In-Country Lead Consultant / Data Collector at John Snow Inc - JSI

Background

• We currently seeking a Kenya in-country lead consultant/data collector for the USAID-funded MOMENTUM (Moving Integrated, Quality Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services to Scale) Round 3B, known as MOMENTUM-Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity (M-RITE).
• The MOMENTUM awards seek to contribute to global technical leadership and evidence generation and dissemination around maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), family planning (FP), and reproductive health (RH) services.
• M-RITE’s overarching goal is to sustainably strengthen routine immunization programs to:
  • Overcome the entrenched obstacles contributing to stagnating and declining immunization rates in USAID-supported countries
  • Address the barriers to reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children with life-saving vaccines and other health services.
• To increase uptake of vaccinations in urban areas, an urban immunization toolkit was developed by the Urban Immunization Working Group (UIWG).
• This toolkit lays out the broad principles, tools, and examples of how to identify, locate, and serve unvaccinated populations living in urban areas.
• The toolkit has been written primarily for immunization staff and has brief sections on five key topics:
  • Planning, coordinating, and management of resources
  • Reaching eligible populations
  • Engaging with community and social mobilization
  • Conducting supportive supervision
  • Monitoring and using data for action. Each section provides a brief overview of the topic and then, as relevant to that topic, lists existing resources/tools for implementers of the toolkit.
• Since the toolkit’s publication in 2018, there has been a paucity of publicly available or accessible information that documents users’ experiences with implementing the toolkit.
• There is also limited understanding about the extent of its use and results the toolkit has helped achieve, and weaknesses of the toolkit contents that could be improved.

Purpose & Objectives

• The overall objective of our research study is to document lessons learned on the application of the urban immunization toolkit (herein referred to “toolkit”) by December 2023.
• To achieve this objective of the activity, we will review, document, and disseminate experiences implementing the toolkit based on a participatory assessment where we will co-create strategies with urban health change agents to incorporate their priorities and preferences and address their pain points in designing urban immunization strategies.

Consultant Activities

• Attend orientation/training conducted through online Zoom meetings, covering study design, methodology, and analysis, with on-demand coaching.
• In collaboration with the Nigeria country team, support in-country IRB approval process and ensure the data collection team attended the JSI ethics training.
• Develop and recruit study’s respondents in 2 LGAs by:
  • Accompanying community health workers to recruit caregivers of zero dose or under-vaccinated for focus group discussions (or in-depth interviews).
  • Recruiting (in-person or via phone) public and private healthcare providers to schedule them for interviews, using the contact information provided by the LGA-level officials, caregivers, and other key stakeholders.
  • Recruiting LGA-level officials involved in urban immunization activities, e.g., LGA Chairman, LGA EPI/immunization officer, etc (the M-RITE Nigeria program will assist in making the initial introductions to the LGA authorities).
• Lead interviews/data collection in two LGAs with three levels of stakeholders (caregivers, public and private providers, LGA officials).
• Complete interview memos and upload them to the shared project folder online and in near-real time, along with audio recordings, relevant documents identified/shared by stakeholders, and photos (as relevant).
• Review transcriptions of interviews for quality and accuracy.
• Attend weekly debriefs during data collection and analysis to ensure adherence to the study protocol and to make adaptations as required.
• Participate in other ad hoc calls and meetings with the core team working on this activity as needed.
• Support the analysis of the interview data by thematic areas in collaboration with the M-RITE Activity 3.4 team.
• Summarize key findings or learnings into a draft report in collaboration with the M-RITE Activity 3.4 team.
• Ensure the HCD approach applied throughout the data collection, analysis and support the development of personas. Prepare presentations for the co-creation workshops and debriefing sessions as required.
• Organize the logistics for the co-creation workshop, including invitations, etc (the M-RITE Nigeria team will assist).
• Co-facilitate/Facilitate the co-creation workshop in collaboration with M-RITE’s Activity 3.4 and Nigeria team.

Deliverables

• Transcripts, audio recordings, notes, and memos of focus group discussions and interviews.
• Analysis of data summarized into a report (template provided by M-RITE) - draft submission for project feedback/reviews.
• Final submission of the report incorporating requested feedback/changes.

Consultant Skills

• Higher Education Degree in Public Health, Anthropology, Sociology or a related field.
• Experience with human-centered design and co-creation approaches.
• Experience conducting interviews with communities, local and state-level decision-makers.
• Strong qualitative data collection, analysis, and writing skills. Trained in qualitative data collection, management, analysis, and writing.
• Experience facilitating conversations with stakeholders at all levels of the health system.
• Strong understanding of the Nigerian health system. Ability to rapidly synthesize findings. Flexibility to adapt as plans change.
• Ability to travel within the study area. English proficiency.