LISTEN Process Evaluation
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.