Research Assistant

Background

Panagora Group is a social enterprise dedicated to providing high-quality, high-impact international development, global health, and learning consulting. We are a dynamic, woman- and employee-owned small business partner focused on market-based and integrated local solutions that strengthen country capacity and independence; and on learning, communications, and technology solutions to accelerate and heighten the impact.

Panagora provides technical and advisory services related to monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning to USAID/Philippines. Under the USAID/Philippines, Pacific Islands, and Mongolia Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Activity (PIMMELA), we are supporting the USAID Office of Health (OH) in conducting a performance evaluation of the Improved Health for Underserved Filipinos: Family Planning and Maternal and Neonatal Health Innovations and Capacity Building Platforms (ReachHealth) Activity.

The ReachHealth Activity is a five-year project that started in December 2018 and aims to strengthen and improve access to critical health services for Filipino families. The project aids Philippine communities to reduce unmet need for family planning (FP) services and decrease teen pregnancy and newborn morbidity and mortality. The project focuses its support on geographic areas with the highest health burden, i.e. the highest levels of unmet need for FP and teenage pregnancy.  

Based on the request of USAID OH, PIMMELA will conduct a performance evaluation of the ReachHealth project. The evaluation primarily aims to assess how ReachHealth supported the Philippines in bolstering and improving access to critical health services, reducing unmet need for FP and decreasing teenage pregnancy. The results of the evaluation will inform USAID next FP/ARH activities and the Government of Philippines on which approaches of ReachHealth can be adopted and scaled up.

Position Summary

Panagora Group seeks a short-term technical consultant to serve as a Research Assistant to support the performance evaluation of the ReachHealth Activity. S/He will serve as a member of the evaluation team, providing technical support in terms of data collection, management, quality assurance, analysis, and visualization. S/He will participate in all aspects of the evaluation, including planning, data collection, data analysis and report writing. The evaluation is expected to be carried out between May and October 2024. The position will report to PIMMELA’s Senior M&E Director and will work closely with the performance evaluation team and PIMMELA’s Health Data Management Specialist.

Responsibilities:

· Prepare weekly accomplishment reports on tasks assigned by the Evaluation Team Leader during the planning, implementation, and reporting phases of the evaluation.

· Provide research support for a virtual desk review of existing literature, project documents and secondary data during the evaluation design phase.

· Support the development of the evaluation design and work plan, including the evaluation design matrix, data analysis plan, data collection tools and protocols, and workplan timeline.

· Support the development of pre-test protocols, data quality assurance workshop, and logistics preparation for personnel involved in data collection.

· Assist in data collection by providing notetaking and management support during site visits, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and structured observations.

· Provide data management, consolidation, and analysis support to ensure accuracy and integrity and ethical compliance.

· Support in the development of the draft evaluation report, including providing research inputs to specific sections and creating charts, graphs, and tables to effectively present data.

· Provide inputs to the PowerPoint presentation of draft findings and record meeting notes during the debriefing

· Attend the consultation forum for results validation with key stakeholders, proving inputs to the PowerPoint, recording meetings notes, and capturing agreements/next steps

· Provide inputs to final evaluation report as assigned by the Evaluation Team Leader

· Produce a final accomplishment report

· Support routine briefings with USAID OH and PIMMELA on tasks assigned by the Evaluation Team Leader

Requirements

· Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline but with a health focus (public health, economics, public policy, development studies, social sciences)

· At least 5 years’ experience in field-based and remote evaluation and/or research

· Experience implementing qualitative and quantitative data collection

· Experience coordinating and/or supervising on-the-ground data collection efforts related to evaluation and/or research in the Philippines

· Experience in data management

· Experience planning data collection activities, including logistics

· Able to analyze quantitative data, primarily using descriptive and advance statistical analyses

· Able to analyze qualitative data

· Experience using analytical software

· Proficient in English

· Familiarity with USAID health family planning (FP), adolescent reproductive health (ARH), TB (Tuberculosis), community-based drug rehabilitation (CBDR) programs/projects/activities is desirable

· Familiarity with health programs and services in the Philippines