The Position:

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), through its commitment to improving reproductive health and family planning services, has supported the implementation of Health Facility Surveys (HFS) across various countries. These surveys assess the availability, accessibility, and quality of contraceptive and maternal health commodities and services at different levels of health facilities. The HFS in Kyrgyzstan aims to provide robust data to guide policy formulation and is conducted in the frame of the Health System Strengthening Project of UNFPA Kyrgyzstan.

To ensure the successful execution of this survey, an International Expert is required to oversee its implementation, ensuring adherence to the highest methodological standards and alignment with the established survey framework.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose and Scope of Work:

The International Expert will work closely with the competitive-selected research company under the overall supervision of the UNFPA Kyrgyzstan CO to provide technical expertise and guidance in the design, implementation, and analysis of the Health Facility Survey (HFS) to ensure the survey adheres to international best practices and standards for data collection and analysis and contribute to the development of a comprehensive survey report with actionable recommendations and will be responsible for the following tasks:

Methodological Guidance:

• Review and refine the survey methodology in line with international best practices.
• Provide technical input on sampling design, including selection criteria and stratification.
• Ensure that survey instruments (questionnaires and data collection tools) align with the standard HFS methodology.
• Ensure comparability with previous surveys while addressing country-specific considerations.
• Validate the methodology with key stakeholders in May 2025, aligning with the research company’s finalization of survey instruments.

Supervision of Data Collection:

• Work closely with the contracted research company to ensure adherence to data collection protocols.
• Conduct periodic quality assurance checks during June-July 2025 when field surveys and data collection are conducted.
• Provide guidance on addressing challenges encountered during data collection.
• Monitor the recruitment and training of enumerators in June 2025 to ensure alignment with survey standards.

Data Analysis and Reporting:

• Ensure the application of appropriate statistical methods in data analysis.
• Support the preparation of analytical reports summarizing key findings from July 2025 onwards.
• Provide expert input on the interpretation of data and formulation of actionable recommendations.
• Collaborate on the formation of analytical tables and visualization of key trends in July 2025.
• Jointly with the hired company, develop the final survey report in September-December 2025.

Capacity Building:

• Conduct training session(s) for national researchers and data collectors on survey methodology and best practices in May-June 2025.
• Enhance the analytical skills of local researchers in processing and interpreting survey results during data analysis in July 2025.

The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs:

1. End of April-May 2025 – Jointly with the hired research company, review national health policies and survey implementation mechanisms in collaboration with key stakeholders.
2. May 2025 – Validate survey methodology and sampling strategy with stakeholders, ensuring alignment with finalized research instruments.
3. June 2025 – Oversee the training of field staff, ensuring readiness for data collection.
4. July 2025 – Provide expert input on data analysis, including data cleaning and identification of key trends.
5. September 2025 – Jointly with the hired research company, develop the final survey report and ensure high-quality analytical outputs.
6. December 2025 – Support the dissemination of findings, including preparation of summary presentations and infographics.

The consultant will provide periodic progress reports upon the completion of outlined outputs.

Reports should be submitted electronically to the UNFPA RH Specialist and NPA on SRH/FP/HIV.

The consultancy is expected to last 9 months from April to December 2025 (30 working days totally). The consultant will work remotely, with no travel expected.

The consultant will report to the UNFPA RH Specialist and NPA on SRH/FP/HIV and work in close collaboration with the national consultant, research company and national health authorities.

Qualifications and Experience: 

Education:  

Advanced university degree (Master’s or PhD) in Public Health, Epidemiology, Demography, Statistics, Economics, Sociology, or a related field.

Knowledge, Experience, Competencies: 

• Extensive international experience in designing and implementing health facility surveys, preferably in low- or middle-income countries.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience in the development of analytical reports, research papers, or academic theses related to health system strengthening, public health, or other related areas.
• Experience working with health statistics, micro-data, and their analysis; previous experience with health facility data is an advantage.
• Strong expertise in survey methodology, data collection, and statistical analysis.
• Demonstrated knowledge of reproductive health and family planning services.
• Experience working with UN agencies or international organizations in reproductive health research.
• Demonstrated ability to lead research teams, coordinate working processes, and work effectively in a team environment.
• Knowledge of the Central Asian regional context is an asset.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and writing skills.
• Effective communication and negotiation skills for liaising with government officials, health sector personnel and UN agencies.

Languages: 

Fluency in English is required; knowledge of Russian is an asset
Compensation and Benefits:

Payments will be made in two installments upon the completion of the following deliverables:
Installment I: upon the completion of deliverables 1-3 of the current ToR (15 working days).
Installment II: upon the completion of deliverables 4-6 of the current ToR (15 working days).

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA’s workforce – click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.