Contract Duration: 19.3 months

Working arrangement: Home-based

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.

At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do for as long as we are needed. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.

UNICEF is a place where careers are built. We offer our staff diverse opportunities for professional and personal development that will help them reinforce a sense of purpose while serving children and communities across the world. We welcome everyone who wants to belong and grow in a diverse and passionate culture, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.

Visit our website to learn more about what we do at UNICEF.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Complement and provide continuity to the ongoing work to develop and roll out a new MICS module to measure reading and math skills in early primary and end of primary (FLM2.0). The current contracts only cover the psychometric analysis related to the first national implementation of the FLM2.0 Early Primary module in the Zimbabwe MICS.

These ToRs aim to cover all psychometric analyses related to the next phases of the work in 2026, 2027 and early 2028:

the testing and validation of the new End of Primary component of the FLM2.0 [Q3-Q4 of 2026];
the analytical work necessary to assess the reliability of the FLM2.0 Early Primary in 2 additional national implementation in MICS surveys [Q3/Q4 of 2027 to Q1 2028];
the development of a package of standardized tools and guidance for UNICEF and MICS experts to independently conduct and interpret the psychometric analysis related to the FLM2.0 Early and End of Primary [Q2 2027 to Q1 2028].

If you would like to know more about this consultancy, please review the complete Terms of Reference here: ToR TMC0003164.pdf

Minimum requirements:

Education:

A PhD degree in Psychometrics for educational assessment or similar.

Work Experience:

At least 5 years of experience in Psychometric analysis for educational assessment or similar, preferably reading and math assessments.

Language Requirements:

English.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills:

Experience with large-scale field testing of assessment instruments, including item selection, form construction, and validation procedures.
Experience working with household survey data or large-scale national/international assessment datasets e.g. MICS, DHS.
Proficiency in psychometric analysis software.

Desirables:

Peer-reviewed publications in the field desired.
Prior experience working with UNICEF MICS or other UNICEF/UN data collection systems.
Familiarity with foundational learning assessments in low- and middle-income country contexts.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

UNICEF encourages applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, nationality, religious or ethnic backgrounds, and from people with disabilities, including neurodivergence. We offer reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. throughout the recruitment process. If you require any accommodation, please submit your request through the accessibility email button on the UNICEF Careers webpage Accessibility | UNICEF. Should you be shortlisted, please get in touch with the recruiter directly to share further details, enabling us to make the necessary arrangements in advance.

UNICEF does not hire candidates who are married to children (persons under 18). UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination based on gender, nationality, age, race, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic background or disabilities. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit the following documents via the online recruitment portal, TMS (Talent Management System):

An up-to-date TMS profile and curriculum vitae (CV)
Cover letter
A separate financial proposal (only acceptable in the format of the linked template) Financial proposal template TMC0003164.docx

Remarks:

UNICEF does not charge a processing fee at any stage of its recruitment, selection, and hiring processes (i.e., application stage, interview stage, validation stage, or appointment and training). UNICEF will not ask for applicants’ bank account information.

All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Additional information about working for UNICEF can be found here.

Consultant for Psychometric validation – Reading and Math items – FLM2.0 (Internationals only); Home-based; #594351