Data Collection Auditor

1.           CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND   The IRC is conducting a nation-wide research on the impact of cash assistance on households and markets; data collection will be executed by a contractor; IRC will manage the survey, audit data collection quality and analyse data. The auditors will fill three roles: 1) household data verification and quality assurance, 2) phone call data verification and quality assurance, and 3) responding to requests and questions on the hotline number that survey respondents will be provided to call during the survey. The auditors will also receive phone lines from IRC that will serve as hotlines for the survey respondents to reach IRC. If survey respondents wish to contact IRC with questions or comments, the auditor will be responsible for answering these calls, including answering questions and submitting referrals when necessary. IRC seeks an analysis of the impact of the winterization cash assistance program for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The analysis will assess impacts on household well-being, local economies, and community dynamics. To assess the impact of the cash transfer winterization program in Lebanon, an impact evaluation is being implemented. This evaluation requires a survey that will be conducted in April & May 2014.  IRC has contracted a team of academic researchers from Columbia University, University of Brasilia, University of California San Diego, and Yale University to design and analyze the survey. For the conduct and management of the survey, we seek to hire a survey firm. The terms of reference are written for auditors to confirm that the survey company and its staff are maintaining the heist quality standards and meeting contractual agreements. The auditors will perform the tasks outlined below in the “Responsibilities” section. The auditors will work closely with the Principal Investigator and the Research Manager (called below the Evaluation Team).   2.      SCOPE OF WORK   In order to evaluate the impact of the winterization program, we will interview 1500 respondents in 84 cadastrals. The household survey will take on average 50 minutes to implement. Information will be collected through interviews with the head of household as well as direct observation.   Sixteen (16) data collection teams will be needed, each team consisting of 2 enumerators. Eight (8) team leaders will monitor 2 teams each. Each group of 2 teams and 1 team leader (5 staff in total) processes about 10 households per day. This will allow data collection of 1500 households to be finished about 20 working days.   The survey will be administered using paper surveys. Surveys will be given the team leaders at the end of each day, and she/he will deliver them to the survey company the next morning.   The auditors will follow-up with households as specified by the Research Manager to confirm the event and quality of the survey firm’s submitted survey documents. The auditor will verify the quality of collected data. The auditor interviews a random subset of households who were interviewed previously by enumerators. The data collected by the auditor is then compared to the data collected by enumerators. The auditor further verifies whether enumerators comply with data collection protocols.   DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC TASKS AND DELIVERABLES   The auditor will be expected to complete the following activities associated with the data collection exercise.   REQUIRED SKILLS/ EXPERIENCE Legal status recognized by the Government of Labanon, enabling the organization to perform the above-mentioned tasks under the laws of Lebanon. Minimum 2 years experience working on surveys Strong capacity and experience in planning and organizing survey logistics Strong interpersonal skills and a team oriented spirit Fluent Arabic and advanced English skills Experience working with sensitive populations Knowledge of how to work in the local regions   ESTIMATED SCHEDULE   The auditor’s work will take begin on April 14 and last until May 24. The auditor will work from 9am to 6pm for three days each week, usually on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday (although days will need to be slightly different around the Easter holiday weekend).   SUPERVISION AND REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS   The auditors will work under the supervision of the Evaluation team led by Principal Investigator and work closely with the Evaluation Manager.   RESPONSIBILITIES AND DELIVERABLES   -  Visiting villages and households (as specified by Research Manager) to confirm the survey firm visited the household and verify collected information from the survey. The auditors will use a shortened survey instrument as provided by the Research Manager. - Sending an email report to Research Manager at the end of each work day to briefly summarize the day’s work - Submitting a formal description of any identified problems to the Research Manager at the end of each day’s work - Receiving and returning phone calls to the hotline. Answering questions about the survey. If callers are calling for services or information unrelated to the survey, providing callers with appropriate contact information. - Making phone calls to a random sample (provided by Research Manager) of households from the call list to confirm that they were called and that the information collected by the survey firm is correct.