UNDP Jobs - 27805- Consultant: Background papers

Consultant: Background papers - analysis of data from the regional survey on Roma at risk of marginalization, 2011 and 2004 analysis – 4 consultants (one for each of the following areas: employment, housing, health and civil society involvement)

Location :

home-based, no travel required, SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

14-Feb-12 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

estimated February 2012 – March 2012

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

approximately 40 working days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UNDP is seeking to put together a team of 4 consultants to work on the thematic analysis of the regional Roma survey 2011 results.

In 2004 UNDP Regional Support Center completed a large-scale data collection project for data collection among Roma communities at risk of marginalization and non-Roma living in close proximity. The outcome of the project was a regional Human Development “At Risk: Roma and the displaced in CEE” – still one of the few analyses of Roma exclusion and vulnerability based on comparable representative quantitative data.

The survey provided comparable quantitative data on the development problems and challenges of vulnerable groups in different countries of the region. It referred to the methodology of the household and labor force surveys. The report (including the basic description of the survey) and the data from the survey can be accessed through: http://europeandcis.undp.org/go/vulnerability.

UNDP in cooperation with DG REGIO, the World Bank, Fundamental Rights Agency and OSI has followed-up on the results of the initial data collection with second round of similar survey in 2011. The focus of the research was on Roma communities at risk of marginalization and non-Roma living in close proximity to Roma. This survey has been part of UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre (BRC) involvement in pioneering work in the area of monitoring and evaluation as well as quantitative data collection on the status of Roma communities. In partnership with DG REGIO, the World Bank, FRA and OSI it is implementing component 4 of the EC-funded project on “Pan-European activities for and coordination of integration methods for the Roma
EU Roma Pilot Projects”. Under Component 4, “Impact evaluation, monitoring and data collection”, novel approaches in the area that of monitoring and evaluation are being elaborated and tested that would make possible project evaluation at outcome level.

The survey was conducted on the representative sample of Roma population at risk of marginalization and on the booster consisting of the non-Roma living in close proximity to the Roma communities samples. The survey has yielded three types of information on the each group:

Characteristics of the households shared by all its members (characteristics of the dwelling, possession of different amenities, access to infrastructures, distance from basic services providers etc.).
Basic individual characteristics of each household member (composition of the household, demographic characteristics of its members, their education status, incidence of disability, activity status etc.) – household grid (approximately 50 variables)
Perception data on behavioral aspects and individual attitudes of one randomly selected member of the household (awareness of the ‘Decade of Roma Inclusion’ process, experience with discrimination in various aspects of life, concrete dimensions of ‘inclusion’ – what does it mean for the individual respondents in practice, acceptable and feasible ways of reaching it etc.). This bloc of information also contains detailed profile of the status of the main respondent complementing the basic profile under module B.

The same survey instrument was used for the Roma sample and the booster, containing over 600 variables in over 200 questions. The survey was conducted in (in alphabetic order) Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, FYR Macedonia, Hungary, Moldova Republic of, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP is seeking to put together a team of consultants to work on the thematic analysis of the regional Roma survey 2011 results complemented by the assessment of the civil society views on the Roma inclusion. In addition to these 4 areas education would be analyzed as well (not a part of this ToR). These thematic analyses would be used as background papers for the report on results of the regional Roma survey. These consultants are expected to work closely with and under the supervision of the UNDP BRC Roma policy analyst and Human Development advisor.

Individual consultants in their respective theme (employment, housing, health and civil society involvement) are expected to:

Prepare outline of the respective thematic research keeping in mind the other team members’ contributions
Analyze the results of the regional survey 2011 using the primary data stored in the SPSS file
In respective theme identify the areas where comparison with the similar survey from 2004 is possible compare 2011 results with the results from 2004 and where possible compare also with the general population. The comparison should have the following key dimensions: between the different countries; between 2004 and 2011; and between Roma, non-Roma living in the same (mostly) marginalized localities and overall population. The comparison should look also at differences: between youth and adults; between male and female; and between rural and urban
Provide conclusions from the analysis of the regional Roma survey and comparison with the 2004 survey.
Provide policy recommendations based on the analysis performed in respective thematic area
Review the other team members’ contributions and provide recommendations on their improvement as well as outline areas of cross-cutting issues that need to be reflected in the overall analysis

In addition, a consultant working on the civil society involvement is expected to:

Prepare outline of the research s/he would do if selected
Analyze the views and assessments of the civil society organizations or key stakeholders on the involvement of Roma in the process of social inclusion of Roma since 2005 (through on-line survey, interviews with key informants, desk research etc.)
Analyze the views and assessments of the process of social inclusion of Roma since 2005 and contribution of Decade of Roma Inclusion initiative to improvement of situation of Roma in individual countries and at international level
In all analyses the consultant should consider both four main priority areas (education, employment, housing and health) and the cross-cutting issues (such as poverty, gender, equal opportunities, political participation, etc.)

Deliverables:

Annotated outline of the thematic research and outline of the indicators that will be used for the analysis (within 5 working days)
Data analysis (by thematic areas) and draft analytical report containing for the respective thematic area 2.-5. (within 28 working days)
Comments to other team members’ contributions (within 2 working days since receiving the contributions)
Reflecting comments received, final analytical report (20-25 pages) reflecting the comments from UNDP (within 5 days since receiving the comments to draft report).

Competencies

Excellent analytical and writing skills
Effective communication skills
IT literacy and ability to operate with on-line web-based applications
Adherence to UN’s values and ethical standards
Cultural and gender sensitivity
Knowledge and the ability to apply communication methods and techniques

Required Skills and Experience

The consultant is expected to have:

Masters degree or higher in the area of development economics, social science or related area to the thematic areas (education, employment, housing and health)
Proved knowledge of statistical packages (Stata, SPSS, etc.) for analysis of the datasets
Proved experience with the Roma inclusion analytical and policy advisory work in Central and South Eastern Europe.
English language proficiency

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) Responsive and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 49 points:

Masters degree or higher in the area of development economics, social science or related area to the thematic areas (education, employment, housing and health) – max points: 5
Proved knowledge of statistical packages (Stata, SPSS, etc.) for analysis of the datasets : 5
Annotated outline of thematic analysis: 10
Proved experience with the Roma inclusion analytical and policy advisory work in Central and South Eastern Europe: 29

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 21 points

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position.
Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees
(blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
Financial Proposal* - specifying a lump sum for provision of the outlined services (estimate 40 working days).
Annotated outline of the thematic analysis. Content of the questionnaires for the 2011 and 2004 regional surveys can be accessed from this link: http://dl.undp.sk/questionnaires2004_2011
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...).

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.