Qualitative Research Consultancy Firm at Jhpiego

Study Summary:

• The purpose of this study is to assess feasibility and acceptability of expanding the package of drugs and approaches available to prevent and treat postpartum haemorrhage in 36 select health facilities in Makueni county. The study participants will involve postpartum women, community representatives, healthcare providers and key MNH stakeholders. An inclusion and exclusion criteria will be used to determine the eligibility of the study participants. The findings from this study will be used to inform government decisions on where and how to introduce an expanded package of WHO-recommended drugs and approaches for PPH prevention and treatment. Study participants and people living in study locations may benefit from improved health services if study findings stimulate policy change and resource allocation. Research findings are also intended to inform WHO guidance on operationalizing PPH-related recommendations.

Responsibilities
DATA COLLECTION: NUMBER OF DAYS (30)

• Participate in 7 days training to better understand the study protocol, data collection procedures and study compliance
• Provide inception report on study requirements, data collection and management plans
• Adhere strictly to study protocols, ethical research principles, and administrative requirements.
• Coordinate and support primary data collection through key informant interviews and focus group discussions
• Review the interview and focus group discussion notes for completeness, legibility, and logical flow, so that additional information may be provided as necessary for comprehensive notes.
• Adhere to the study Standard Operating Procedures for recruitment, consent, data collection activities and documentation.
• Regularly submit audio recordings to the Country Program Manager for transcription
• Handle and protect confidential and sensitive data with integrity in line with study standard operating procedures
• Maintain close communication with the Country Program Manager during data collection
• Work collaboratively with other study team members and co-investigators as may be necessary
• Attend progress meetings, provide updates and adhere to agreed deadlines and meet targets
• Submit a field report on completed data collection and quality assurance activities
• Hand over field notes, study tools and equipment upon completion of the data collection exercise
• Complete tasks assigned within the agreed timelines

DATA ANALYSIS: NUMBER OF DAYS (70)

• Participate in training on study objectives, analytical frameworks and processes
• Adapt and finalize qualitative data analysis plans in consultation with study team members
• In collaboration with US and Kenya-based co-investigators, code transcripts from individual interviews and focus group discussions with postpartum women, community leaders, antenatal care and maternity ward staff and health facility managers
• Prepare summary memos and presentations on key findings by theme, participant type and location
• Contribute to triangulation of qualitative findings with other primary and secondary data sources
• Contribute to development of presentations, reports and journal manuscripts, if/as requested
• Handle and protect confidential and sensitive data with integrity in line with study standard operating procedures.

Deliverables

• Audio recordings of the interviews and focus group discussions labeled clearly as per the file naming convention
• Field report on completed data collection and quality assurance activities
• Final codebook for qualitative analysis with a priori and emergent codes
• Detailed qualitative analysis report and PowerPoint presentation slides to the Country Program Manager

Required Qualifications
The research consultancy firm should have experience in the following:

• Qualitative maternal health services research
• Qualitative work with a minimum of 5 years
• Presenting and interpreting data in a useable manner for a range of audiences
• Working with health care providers, community members and policy makers
• Prior experience conducting focus group discussions and in-depth interviews on medical or public health topics
• Prior experience in all stages of qualitative study implementation from study design through data collection, analysis and dissemination of results

The Research Firm Should Have a Highly Skilled Team with Demonstrated Ability to Perform the Following:

• Group facilitation skills, especially among community members
• Analyze qualitative data using Dedoose software
• Exercise confidentiality and professionalism
• Meet agreed timelines and communicate within a team
• Produce timely, high quality quantitative and qualitative data analysis and reports

The Research Firm Should Have

• Organization skills (for keeping data files organized)
• Attention to detail
• Team members who are fluent in oral and written English, Kiswahili and Kamba languages
• A team of min. 2 experienced data collectors to conduct interviews and focus group discussions in Makueni Country during July 2024
• At least 1 experienced qualitative analyst fully dedicated to this study between August and October/November 2024

The Team Lead Should Have The Following Qualifications

• Minimum Master’s degree in health, social sciences, community health or development-related field
• PhD will be an added advantage
• Prior experience in publication of qualitative or mixed methods research in reputable peer-reviewed journals
• Analytical skills in qualitative data
• Ability to communicate regularly and efficiently with the study contact person to share in progress or difficulties
• Previous experience in managing study teams
• Availability to join weekly study team meetings and work closely with in-country and global research team members throughout the study period

N/B: The team lead and research firm team responsible for data collection should be available for the trainings and study review meetings.