BPI LISTEN Research Assistant Job Vacancy in Kenya

LISTEN Process Evaluation

Position Title: Research Assistant

Terms of Reference

Background

The Intervention: Local Innovations Scaled through Enterprise Networks (LISTEN)

Business Process for Impact (BPI), launched in April 2018, focused on two counties in Kenya (Homa Bay and Kiambu) to achieve greater impact in the fight against HIV and TB by catalyzing and scaling local delivery innovation.

As implementation of the planning grant evolved, and with inputs from stakeholders such as the Global Fund, the term “Local Innovation Scaled through Enterprise Networks” (LISTEN) was coined, better reflecting the aim of the Platform.

A follow-on grant secured in late 2020 orients LISTEN to build on the lessons learned during the planning grant, continue to strengthen established communities of practice, links to policy-makers, human-centered design, and use of data, to firmly embed community engagement and use of data for decision-making at all levels in a sustainable way for greater impact on the HIV epidemic, in particular to prevent new infections.

The primary assumption of LISTEN, validated by studies across a range of disciplines, is that the most effective and innovative problem-solving occurs at the local level.

While many local communities develop solutions intuitively, there is no systematic process to link these communities and facilitate the sharing of best practices to drive greater impact.

The purpose of LISTEN is therefore to catalyze and capture innovation at every level of the health delivery system, from urban and rural communities to cabinets and heads of state within and across countries to increase demand for, and maximize impact with, currently available tools and to accelerate the uptake of new technologies. In other words, to unleash local innovation for global impact.

The primary pillars of LISTEN are:

1) communities of practice (CP) that are linked horizontally and vertically;

2) data and metrics of impact that are relevant to each CP; and

3) human-centered design (HCD) that acts as the glue for the process.

Implementation of the LISTEN Platform aligns with and informs performance management for continuous improvement, as there is routine and intentional review and use of data to identify what changes, in which contexts, produce improvements.

The feedback loops created through this process ensure a rapid, bidirectional flow of information, i.e., communities and providers use data to enhance innovation, and policymakers use these emerging innovations to drive policy change.

The LISTEN Phase II grant is building on the planning grant to more deeply and effectively support:

1) localized enhancement of program innovation and interventions for long term sustainability and impact on systems, structures and processes at all levels;

2) creation of collaborative networks that provide consistent care across the system;

3) integration of the community and patient voice into the way interventions are designed to create community demand and sustain gains;

4) enhanced care across the continuum between facilities and policy makers, driven by community cohorts;

5) data-driven decision-making; and

6) optimization of existing resources.

Objectives

This study aims to document the implementation of key processes of the LISTEN Platform in Homa Bay and Kiambu Counties in order to assess the fidelity and adaptability of the LISTEN Platform implementation in these settings.

Findings from the process evaluation will also be iteratively used to inform an impact evaluation at end term.

The specific objectives are to:

  • Assess stakeholder engagement with and institutionalization of the LISTEN Platform throughout government, ministries, providers, local leaders, and communities
  • Explore emerging linkages between stakeholders; including vertical linkages between government / ministries, healthcare providers, and CP and horizontal linkages within government, across sectors, and between CP.
  • Examine CP activities and perspectives to understand local engagement, priorities, and capacities and document CP member experiences with the LISTEN Platform.
  • Document whether data is being properly collected, to what extent, and uses of data by stakeholders.
  • Understand the mechanisms by which the LISTEN Platform promotes demand and/or reduces barriers for HIV prevention services.
  • Document extent to which human-centered design is used to support CPs to identify and address priorities.

Purpose for this Technical assistance

The Research Assistant will be responsible for gathering accurate and credible information for the LISTEN Evaluation process.

They will work under the direct supervision and management of the Georgetown University (GU) team.

The specific tasks will include:

  • Participate in a 2–3-day training to better understand the objectives of the LISTEN Platform, HIV and health-related context, proposed qualitative methods, and practice/pre-test the data collection tools and procedures.
  • Working with GU staff and local stakeholders to develop or assist in the development of interview schedules; contact potential subjects to introduce and explain study objectives and protocol, and to arrange interviews, either in-person or by telephone.
  • Conducting and record of face-to-face and/or telephone interviews with subjects and carrying out observations during the CP meetings, in accordance with predetermined interview protocol, data collection tools and procedures, and documentation standards. The Research Assistant will be expected to provide additional memos/notes for each of the interviews and observations.
  • Review data to ensure completeness and accuracy of information; follow up with subjects to resolve problems or clarify data collected.
  • Transcription of audio-recordings into Word documents for each interview, codes and verifies data as per the research protocol.; Entering of the data into a computer database and/or spreadsheet application for subsequent analysis. The final concrete deliverable for each individual Research Assistant will be 12 completed transcripts of interviews with the Assistant’s memos/notes for each interview. We anticipate hiring 6 Research Assistants to conduct all interviews. The total number of interviews and transcripts for the team of 6 Research Assistants will be 72 for all sites in Homa Bay and Kiambu Counties.

Additional tasks for Research Assistant may include:

  • A subset of the interviews will likely be conducted in Kiswahili or local dialect. Depending on
    capacity, we are open to engaging Research Assistants in translation of transcriptions from Kiswahili
    to English.
  • Preliminary analysis of transcriptions based on predetermined qualitative analysis codebook.
  • Performs any other job- related duty as assigned.

Scope

In each of the two county settings of Homa Bay and Kiambu, a total of up to 36 qualitative interviews will be conducted per county.

This includes up to twelve (12) key informant interviews (KII) with national and county-level government and technical experts and six (6) with County Health Management Team (CHMT) members for each of the respective counties.

We will select approximately six (6) CP from each county setting (three in Kiambu County and three in Homa Bay County in Kenya).

From each CP, we expect to conduct in- depth Interviews (IDI) with three CP leaders/champions and six IDI with CP members, for a total of 18 IDI with CP leaders/champions and 36 IDI with CP members for the two counties.

We will observe at least one CP meeting using a semi-structured observation guide from the three selected CP in each county; for a total of no more than 6 observations per county.

Qualifications:

Degree or equivalent in public health, economics, political science, psychology, statistics, public policy, or another relevant social science.

The Research Assistant must be fluent in English and Kiswahili.

Bachelor’s Degree would be an added advantage.

Experience and Skills:

  • Prior research or work experience in mixed methods research;
  • Computer-programming and software skills are required.
  • Communications skills are essential (writing, in-person, moderating), as well as people management skills
  • Demonstrated experience in undertaking interviews, data transcribing and analysis
  • Basic knowledge of key research principles and ethics
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Ability to work independently and within a team
  • Multicultural and gender sensitivity, analytical thinking,
  • Maintains confidentiality and discretion at all times

Estimated Schedule

The duration of engagement is up to 30 working days excluding weekends and public holidays beginning from November to December, 2022.

Selected Research Assistants are expected to participate in a mandatory training and pretest of data collection tools during this period (2-3 days).

This will be followed by two to three weeks of data collection by 6 Research Assistants to complete 72 interviews and 12 semi-structured observations of CP meetings.

Data collection of national leaders and experts will take place in Nairobi with the remaining interviews and observations taking place in 3-4 sites in Kiambu and Homa Bay Counties, respectively.

We expect an additional two weeks of transcription and translation of audio-recordings.

Management Reporting

The Research Assistants will be the direct supervision and report to GU staff.

How to Apply:

Please send a cover letter and detailed CV, 2 references, daytime phone number(s), and email address by 1700hrs EAT, Wednesday November 23, 2022.

Your CV should include your scores or grades and other measures of academic achievement, and details about any relevant work experience to this email gui2dedfi@gmail.com.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the Research Assistant. The statements are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all possible duties, tasks, and responsibilities.

Management reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet organizational needs as necessary. Please note that Center for Global Health Practice and Impact ( CGHPI) working in conjunction with gui2de which is part of Georgetown University will never request any form of payment from an applicant.