NEST Qualitative Researcher / Analyst at APIN

Job Ref.: api-10495
Location: Lagos, (Fully Remote)
Job Type: Part-time
Department: NEST360

Project Overview

• Globally, newborn care practices were disrupted both due to reduced care-seeking and a compromised service provision. The results from a global survey on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and sick newborn highlight challenges faced from well-known issues, such as lack of PPE, staff stress, and families not coming, and in extreme cases, clinicians and nurses were withdrawn from their original stations to key COVID treatment centers.
• To complement the ongoing NEST implementation and evaluation, we are proposing additional work to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and sick newborn care in Kenya and other NEST countries using data and learning from NEST. This builds on the NEST multi-country, multi-facility platform, as well as data collection systems, bringing analyses earlier and adding richer qualitative data collection focused on mitigation approaches at the hospital and national level to inform relevant investment cases.

Process:

• The NEST multi-country qualitative working group will co-design qualitative data collection tools based on the framework elucidated in the global survey on COVID-19 impacts on small and sick newborn care (BMJ GH). Each country team / researcher will then adapt and apply these tools in the country to undertake FGD and IDIs and collect data.
• The group will develop a common codebook to enable comparable analyses. Each country team will analyze their data. The multi-country group will then synthesize findings, noting similarities and differences between countries, considering the country and facility-level quantitative findings and context. The group will then develop and disseminate findings via country-specific and collective channels e.g. peer-review publications, reports, media, blogs, infographics etc.   

Role

• The post holder will support qualitative research for the health systems workstream of the overall NEST complex evaluation, notably working within a multi-country qualitative working group assessing the impact and mitigation approaches to protect small and sick newborn care during the pandemic. This will involve co-design of data collection tools, data collection as well as contributing to analyses and dissemination including paper writing.

Tasks will include the following:

• Contribute to NEST360 health systems research activities overall, specifically, will join and contribute to the multi-country group in co-designing and adapting qualitative tools, and ethics submissions as needed.  (NEST eval)
• Undertake data collection across different stakeholders at the facility and national level using in-depth interviews and focus group discussion to assess mitigation approaches to protect small and sick newborn care during the pandemic. (NEST PO 6.2)
• Take a leading role in qualitative data collection, data management and contribute to analyses (based on a common codebook) of relevant data on impact and mitigation strategies e.g from health facility respondents, national-level stakeholder under the leadership of country PIs, LSHTM, and wider NEST team. (NEST PO 6.2 & 6.3)
• Develop and maintain collaborative links between the country team, and multiple stakeholders including mapping other relevant research groups/learning, and to the assessment of opportunities to “build back better and to NEST/SSNC investment case. (NEST PO 6.2 & 6.3)
• Contribute to or lead the writing of reports, scientific papers, and dissemination of findings as well as supporting presentations for national, regional, and global uptake, with country PIs, LSHTM, and wider NEST team

Person Specification

• Undergraduate degree in Social Sciences or Health degree, with expertise. A postgraduate degree in the relevant topics will be desirable.
• Skills and experience in the use of qualitative methods, at least having run interviews, focus group discussions, and synthesized quality data. A high level of qualitative skills and appropriate use of qualitative data analysis software (Nvivo, Dedoose, ATLAS TI, and/or Max QDA).
• Expertise in health systems research using mixed methods.
• Experience in facility-based newborn care research (or maternal or child health), ideally in government systems. Experience working on multi-country research is desirable.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to engage a range of stakeholders including senior health professionals and policymakers
• Experience writing and reporting for ethical clearance

Timeline:

• Post available to start immediately and to run for 12 months in the first instance (Post is on a part-time basis)
• (Maybe longer if also working on NEST country qualitative work for “implementation strength” or country-specific learning questions and dependent on funding situation in each country budget)