope of Work:

Working under the guidance of the Statistics Specialist/Data Processing Manager within UNICEF HQ's Data Collection Unit, DAPM, and in close partnership with the Office of the Chief Data Officer (CDO) and UNICEF Regional Offices, the chosen candidate will be responsible for the following:

 

1. Thoroughly cataloguing and analysing the available digital data collection tools.
2. Defining comprehensive evaluation criteria, encompassing factors such as cost-effectiveness, data security measures, data transfer capabilities, ease of utilization, adaptability to existing questionnaire resources from the questionnaire bank, technical specifications, and the level of technical proficiency required.
3. Conducting a comprehensive scoping exercise to delineate the strengths and weaknesses of each tool.
4. Identifying the optimal use cases for these tools across diverse data collection scenarios, including face-to-face interviews, telephone interviews, internet-based surveys, and their suitability for deployment in emergency contexts.

 

In this role, the selected candidate will play a vital part in advancing UNICEF's data collection capacities, contributing to more effective and secure data collection processes.

Maintaining regular communication with the MICS data processing team and the Education focal point from the Data & Analytics section to ensure alignment of deliverables

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables:

Work Assignment Overview/Deliverables and Outputs/Delivery deadline

1. Thoroughly cataloguing and analysing the available digital data collection tools 

-  A detailed catalogue of available digital data collection tools, including an assessment of their features, capabilities, and suitability 

15 Aug 2026

2.  Defining comprehensive evaluation criteria, encompassing factors such as cost-effectiveness, data security measures, data transfer capabilities,