Background

Addis Ababa University in partnership with Emory, Hawassa, and Mekelle Universities and the ministry of health, Oromia, Amhara, SNNP, Sidama and Tigray regional health bureaus, is finalizing preparation to start implementation of the Saving Little Lives (SLL) project in Ethiopia. The SLL project is funded by the Global Financing Facility and managed by UNICEF Ethiopia Office. The Saving Little Lives (SLL) program is outcome and impact-oriented initiative. The primary goal of SLL is to reduce neonatal mortality by 35% at the population level at the scale-up sites using SLL’s synergistic interventions that target the primary drivers of perinatal and neonatal mortality. The SLL interventions will be systematically expanded at the regions’ 290 hospitals (15 specialized, 69 general and 206 primary) and 1,499 health centers in the aforementioned regions. The target facilities are estimated to manage 1.27 million births annually which is 45% of total births expected in the four regions.

Job Summary:

The Program Learning Research Assistant will work closely with the Evaluation Coordinator and will be responsible for systematically collecting, analyzing and reporting high quality program learning data to inform refinement of SLL project implementation in the selected project sites. The Program Learning Research Assistant will conduct interview, extract data from registers and reports, conduct direct observation of care and facilities to gain deeper understanding of the facilitators and barriers of SLL project implementation in the scale up sites. The Program Learning Research Assistant will strictly follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) and protocols laid out by the study investigators to ensure the project activities are implemented meeting high standards and high-quality data are generated.

Specific roles and responsibilities include

• Under the guidance of the Evaluation Coordinator, the qualitative research assistant will be responsible for collection, transcription and preliminary analysis of high-quality program learning qualitative data.
• Visit women, communities and health workers at health facility and community level to conduct focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and review of documents and records.
• Attend and observe health facility catchment program implementation learning meetings, analyze and document facilitators and barriers for effective implementation of SLL interventions
• Observe the availability and use of the SLL equipment and supplies at the health facilities
• Develop and present brief report on barriers and facilitators of implementation of the SLL packages and suggested solutions to overcome the barriers and enhance the facilitators
• Work with the co-investigators, Evaluation Coordinator, and the Regional Scale-up Coordinators to refine the program learning tools and approaches
• Contribute to the development of periodic reports and papers
• Develop monthly performance report and submit them to the Evaluation Coordinator;
• Execute other tasks given by the Evaluation Coordinator

Vacancy:

Program Learning Research Assistant

Duration of work:

1 year with possible extension

Tentative Start Date:

Immediately

Number of posts:

1

REPORTS TO:  

Evaluation Coordinator

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or Bachelor degree in health or health-related field with at least two years of experience with progressive responsibility in the health care system and large-scale research coordinator
• Demonstrated experience working in health facilities as frontline health workers managing sick children
• Familiarity with the Ethiopian health system, Ethiopian Ministry of Health and Regional Health Bureaus preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in qualitative assessment of patient care
• Written and verbal fluency in English required. Written and spoken fluency in Afan Oromo and Amharic languages is required. Strong writing skills and exceptional oral and written communication skills required.

Additional Qualifications:

• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills necessary. Ability to handle and prioritize multiple project activities, balance conflicting priorities, and handle confidential information appropriately. Must exhibit tact and diplomacy in inter-cultural settings.
• Prior field research and academic experience related to maternal and newborn health in Ethiopia is desirable.
• Exceptional organizational skills, ability to prioritize multiple tasks, and careful attention to detail.
• Prior experience working with electronic data collection and online databases, and demonstrated experience managing databases.