Flow Monitoring Consultant

Terms of Reference

Ref No: CPH/VN/2022/040

Title: Flow Monitoring Consultant

Duty Station: Home-Based

Duration: 5 months, starting as soon as possible

Contract Type: Individual Consultant Contract

Application deadline: 29 August 2022

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a consultancy within the Global Data Service.

Operational Context

The UNHCR Data Transformation Strategy 2020-2025 envisions that by 2025 UNHCR becomes a trusted leader on data and information related to refugees and other persons of concern, thereby enabling actions to protect and to empower persons of concern. The Strategy stipulates investing in four complementary priority areas: data management and governance; information systems; capacities and skill development; and culture for evidence-informed decision-making. The strategy envisages data and information management functions in UNHCR carried out in a complementary and inter-linked manner between Headquarters Divisions and Services, Regional Bureaux, Country Operations and key external partners, including persons of concern.

One core area of population statistics is monitoring population flows, in mixed migration and internal displacement situations. Reliable and timely population flow data for the displaced is crucial for UNHCR and its partners to inform their work and better protect, assist and provide solutions for UNHCR’s population of concern. In some contexts, establishing accurate flow figures for displaced populations is extremely challenging due to practical difficulties associated with data collection and/or methodological inconsistencies. These challenges hinder the capacity of countries to reliably track and deliver appropriate protection interventions to the new arrivals with international protection needs.

There are a range of methodologies and mechanisms that have been developed to record displaced populations flows. For instance, the protection monitoring tools used in Southern Europe and the Central Americas which mainly focus on specific caseloads. There is currently a lack of consistency between processes and methodologies. Following a review of existing methodologies, including best practices, as well as challenges, gaps and recommendations to address these, which have been consolidated in an internal report, UNHCR seeks to develop draft operational guidance that will be field tested. The guidance will document practical and robust systems that can be adapted and applied in new and evolving situations in a broad range of contexts. Following the completion of this consultancy and assessment of the field testing, the intention is to subsequently publish this work as operational guidance.

The overall objective is to establish a robust methodology and tools for the collection and analysis of displaced population flow data thereby improving the production and availability of reliable and timely populations flow estimates. This enables UNHCR to efficiently and systematically capture, use and share high quality data on the flow of displaced populations, in line with Priority Action B of UNHCR’s Data Transformation Strategy.

Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment

The consultant will lead the production of draft operational guidance for monitoring the flow of displaced populations and organise field testing of the guidance.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Senior Statistics and Data Analysis Officer, the consultant will draft the guidance, based on the best practices identified in the prior desktop review, as well as through further interviews with relevant UNHCR colleagues and key stakeholders from partner organisations to assess existing methodologies and tools. This will involve adapting, improving or standardising existing processes as needed to identify a range of approaches that can be applied in all common operational contexts.

The consultant will also organise the field testing of the guidance in several operational contexts to assess the new guidance, and to implement further improvements.

Deliverables:

• Produce draft operational guidance for capturing, using and disseminating displaced population flow data, that is relevant to different contexts and regions.
• Organise field testing in at least three relevant operational contexts, accompanied with an interim progress report.

Desired impacts:

• UNHCR’s methodology and tools for systematic data collection and monitoring of displaced population flows are strengthened.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The final product:

• Draft operational guidance as well as organising relevant field testing in several operational contexts. The guidance will provide practical approaches to monitoring displaced population flows, that can be applied in different contexts. The field testing will be setup during the consultancy, and is expected to continue for 3-9 month durations (i.e. longer than this consultancy).

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Education

Degree in demography, geography, statistics, economics, data science, quantitative social sciences, epidemiology or a related field.

Required Experience

With a minimum of 5 years of relevant work experience, the candidate should demonstrate the following abilities:

• Developing new or improved statistical methods and quantitative models for analyses and projections on forced displacement.
• Drafting concept papers, preparing background analyses, and briefings to build support for the use of data on forced displacements.
• Delivering high-profile analytical products, in consultation with the relevant HQ, regional and operational teams.
• Supporting operational leads in making methodological decisions on forced displacement data.
• Working with and producing tools that are used for migration flow data collection.
• Knowledge of another UN working language.

Location and Conditions

Full-time position with 40 working hours per week. The successful candidate will be home-based, with three to four short missions to relevant operational contexts.

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified. No late applications will be accepted.