Background

The project is part of intervention directly addressing conflict fragility through the reduction of poverty levels by fostering local economic development, the promotion of North-South dialogue on technical issues, and establishment and support for stronger trade links and economic inter-dependency between communities. This project’s overall objective is to provide continued support to stabilization and inhibit further potential conflicts in North Kosovo   by promoting co-operation and peace through inter-community dialogue focused on economic, social and environmental activities of shared interest. The project will engage all relevant local and international stakeholders, strengthening capacities of local institutions and CSOs, and directly supporting stability maintenance activities.

The Mitrovicë/a Region Opinion Polls are intended to provide UNDP and stakeholders in Kosovo with a development needs analysis. The Mitrovicë/a Region Opinion Polls aim to stand apart from other analytical conflict prevention attempts as a key operational and policy tool for development and peace building actors in Kosovo by deriving prescription from trend analysis and monitoring indicators; analysis derived from a comprehensive core data set that is reviewed and compared across time for fluctuations that may indicate the onset of conflict. This approach will ensure a consistent methodology, it will allow comprehensive inclusion and comparison of all sectors within the same Report and between reporting periods – in short, it will ensure a systematic approach to conflict prevention analysis in Kosovo targeted primarily at the operational level, while also having implications for longer term policy.

Objective of Assignment

The objective of the assignment is to produce an analytical report based on the data of the Mitrovicë/a Region Opinion Poll  (August 2014).

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties under these terms of reference are to be completed by working in coordination with Social Research Kosovo and Policy, Research, Gender and Communication Team during a period of up to 20 working days in Kosovo, starting from 25th of September, 2014 until 25th of October, 2014.

The consultant selected for this task will draft, edit and finalize the narrative description of the statistical results of the Mitrovicë/a Region Opinion Poll, August 2014. Data for the survey have been collected by the Social Research Kosovo, and the selected consultant is expected to cooperate closely with Policy, Research, Gender and Communication Team while writing the narrative report. The consultant is also expected to draft an outline of key figures and indicators of development which could be used by stakeholders in the future to give evidence-based recommendations for policy-makers.

In order to achieve the intended objectives, the work methodology should broadly consist of, but should not be limited to:

• Drafting of the Report Outline based on the desk review and meetings UNDP staff;
• Desk review of the previous Mitrovicë/a Public Opinion reports;
• Conducting statistical analysis of the latest survey conducted;
• A series of meetings  with the UNDP Kosovo to discuss about the survey methodology and results;
• Writing of the analytical narrative report with incorporated trend analysis, including presentation of data and trends in graphic and tabular form;

Addressing and incorporating the comments provided by the Policy, Research, Gender and Communication Team after the draft of the report has undergone quality assurance.

Deliverables / Final Products Expected

The  consultant is expected to provide the following deliverables by the end of the assignment:

1. A highly qualified analytical narrative report of the Mitrovicë/a North Region Opinion Poll, August 2014; The report has to be written and edited in English;
2. Provide the analysis with graphs, tables, maps, and other illustrations within the report, including trends analysis using figures from previous surveys;
3. A results/figures document including key figures and indicators for the report;
4. Illustrative presentation of the summary of the report in Power Point or Prezi format.

The report has to be written concisely, clearly, and must include references, sources and data presented comprehensibly in tables and graphs.

Tables:

• Style of writing: Times New Romans 10 font (style and size should be standard for all tables and figures)
• Title: Bold (include number of the table and/or figure plus title)
• Heads of tables: Bold and Right, except the most left head of table which will be Left
• The left roll of table should be positioned on the Left, the other side should be positioned on the Right.
• Source should be positioned at the end of the table, Left, Italic, Times New Roman 9, Italic.
• According to UNDP rules and regulations, the English version of the paper should consist of the names of cities and villages in Kosovo in both languages: Albanian and Serbian (the characters of both respective languages should be taken into consideration).

Graphs/figures:

• Style of writing: Times new roman 10 (style and size should be standard for all tables and figures)
• Title of the graph: Bold. Title consists of the number of graphs and respective question upon which the question was build.
• The graphs will be without values checked.
• The legend should be positioned below.
• Source (mandatory) should be positioned at the end of the graphs. Times New Roman 9, Italic.

Application Instructions:

• Click on the "Apply now" button;
• Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. You can type in, or paste your short Resume into the last box;
• Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page. On the next page, you will be asked to upload your Resume;
• System will only allow one attachment. All docs (CV; P11; financial offer; list of similar profiles should be included as one attachment).
• Applicants are requested to support their competence in report writing experience with concrete samples of their work enclosed with application

Competencies

• Excellent analytical skills;
• Proven record of analytical thinking and writing;
• Good knowledge of statistics related to opinion poll surveys;
• Working knowledge of statistical programs such as SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) or Stata;
• Ability to write concisely, clearly, and under time pressure;
• Unbiased and objective attitude while assessing and writing about the developments in Kosovo;
• Able to exercise sound judgment;
• Adept at working in a highly pressured professional environment and sensitive to deadlines set in workplan;
• Self-motivated and able to recommend options for resolution of issues;
• Extensive knowledge of Kosovo;
• Ability to carry out tasks independently,
• Able to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Ability to produce a concise summary out of the complex picture of interlinked factors and trends at work in Kosovo

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in public policy, social sciences, economy, political science or other relevant field.

Experience: 

• Minimum three years of expertise in research and analytical work especially with statistics and opinion poll surveys;
• High level and professional knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, specifically Word and Excel;
• Demonstrated knowledge of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) or STATA.
• Proven experience in writing, proof reading or editing UN or other publications;
• Previous experience of working within UNDP, especially related to research or policy or capacity building activities, is an asset.

Language requirements:

• Outstanding writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English;
• Knowledge of Albanian or Serbian language is an asset.