Established in 2003, Malaria Consortium is one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations specialising in the prevention, control and treatment of malaria and other communicable diseases among vulnerable populations. Our mission is to save lives and improve health in Africa and Asia, through evidence-based programmes that combat targeted diseases and promote universal health coverage.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: State Lead Consultant (Quantitative Survey)

Locations: Bauchi and Niger

Purpose of the Assignment

• The purpose of this engagement is to recruit experienced research personnel to support the implementation of quantitative and qualitative surveys under the SMC + VAS project in Bauchi and Niger States, including the Post MNCHW 1 (baseline), LQAS end-of-cycle 1 and 2, and Post MNCHW 2 (endline) surveys.
• The surveys will assess the coverage, quality, effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of co-implementing Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) with Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), as well as the effect of the integration on the uptake of other key MNCHW interventions across all the LGAs in both states..
• The study will be conducted across 45 LGAs in the two implementation states (20 LGAs in Bauchi State and 25 LGAs in Niger State), excluding security-compromised LGAs where applicable.
• A multistage sampling approach will be used to select respondents from sampled communities and households across the LGAs.
• For the quantitative component, a minimum sample size of 900 children per survey round will be targeted, amounting to approximately 1,800 children across both baseline and endline surveys in the two states.
• A minimum of 45 clusters/communities will be sampled per survey, with approximately 20–25 households selected per cluster depending on the survey type.
• Overall, the surveys are expected to cover about 1,791 sampled settlements/communities across both states (Bauchi = 323 wards; Niger = 274 wards), with eligible households selected from each sampled settlement. For the qualitative component of the Post MNCHW 1 and Post MNCHW 2 surveys, a National Consultant, State Consultants, who are also the interviewers will be engaged to coordinate and implement the qualitative activities, including training, field testing of tools, data collection oversight, transcription and translation, analysis, and report writing.
• A total of 13 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) will be conducted, comprising 6 FGDs with Health Workers (HWs), 3 FGDs with Maternal and Chile Health (MCH) Focal Persons, and 4 FGDs with caregivers.
• In addition, 11 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) will be conducted, including 6 KIIs with state stakeholders and 5 KIIs with national stakeholders.
• For the quantitative component of the Post MNCHW 1 and Post MNCHW 2 surveys, State Consultants and Data Collectors will be engaged to support household data collection activities using electronic data collection platforms such as SurveyCTO or KoboCollect.
• In Niger State, dedicated data collectors will be recruited and trained specifically for the surveys, while in Bauchi State, the survey will leverage the existing LQAS data collectors engaged by the PF-SMC project to support implementation and if need be extending the number of days worked.
• The LQAS surveys 1 &2 will align with the existing planned SMC LQAS (cycle 1 &2/3) activities in the states and will assess SMC coverage, adherence to treatment protocols, and implementation immediately after each SMC cycle to support timely corrective actions where required.
• The VAS project Senior M&E Officers (SMEOs) for Niger and Bauchi States will work closely with the engaged national and state consultants, as well as data collectors, and will also coordinate with the respective State M&E officers and SMC M&E Managers to ensure effective implementation of the assignment and integration.
• The engaged State Consultants will support data analysis and interpretation in line with the LQAS methodology, while the National will be responsible for reviewing state-level analyses and consolidating final reports across both states.
• The consultants and supervisors will train data collectors and provide oversight for the data collection process, while data collectors will be responsible for conducting field data collection using an electronic data collection platform.

Specific Tasks for the State Lead Consultant (Post MNCHW 1 & 2 Quantitative)

• Lead the quantitative component of the baseline survey, ensuring adherence to survey methodologies and guidelines.
• Facilitate training sessions for data collectors, focusing on Survey CTO application, LQAS survey methodologies, and survey questionnaire.
• Coordinate installation of Survey CTO application on data collector’s phones and troubleshooting issues.
• Liaise with Senior M&E Officer for randomization/selection of health facilities and settlements.
• Moderate role-play sessions during data collector training.
• Ensure State Consultants comprehend LQAS survey methodologies and adhere to them.
• Support MC M&E Officer in walking State Consultants through survey questionnaire.
• Coordinate piloting of survey tool, report findings, and support real-time monitoring of data uploads.
• Conduct regular data quality checks to identify data irregularities, ensure corrections, and verify data accuracy.
• Develop and implement a data quality assurance plan to ensure data accuracy and completeness.
• Coordinate daily online evening review/feedback meetings.
• Clean final survey data, conduct preliminary analysis using STATA software, and prepare reports.
• The State Lead Consultant should ensure compliance with relevant data protection regulations and guidelines.

Qualifications and Experience

• A post-graduate M.Sc. or Ph.D. degree in social, behavioral, or health sciences.
• At least 10 years’ experience in conducting and managing quantitative surveys.
• Demonstrated expertise in research, data collection, and data analysis techniques.
• Strong analytical skills, ability to synthesize findings, and prepare well-written reports.
• Experience in leading evaluations, surveys, and analysis.
• Proficiency in SurveyCTO, Kobocollect, and other data management applications.
• Experience in using STATA for advanced data analysis.
• Ability to work within stipulated timeframe, demonstrate report writing skills, and work independently.

Deliverables:

• Complete and cleaned data set from 8,721 households in 323 wards.
• Process and data analysis reports submitted and approved by Senior M&E Officer.

Report Format and Content:

• The final report should include an executive summary, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, conclusions, and recommendations.
• The report should be written in clear and concise language, with tables, figures, and graphs used to support findings.
• The report should be submitted in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint formats.

Application Closing Date
3rd June, 2026; 05:00PM.