Data Collection Specialist
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact - the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.

Consultancy Scope of Work: Data Collection Specialist
D4I Activity: Social Service Workforce Assessment
Country: Rwanda
Expected Period of Performance: November 2022 – April 2023

Company Overview
Palladium is a global leader in the design, development, and delivery of Positive Impact - the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities, and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental, and financial benefits. For the past 50 years, we have been making Positive Impact possible. With a team of more than 2,500 employees operating in 90-plus countries and a global network of more than 35,000 technical experts, Palladium has improved - and is committed to continuing to improve - economies, societies, and most importantly, people's lives.

Background
Palladium is a consortium member of the USAID-funded Data for Impact (D4I) Project. The D4I mission is to support countries to realize the power of data as evidence that can improve programs, policies, and outcomes. The D4I project strengthens the technical and organizational capacity of local partners to collect, analyze, and use data to support their move to self-reliance.
USAID’s Children in Adversity Team has requested D4I to perform an assessment of the social service workforce strengthening (SSWS) activities that it is supporting across three countries – Armenia, Cambodia, and Rwanda. Learning from this assessment is also expected to be applicable to other contexts. In undertaking this assessment, the D4I assessment team (DAT) will engage in a series of activities, including the review of global and country-specific documentation, convening global and national-level advisory groups, analysis of secondary data, and primary qualitative data collection and analysis.
Palladium is seeking qualified qualitative data collection specialists to undertake research in Rwanda as part of this assessment.

Assessment Questions
1. What approaches to (a) planning, (b) developing, and (c) supporting the social service workforce responsible for providing services to children and families in adversity have been invested in by the government, the Vulnerable Children Account (VCA), and other key partners in the selected countries?
2. What have been the advantages and limitations of these social service workforce strengthening approaches in developing and improving sustainable social service systems?
3. What, if anything, can be concluded from available data about changes at the child and/or household level that coincide with the implementation of these approaches?

Scope of Work
Working closely with members of the D4I assessment team (DAT), and in-country stakeholders, the successful applicants will be responsible for the following scope of work under this activity. Two applicants will be selected to jointly work on the scope of work:

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Preparation work:
• Collaborate with DAT to confirm the sample population and geographic locations for the qualitative key informant interviews and focus group discussions in areas of Rwanda determined by the DAT and in collaboration with the USAID Mission and USAID/HQ.
• Translate or verify translation of question guides and informed consent forms to local language

Prepare logistics for data collection
Coordinate and support logistics for preparation for data collection, including:
• Participate in training for in-depth interview data collection and focus group moderation
• Coordinate logistics such as housing and transportation necessary for successful data collection, including communication with assessment participants about logistics for data collection.
• Collaborate with the DAT to finalize and pre-test research instruments and translate them to the local language.

Undertake focus group discussion and in-depth interviews
• Undertake interviews and focus groups with different types of stakeholders, per the following table. Focus groups and in-depth interviews will be undertaken in the local language. Recruitment of participants will be undertaken with guidelines and direction of the DAT.
Element Rwanda
Key informant interviews 10-12
Focus group discussions with social service workforce staff, paraprofessionals, and supervisors, separated by region 9 groups (3 per region)
Focus group discussions with youth beneficiaries (age 15-18) 6 groups (2 per region)
Focus group discussions with parents or other caregivers of younger beneficiaries. 6 groups (2 per region)
Data management and analysis
• Clean, analyze, and translate all data. Transcribe recordings of all focus groups and in-depth interviews directly to English; identify themes and linkages; and analyze the data using established qualitative data and analyses techniques (nVivo or AltasTi).
Report writing
• Support the DAT to produce a final country report (in English) with an executive summary in the local language, summarizing the findings of the assessment. Collaborate on facilitating a virtual dissemination workshop to discuss the findings of the report. Submit to the DAT and finalize after receiving feedback.

Deliverables Schedule
Benchmark Estimated Completion
Training of data collectors conducted November 30, 2022
Final research instruments in local language December 15, 2022
KII with stakeholders conducted February 15, 2023
FGDs with social workers social service workforce cadres conducted* February 15, 2023
FGDs conducted with representatives of beneficiary households and with youth beneficiaries February 15, 2023
Audio recordings and transcripts of all interviews and FGDs March 1, 2023
Coding framework and code book March 1, 2023
Analysis report with documentation of process for identifying themes March 15, 2023
Draft report in local language and translate to English March 31, 2023
This consultancy will be a deliverable-based contract. Two consultants will be responsible for producing the deliverables jointly.

Required Qualifications:
Essential skills and qualification
• Qualitative research expertise with demonstrated success in Rwanda implementing all phases of qualitative research, including: research design, participant identification, scheduling of interviews and focus-group discussions, in-depth interviewing, focus-group facilitation, note-taking, transcription of recordings and translation to English, coding, qualitative data analysis and data cleaning, and report writing. The successful candidates will be able to ensure the collection of high-quality qualitative data, using rigorous methods and upholding standards of ethical research.
• Experience conducting research in Rwanda with service providers and with community members. Experience conducting research with adolescents preferred.
• Ability to work in a multicultural, dynamic and agile environment with changing requirements and priorities.
• Strong time management and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and solve day-to-day problems.
• Strong interpersonal, writing, and oral presentation skills.
• Intuitive ability to relate and connect with people from different cultures, orientations, and operating lens (political, technical, funder, business partner, etc.).
• Fluency in English and Kinyarwanda.
• The successful candidates must be able to accept international bank wire payments.

Additional Requirements
Applicants must provide their updated CV (no more than 3 pages) with a brief description (half a page maximum) of their work and educational experience. Applicants must also provide their relevant capacity and past performance with regards to qualitative research assessments/evaluation data collection, including a description of similar work undertaken. Please include client references (name, position, and contact details) for reference.

Deadline
The deadline for applications is October 18th, 2022, 5pm local time in Rwanda. Any application submitted after the deadline will be automatically rejected.

Submission Procedure
Please visit the following websites for detailed information. https://palladium.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/2/home/requisition/15236?c=palladium