About Us

Breakthrough ACTION Zambia is part of a global cooperative agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (CCP) to lead social and behaviour change (SBC) programming around the world. The project works in partnership with governments, civil society, communities, and other stakeholders to implement creative, evidence-based SBC programming. Breakthrough ACTION Zambia works through a collaborative multisectoral approach with One Health Stakeholders to build country risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) capacity as part of broader efforts to strengthen implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).

Job Summary

The Breakthrough ACTION team will collect qualitative data to explore perceptions of domestic animals and livestock, knowledge and risk perception toward anthrax, and potential barriers and facilitators of desired protective practices. The team will also pretest existing messages and materials related to rabies. JHU is looking for individuals (male and female) who are self-reliant, organized, and with working experience in conducting qualitative research in Zambia. If you’re self-motivated and enjoy qualitative research, our opportunities will likely be a great fit for you. We want candidates who have excellent research and qualitative technique skills, as well as advanced comprehension and written communication skills. If you fit these qualifications and have a range of interests in qualitative research and analytical skills, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

The Research Assistant/Transcriber will report to the MERL Manager. The incumbent will be responsible for the implementation of all fieldwork activities. S/he will

• Participate in a training on research protocol and interview techniques.
• Respect all components of the study protocol.
• Support in the sampling of research participants and ensure all sample size limitations are respected.
• Support the translation of the consent forms from English into Lozi/Tonga.
• Adequately prepare for data collection by demonstrating an understanding of the interview guides, qualitative interviewing technique, and consent forms and processes.
• Obtain consent for Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), In-depth Interviews (IDIs), and pretesting groups.
• Conduct and record FGDs, IDIs, and pretesting groups in 3 sites.
• Share daily comprehensive interviewer notes and participate in a team debrief during the data collection phase.
• Upload daily recordings with signed consent forms, attendance registers and field notes to a cloud-based storage folder.
• Transcribe/translate audio recordings of FGDs and IDIs as directed by the MERL Manager. Provide detailed notes about pretesting groups in a template provided by Breakthrough ACTION.
• Participate in a 5-day data analysis workshop.
• Support the creation of a PowerPoint presentation of the results.
• Write sections of the final report.

Minimum Qualifications

• Zambia national
• Full Grade 12 Certificate
• Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, public health, or another relevant field
• Minimum 3 years research experience.
• Experience in qualitative research and data collection technique.
• Access to a dedicated computer for transcribing and analysing data
• Oral and written fluency in English, and Lozi/Tonga

Technical Competencies

• Experience conducting FGDs and IDIs
• Excellent computer skills
• Capability to accurately transcribe from recordings.
• Capability to translate (if interview in local language) and transcribe into English.

Deliverables

The following deliverables shall be provided:

1. Completed consent documents for each participant in the study.
2. The Study Monitoring Forms, fully completed with details on activities and participants at each site.
3. Electronic files of all audio recordings of FGDs, IDIs, and pretesting groups as well as electronic versions of notes.
4. Electronic files (Word documents using a template provided by the Breakthrough ACTION team) of all transcriptions and pretesting notes in English.
5. Assigned sections of the PowerPoint slide deck and final report.

Duration of the assignment: 43 days spread across 2-3 months.