Qualitative Research Assistant - Focus Group Moderator & Qualitative Interviewer at Jhpiego Nigeria

The program’s goal is to contribute significantly to ending preventable maternal and child deaths (EPMCD) in Nigeria. The five year project which started in October 2014 will end in September 2019 and will be implemented in Kogi and Ebonyi States of Nigeria.

We hereby invite applications from highly resourceful, experienced and dynamic professionals for the vacant position below:

Job Title: Qualitative Research Assistant - Focus Group Moderator & Qualitative Interviewer

Location: Nassawara
Reports To: Project Director, GANC and Operations Research Advisor
Time frame: July - Aug 2017 maimum of 25 days

Overview

• Jhpiego is an international, non-profit health organization affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University. Jhpiego works with health experts, governments and community leaders to provide high-quality healthcare for their people.
• Jhpiego seeks an experienced qualitative research assistant to support the study, “Generating evidence for group antenatal care in Kenya and Nigeria’.
• S/he will be responsible for collecting qualitative data via focus groups and in depth interviews from study subjects who participated iu group care as either patients or providers as assigned while maintaining confidentiality of respondents and the information collected, including interview notes and audio recordings.
• Research will be conducted in intervention sites in Nasawara state. Training will take place in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
• This activity is a qualitative component of a larger cluster randomized control study.
• The qualitative component will assess provider and patient acceptability and impact of the group care model on health literacy, self-efficacy, and empowerment as related to pregnancy, newborn danger sign recognition and birth spacing.
• Qualitative data will also explore the impact of the provider/patient relationships formed through group care; seek to understand the most important components/characteristics of the model and the impact it had on provider job satisfaction and resilience.
• In addition, qualitative work will examine the specific experience of adolescents and whether non-adolescent specific groups met their needs. Interviews will occur in July/August 2017, with women who participated in group care and have delivered within the previous 4 months.

Responsibilities

• Participate in brief training workshop for qualitative interviewers in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
• Carry out primary data collection using structured interview guides and a focus group discussion guide with preselected groups
• Audio-record the discussions and take notes.
• Participate in immediate debrief with lead qualitative researcher, either in person or via skype and create expanded notes in English immediately after each focus group and/or in depth interview using provided tool
• Adhere strictly to study protocols, ethical research principles, relevant SOPs and administrative requirements.
• Handle and protect confidential and sensitive data with integrity in line with study standard operating procedures.
• Maintain close communication with the study manager and lead qualitative researcher by phone and email to discuss any issues and ensure adherence to the project plan.
• Hand over digital recordings and written transcription files to study manager/supervisor as soon as possible. Label files by the agreed upon naming conventions.
• Work collaboratively with study team members.
• Manage data collection by meeting deadlines and reaching agreed upon targets.
• Keeps log of daily activities and submit report at the end.

Deliverables:

• Hard copies of original interview notes; soft copies of expanded notes after debriefing
• Participation logs for each focus group and interview completed with woman’s name and facility at which she attended ANC
• Audio recordings of the interviews and focus group discussions following the file naming convention.

Required Qualifications

• Experience conducting qualitative in-depth interviews and focus group discussions Group facilitation skills
• Understanding of the sociocultural context/terrain.
• Familiarity with maternal health care and family planning practices and key issues
• Degree in health, social sciences, education, community health or development-related field
• Experience working with health care providers
• Organization skills (for keeping data files organized)
• Demonstrated ability to exercise confidentiality and professionalism Strong ability to work and communicate within a team
• Fluent in oral and written English; fluent in oral and written Hausa Ability to work independently and attention to detail
• Word processing and report writing

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Health, Social Sciences, Education, Community Health or Development-related field.
• Experience conducting research related to maternal health Experience with health services research.
• Experience transcribing focus groups and interviews.
• Familiarity with qualitative analysis software and ability to code will be an advantage.

Application Closing Date
4pm, 23rd June, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit a Cover Letter, a resume or Curriculum Vitae, a writing sample related to qualitative research, the names of three references, with telephone and email contact information as ONE SINGLE word document to: [email protected] The title/subject of your email and application should be the position you have applied for.

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will receive an invitation for an Interview. Please note that any successful candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation.