Malaria Consortium is one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations dedicated to the comprehensive control of malaria and other communicable diseases in Africa and Southeast Asia. We work in partnership with communities, governments, academic institutions, and both local and international organisations to ensure evidence-based, effective service delivery. Our technical support enhances monitoring and evaluation systems, facilitating strategic planning and decision-making to improve health systems, reduce poverty, and promote economic growth.
With the upcoming campaign activities (Cascade Trainings and MDAs) in Niger, Kaduna, Jigawa and Yobe State covering the respective LGAs within the states, there is a critical need for short-term Finance Support Assistants to support large-scale payment processing, training documentation, and operational finance needs over a four-month period.
Objective
- The objective of this consultancy is to engage qualified Local Government Area (LGA) Field Officers (LFOs) who will provide technical, operational, monitoring, coordination, and quality assurance support to LGA Primary Health Care (PHC) teams to ensure effective planning, implementation, supervision, commodity accountability, data quality management, and reporting of the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, and Yobe States.
Purpose of the Assignment
- The purpose of this Terms of Reference (ToR) is to engage qualified consultants as Local Government Area (LGA) Field Officers (LFOs) to support the implementation of the 2026 Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) campaign across selected Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, and Yobe States.
- The LGA Field Officers will provide technical and operational support to the LGA Primary Health Care (PHC) teams throughout the pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation phases of the SMC campaign.
- The LGA PHC implementation team typically comprises the PHC Director, Malaria Focal Person, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Officer, Logistics Officer, Health Educator, and other relevant personnel involved in malaria programme implementation within the LGA.
- The consultants will work closely with the LGA teams to support planning, coordination, training, commodity management, supportive supervision, monitoring, data management, and reporting of SMC activities at community level.
- The LGA Field Officers will also support the effective implementation of door-to-door SPAQ administration by Community Drug Distributors (CDDs) and ensure adherence to national SMC implementation guidelines, donor requirements, and operational standards.
Specifically, the consultants will support:
- Effective coordination and implementation of SMC activities at LGA and community levels;
- Timely distribution, utilization, accountability, and reconciliation of SMC commodities and implementation materials;
- Capacity building and supportive supervision of field implementers, including Supervisors, Health Facility Workers (HFWs), Community Drug Distributors (CDDs), Community Mobilizers, and other campaign personnel;
- Monitoring programme performance, treatment coverage, data quality, and timely reporting of SMC activities;
- Support verification, correction, documentation, and resolution of personnel payment-related issues, including validation of beneficiary information, bank account details, mobile numbers, and other required records to facilitate timely and accurate payment of campaign personnel and implementation beneficiaries;
- Strengthening collaboration among government stakeholders, community structures, health workers, and implementing partners to improve SMC coverage and service uptake;
- Compliance with pharmacovigilance, safeguarding, data management, and programme quality assurance requirements.
- The LGA Field Officers will serve as a critical link between Malaria Consortium, state implementation teams, LGA health authorities, and community-level implementers to ensure effective delivery of high-quality SMC services to eligible children across the intervention LGAs.
Scope of the work
- The Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) intervention is a community-based programme that will be implemented through a door-to-door strategy across selected intervention Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, and Yobe States.
- The Local Government Area (LGA) Field Officers (LFOs) will work closely with LGA implementation teams, health facility workers, supervisors, community mobilizers, town announcers, and Community Drug Distributors (CDDs), who serve as frontline service providers during the SMC campaign.
- The implementation structure for SMC consists of key operational workstreams including logistics and commodity management, social and behaviour change communication (SBCC), programme implementation, monitoring and evaluation, pharmacovigilance, data management, personnel management, and payment support.
- The LGA Field Officers will support coordination of these workstreams to ensure effective delivery of SMC services to eligible children aged 3–59 months.
Responsibilities
The consultants will provide technical assistance and implementation support throughout all phases of the SMC campaign, including:
Pre-Implementation Phase:
- Support microplanning, validation, and implementation readiness assessments.
- Support recruitment, selection, and deployment of campaign personnel in line with approved guidelines.
- Support planning and coordination of training activities for Health Facility Workers (HFWs), Supervisors, Community Drug Distributors (CDDs), Community Mobilizers, Town Announcers, and other campaign personnel.
- Support receipt, storage, distribution planning, and accountability of SPAQ commodities and implementation materials.
- Support community engagement and mobilization planning activities.
- Support validation of personnel records and payment information, including bank account details, phone numbers, and other required information prior to implementation.
Implementation Phase:
- Support coordination and supervision of SMC implementation activities at LGA and community levels.
- Monitor quality of SPAQ administration and adherence to approved SMC protocols and guidelines.
- Conduct supportive supervision and mentoring of field personnel.
- Monitor treatment coverage, implementation progress, and achievement of programme targets.
- Support real-time tracking and accountability of commodities and implementation materials.
- Support identification, documentation, and resolution of personnel payment-related issues, including verification of beneficiary records, correction of account information, reconciliation of payment lists, and follow-up on unresolved payment complaints.
- Facilitate daily review meetings, data validation exercises, and implementation monitoring activities.
- Ensure timely reporting of implementation challenges and support corrective actions where necessary.
Post-Implementation Phase:
- Support end-of-cycle data reconciliation and validation.
- Support stock reconciliation and accountability of all commodities and implementation materials.
- Participate in review meetings and documentation of lessons learned.
- Support preparation and submission of End-of-Cycle (EoC) reports and other programme reports.
- Support resolution of outstanding implementation and personnel payment issues following each implementation cycle.
Reporting
- The consultants will work directly with LGA stakeholders and Malaria Consortium implementation teams while serving as a liaison between LGAs and relevant state-level stakeholders, including State Ministries of Health, State Primary Health Care Boards / Agencies, State Malaria Elimination Programmes (SMEPs), the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), and other partners involved in malaria control activities.
- The LGA Field Officers will report directly to the assigned Programme Officer and maintain a dotted-line reporting relationship with the State Technical Officer, who serves as the state technical lead for SMC implementation.
- The consultants will also collaborate closely with other Malaria Consortium state team members, including the State Programme Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Supply Chain Officer, Finance Officer, Operations / Admin Officer, ICT4D personnel, and other technical staff as required for effective programme implementation.
Specific Activities and Responsibilities
Programme Implementation, Treatment Tracking and Management (70%):
The LGA Field Officer shall:
- Support implementation of all SMC activities at LGA level, including planning meetings, microplanning, commodity distribution, supervision, monitoring, and reporting in line with approved workplans and timelines.
- Ensure timely and effective implementation of SMC cycles across assigned LGAs and support adherence to national SMC operational guidelines, donor requirements, and approved implementation protocols.
- Support coordination of SPAQ distribution and monitor commodity utilization to prevent stock-outs, wastage, losses, and pilferage during implementation.
- Ensure accountability of all received commodities and implementation materials through proper tracking, documentation, inventory management, and reconciliation of stock at LGA and health facility levels.
- Support training and capacity building of field implementers, including Health Facility Workers (HFWs), Ward Supervisors, Community Drug Distributors (CDDs), Community Mobilizers, Town Announcers, and other campaign personnel through formal trainings, on-the-job mentoring, and supportive supervision.
- Monitor programme targets, treatment coverage, and implementation progress to ensure achievement of planned coverage and quality indicators.
- Conduct supportive supervision and routine monitoring visits to implementation sites to ensure quality SPAQ administration, adherence to Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) protocols, and compliance with pharmacovigilance procedures.
- Support identification, documentation, referral, and reporting of adverse drug reactions and other pharmacovigilance-related events in accordance with approved procedures.
- Support implementation of Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) activities and community engagement strategies to improve caregiver awareness, acceptance, and uptake of SMC services.
- Maintain strong collaboration with LGA health teams, traditional leaders, community structures, and other stakeholders to strengthen ownership and participation in SMC implementation.
- Support last-mile distribution of SPAQ commodities and implementation materials and coordinate reverse logistics activities at the end of each implementation cycle.
- Ensure proper use, handling, accountability, synchronization, retrieval, and troubleshooting of ICT4D devices used during implementation.
- Participate in household tracking, monitoring of missed children, and implementation of follow-up activities to improve programme coverage.
- Support validation of campaign personnel records before implementation, including verification of names, bank account details, phone numbers, and other required information for payment processing.
- Support identification, documentation, escalation, and resolution of personnel payment-related issues, including rejected payments, incorrect account details, missing beneficiaries, payment discrepancies, and reconciliation of payment records.
- Ensure compliance with Malaria Consortium safeguarding policies, code of conduct requirements, and other programme compliance standards throughout implementation.
Reporting and Data Quality Assurance (10%):
The LGA Field Officer shall:
- Review reports submitted by field implementers and provide timely feedback on identified gaps, inconsistencies, and areas requiring correction before final submission.
- Support data quality assurance processes, including data verification, validation, reconciliation, and resolution of identified discrepancies.
- Ensure timely submission of End-of-Cycle (EoC) reports, activity reports, supervision reports, success stories, payment issue trackers, and other programme documentation.
- Facilitate daily review meetings and support timely collation, entry, transmission, and archiving of implementation data using approved tools and digital platforms.
- Assist the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer in addressing data quality queries and ensuring completeness, accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of reported data.
- Maintain proper documentation and filing of programme records, reports, implementation tools, and supporting evidence at LGA level.
Coordination and Representation (10%):
The LGA Field Officer shall:
- Support overall planning and coordination of trainings, review meetings, supervision visits, payment verification exercises, and other programme implementation activities at LGA level.
- Liaise with key stakeholders, including LGA teams, State Ministries of Health, State Primary Health Care Boards/Agencies, State Malaria Elimination Programmes (SMEPs), community leaders, and relevant partners to support smooth implementation of SMC activities.
- Attend and actively participate in daily review meetings, data validation meetings, planning meetings, and other programme coordination meetings as directed by the Programme Officer or State Programme Manager.
- Represent Malaria Consortium at LGA level and support effective coordination with government and community stakeholders as required.
- Escalate implementation, commodity, safeguarding, personnel, and payment-related issues requiring state-level intervention.
Administrative and Other Duties (10%):
The LGA Field Officer shall:
- Support development and implementation of action plans to ensure effective coordination and achievement of programme targets within assigned LGAs.
- Support monitoring of commodity consumption patterns and provide timely updates on stock status and resupply needs.
- Ensure proper physical inventory, reconciliation, and documentation of SMC commodities and implementation materials at the end of each implementation cycle.
- Support verification and reconciliation of campaign personnel attendance records and deployment records where required.
- Maintain confidentiality of programme information, personnel records, and beneficiary data.
- Ensure compliance with all Malaria Consortium administrative, operational, financial, safeguarding, and data protection policies.
- Perform any other programme-related duties as may be assigned by the line manager in support of successful implementation of the SMC campaign.
Key Deliverables and Performance Outputs
The LGA Field Officer shall be responsible for the timely submission of the following deliverables and evidence of performance throughout the consultancy period:
Personnel Management Deliverables:
- Updated electronic database of all approved campaign personnel within the assigned LGA.
- Personnel deployment records and distribution plans.
- Personnel attendance records for trainings, implementation activities, review meetings, and other programme activities.
- Verified personnel payment database, including validated names, phone numbers, bank account details, and other required payment information.
- Documentation and tracker of personnel payment-related issues, including actions taken and resolution status.
Training Deliverables:
- Training implementation plan.
- Training attendance records.
- Training reports, including training monitoring findings and recommendations.
- Evidence of supportive supervision, mentoring, and on-the-job capacity building conducted for campaign personnel.
Commodity Management and Accountability Deliverables:
- Evidence of receipt, distribution, utilization, accountability, and reconciliation of: SPAQ commodities, visibility and communication materials, implementation tools and forms, attendance sheets, waybills and distribution records, ICT4D devices and accessories (where applicable) and reverse logistics and stock reconciliation reports for all implementation cycles.
Programme Implementation Deliverables:
- Community mobilization reports.
- Daily implementation updates during campaign periods.
- Supervision and monitoring reports.
- Household follow-up and missed children tracking reports.
- Pharmacovigilance reports and documentation of adverse events, where applicable.
- End-of-Cycle (EoC) reports.
- Administrative coverage reports.
- Implementation performance summaries.
Data Management and Reporting Deliverables:
- Data validation and reconciliation reports.
- Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) reports.
- Daily review meeting reports and action trackers.
- Data quality assessment findings and corrective action reports.
- Timely submission of all approved reporting templates and programme documentation.
Coordination and Documentation Deliverables:
- Minutes and reports from coordination meetings, review meetings, and stakeholder engagements.
- Documentation of implementation challenges, lessons learned, best practices, and recommendations.
- Success stories, case studies, and other programme documentation as requested.
- Final consultancy report summarizing key activities, achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.
Performance Expectations
The consultant shall be expected to:
- Ensure timely submission of all assigned deliverables according to agreed timelines.
- Maintain high standards of data quality, completeness, and accuracy.
- Ensure full accountability for commodities, implementation materials, ICT4D devices, and programme resources under their custody.
- Support achievement of programme coverage and quality targets within assigned LGAs.
- Adhere to all Malaria Consortium operational, safeguarding, financial, and data protection policies throughout the consultancy period.
Qualifications and Experience
Essential Qualifications and Experience:
- Be a Clinical Officer or a Nurse.
- Possess a Public Health, Science or development-related qualification.
- At least two years field experience in related field.
- Fluency in English, Hausa and / or other local languages is required.
- Experience working in drug/commodity supply management, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and logistics.
- Ability to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences including LGA staff, Health Facility Workers (HFWs), and community leaders.
- Experience of conducting quality supportive supervision and data use.
Desirable Qualifications and Experience:
- A broad range of experience including logistics, training and capacity building ability.
- Experience of managing teams.
- Experience working at LGA level.
Work-Based Skills:
- Good planning and organizational skills.
- Basic computer skills, particularly Microsoft Office applications.
- Flexible, with the ability to work both as an individual and as a team member under pressure and in challenging environments.