E4A Nigeria
Job description: Project Coordinator, QuIC
1. BACKGROUND
1.1
Evidence for Action (E4A)
Evidence for Action (E4A) is a five year programme (2011-2016) managed by Options Consultancy Services
and funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to improve maternal and newborn
survival through a combined focus on evidence, advocacy and accountability across six sub-Saharan African
countries: Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania. The E4A consortium brings together
experts from academic institutions, internationally recognised advocacy and accountability coalitions and
civil society organisations. It works through local institutions in each of the six selected countries which host
a small E4A Country Team.
E4A’s overall aim is to improve timely access to birth in facilities which save maternal and newborn lives,
with a particular focus on ensuring that hospitals, as the final piece of the referral chain and the central base
for supportive supervision across other facilities, are able to provide life-saving care for mothers and
newborns. Three sub-strategies will enable E4A to effect this change, in the aim that:
1.2

Every single maternal and perinatal death is reviewed effectively and acted upon.

Evidence underpins decisions and accountability in maternal and newborn health (MNH) at all levels
of the health system.

Maternal and newborn survival is a priority for all Nigerians, through the reach of the Mama Ye!
campaign and website, which will inspire and engage the whole community, and raise expectation
to stimulate action by others.
Piloting Quality of Institutional Care (QuIC)
Monitoring of quality of care (QoC) can be integrated into routine health information systems but many are
not available to decision makers in a timely fashion to facilitate immediate responses to QoC issues and
often data is not presented to facilities and decision makers in an accessible format. In response the
“Quality of Institutional Care” (QuIC) approach has been designed to provide a practical, low cost, low
resource and fast way to gather ‘real-time’ facility level quality of care data using phone networks.
QuIC is currently implemented in five E4A countries, and is jointly funded by NORAD and DFID. The pilot is
supported by the UK based QuIC Implementation Team and managed by Options Consultancy Services
based in London.
The QuIC Nigeria pilot began in August 2014 and is implemented across all 48 EOMONC facilities in Jigawa,
ranging from five to six facilities in each Gunduma Council. Since inception, QuIC has achieved notable buyin from the local government, nine government Clinical Care Coordinators, one from each of the Gunduma
Council, have agreed to assist with the implementation of QuIC. In September 2014, key government
stakeholders were orientated and trained in the QuIC approach. The pilot integrates m-health innovations
through the use of QuIC application for smart phones, enabling rapid data collection and data analysis. The
pilot is scheduled to end in August 2015, with a possible extension to March 2016.
2. JOB SUMMARY
2.1 Lead project responsibility for implementing QuIC Pilot
2.1.1
Stakeholder liaison and relationship building
National level:
At the national level the Project Coordinator is expected to:
-
Liaise with all relevant stakeholders in Nigeria, including raising awareness of QuIC at
meetings/workshops and convening meetings/workshops as required, to ensure the convergence
between the QuIC approach and the government’s quality of care needs; explore how QuIC can be
effectively integrated into existing mechanisms.
Jigawa State:
The Project Coordinator is expected to:
-
Have regular communication with stakeholders to review the tool design, feedback of results, and QuIC
approach
Explore opportunities for integrating QuIC into existing supervision or other regular visits to
participating health facilities
Build the capacity of state and gunduma council-level staff to administer the QuIC tool and utilise
scorecards
Liaise closely with government counterparts on QuIC implementation
Support the coordination and conducting of spot-checks
Ensure results from QuIC are received and understood by all relevant stakeholders and health facilities
Support government in using the QuIC scorecards to take targeted actions to improve quality of care at
institutional-level
2.1.2 Overseeing the implementation of the QuIC project
The Project Coordinator is expected to:
-
Build the capacity of government to administer and utilise the QuIC tool
In collaboration with and working through the state level and gunduma councils:
- Inform and monitor an implementation plan, including timeframe and budget
- Support the design of the feedback mechanisms to facilities and reporting to stakeholders
On a quarterly basis the Project Coordinator is expected to support the government to:
-
Ensure data are collected by telephone, as per the implementation plan
Ensure data entry and analysis is up to date
-
Produce feedback reports/scorecards for health facilities and ensure they are distributed
Produce reports for E4A and government officials quarterly and ensure they are distributed
On a regular basis the Project Coordinator is expected to:
-
-
Support the coordination and undertaking of spot-checks of participating health facilities and meet with
relevant government officials
Have regular communication with health facilities and respond to any telephone/email/face to face
queries from health facilities and government officials
Document any queries/concerns from health facilities/government officials/other stakeholders, as well
as the challenges faced and lessons learned to support as part of the documentation of the QuIC
implementation process
Build the capacity of government officials and facility staff in monitoring quality of care and
interpretation of findings
2.1.3 Liaising with UK based QuIC Implementation Team
The Project Coordinator is expected to have regular discussions and provide prompt feedback about the
QuIC implementation progress, stakeholder liaison and relationship building to a member of the QuIC
Implementation Team via email and skype conversations (including informing of any queries raised by
health facility staff / government officials). They are also expected to work closely with any members of the
QuIC Implementation Team during visits.
The QuIC Implementation Team will support and quality assure: tool adaptation, capacity building of
government personnel administering tool, facility selection, the implementation plan, quarterly technical
reporting to donors (DFID and NORAD), analysis, interpretation, feedback and dissemination of quarterly
results.
2.3 Person specification
Essential
-
-
At least three years of experience in a position that involved working with the Nigerian health system,
senior health service managers and clinical professionals (e.g. as a researcher, programme/project
manager or health service manager)
A good understanding of the Nigerian health system and maternal and newborn health
A good understanding of the Nigeria decentralised administrative system and how health systems fit
within this setting
Practical experience of working effectively with managers at different levels of the health system in
Nigeria, from national to district and facility-levels
Practical experience of research or collecting monitoring information for a service or project, ideally on
a donor project/research project with a health component
Practical experience of managing and/or implementing a project involving a variety of stakeholders, and
implementing activities according to schedule and to a good standard
Practical experience of training and/or facilitating workshops
Good communication skills when making presentations, facilitating workshops and in discussions with
stakeholders
Good written English and experience of writing project or research reports in English
-
Proficient in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint and able to perform basic statistical analysis (e.g.
frequencies and crosstabs) and present data graphically
A demonstrated willingness to work extensively in Northern states in Nigeria
Desirable
-
Post-graduate qualification in a relevant subject (e.g. public health, demography, epidemiology,
research, monitoring and evaluation)
Proficient in data analysis in SPSS, Access or Epi-info
Able to create and manage databases
Experience of conducting interviews in a research project/programme
Experience of managing budgets
Experience of assessing quality of care
2.4 Location
The Project Coordinator will ideally be based in Jigawa, with regular travel to Kano and potentially Abuja.
We will be willing to discuss possibilities for the coordinator to be based in Kano, but spending at least 50%
of the time in Jigawa.
2.5 Key relationships
2.5.1 Line Management and in-country technical support
The Project Coordinator will be line managed by Sarah Barnett, QuIC Technical Advisor. The E4A Regional
Coordinator (North) will also provide technical support to the QuIC pilot, facilitate stakeholder engagement,
ensure integration of QuIC with relevant activities and support appropriate use of QuIC data in national and
local quality improvement efforts. The E4A Country Director will provide director oversight and participation
in the key QuIC processes.
2.5.2 Technical Support from the UK
The Project Coordinator will receive technical support from the UK based QuIC Implementation Team, who
have overall responsibility for the implementation of QuIC across five countries. The QuIC Implementation
Team will provide day to day support to the implementation of the QuIC in Nigeria, including the
preparation of the systematic review, guidance on the methodology and implementation process (advising
on the final tool design, the orientation process, data input and analysis processes, feedback mechanisms
and quality assurance) and documenting the QuIC implementation process so learning can be shared
nationally and internationally. The Project Coordinator will also benefit from technical support from the E4A
Nigeria technical support unit (TSU), which contributes to the overall E4A Nigeria strategy.
3. TIME FRAME
The Project Coordinator will be recruited as soon as possible, with the role commencing in late December
2014/ early January 2015. The contract will be until August 2015, but with a possible extension through to
March 2016.