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

Organizational Context

UNICEF operates in over 190 countries and territories, dedicated to saving children's lives, defending their rights, and helping them fulfill their potential from early childhood through adolescence. We are committed, passionate, and proud of our work, viewing the promotion of every child's rights not just as a job, but as a calling.

Job Purpose

The consultant will complement and provide continuity to the ongoing work of developing and rolling out a new MICS module (FLM2.0) to measure reading and math skills in early and end of primary education. This consultancy will focus on psychometric analysis for the first national implementation of the FLM2.0 Early Primary module in Zimbabwe MICS and subsequent phases. The role involves conducting psychometric analyses for the testing and validation of the new End of Primary component, assessing the reliability of the FLM2.0 Early Primary module in additional national implementations, and developing a package of standardized tools and guidance for UNICEF and MICS experts to independently conduct and interpret these analyses.

Responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for conducting comprehensive psychometric analyses for the FLM2.0 module, specifically focusing on reading and math items. This includes the psychometric analysis related to the first national implementation of the FLM2.0 Early Primary module in the Zimbabwe MICS. The role will extend to covering all psychometric analyses for the next phases of the work in 2026, 2027, and early 2028. Key tasks include the testing and validation of the new End of Primary component of the FLM2.0, the analytical work necessary to assess the reliability of the FLM2.0 Early Primary in two additional national implementation MICS surveys, and the development of a package of standardized tools and guidance. This package will enable UNICEF and MICS experts to independently conduct and interpret the psychometric analysis related to both the Early and End of Primary components of FLM2.0.

Work Experience

A minimum of 5 years of experience in psychometric analysis for educational assessment, with a preference for experience with reading and math assessments, is required.

Skills

Psychometric analysis for educational assessment, Reading and math assessments, Large-scale field testing of assessment instruments, Item selection, Form construction, Validation procedures, Household survey data analysis, Large-scale national/international assessment datasets (e.g., MICS, DHS), Proficiency in psychometric analysis software, Peer-reviewed publications (desirable), Experience with UNICEF MICS or other UNICEF/UN data collection systems (desirable), Familiarity with foundational learning assessments in low- and middle-income country contexts (desirable)

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