Local Consultant – ZDHS Fertility Dynamics and Reproductive Preferences

The consultant will analyse fertility dynamics and reproductive preferences in the 2023/24 Zimbabwe DHS, applying advanced survey methods to identify determinants and inequalities and produce policy evidence for population planning, reproductive health programming and resource allocation.

• Model socioeconomic, behavioural and geographic determinants of fertility and birth spacing
• Analyse fertility preferences, reproductive intentions and unintended childbearing
• Quantify fertility inequalities across population groups
• Simulate implications of fertility change for population growth, dependency and the demographic dividend
• Conduct additional cross-module analyses across the 2023/24 Zimbabwe DHS
• Apply sampling weights, clustering and stratification to all analyses
• Produce a publication-quality thematic report and concise policy evidence
• Collaborate with ZIMSTAT, health authorities and other national stakeholders

• Master’s degree or PhD in Demography, Social Statistics, Public Health, Sociology, Epidemiology or a related field
• At least seven years of documented experience in complex secondary data analysis and statistical modelling
• Demonstrated experience with DHS or MICS datasets
• Expert programming capability in Stata or R
• Professional experience in fertility, population dynamics, demographic transition or related demographic research
• Excellent communication and analytical writing skills
• Excellent English communication skills

• The consultant works under the guidance of the UNFPA Zimbabwe Representative and supervision of the Strategic Information and Policy Specialist
• The assignment involves close collaboration with ZIMSTAT and the Ministry of Health and Child Care