Research Study Coordinator- Somalia

Terms of Reference Research Study Coordinator Assessing the Provision and Documentation of Post-Abortion Care in Health Facilities in Somalia Study WISH2 Operations Research: Somalia Post Abortion Care Study Role Research Study Coordinator Location; Somalia, with travel to selected study sites as feasible and safe; remote coordination as required Reporting line Study Technical Lead - Ipas, in close coordination with IRC, Somalia Ministry of Health counterparts and study investigators 1. Background Ipas works globally to improve access to safe abortion and contraception so that every woman and girl can determine her own future. Across Africa, Asia and Latin America, we work with partners to make safe abortion and contraception widely available, to connect women with vital information so they can access safe services, and to advocate for safe, legal abortion. The WISH Dividend Operations Research study in Somalia seeks to generate operational evidence on how post-abortion care (PAC) is delivered, documented and experienced in public and private health facilities. The study will examine provider practices, facility readiness, client experiences, documentation systems and the factors affecting reporting through routine health information systems, including facility registers and DHIS2-related reporting processes. The study responds to important evidence gaps in Somalia, including 1. Limited empirical evidence on Post abortion care quality and integration within EmONC services; 2. Inconsistent documentation across public and private facilities; 3. Legal and policy ambiguity affecting provider decision-making; and 4. Stigma that may influence care-seeking, service delivery and routine reporting. Findings are expected to inform ongoing project adjustments, provider capacity strengthening, operational guidance, policy dialogue and improved integration of PAC within routine maternal health services. Given the sensitivity of the topic and the operational complexity of implementing research in Somalia, a Study Coordinator is required to provide day-to-day technical, ethical, logistical and quality assurance support for implementation. The coordinator will work closely with Ipas, IRC, Ministry of Health counterparts, local data collectors, facility focal persons and study investigators to ensure that study activities are completed safely, ethically, on schedule and to the required quality standard. 2. Period of Performance: September 21, 2026- March 20, 2027 3. Place of Performance: Banadir region, Somalia, Mogadishu with expected travel to the field 4. Objective of the Consultancy The overall objective of this consultancy is to coordinate implementation of the Somalia PAC operations research study, ensuring high-quality, ethical and timely execution of study preparation, MOH and field coordination, data collection oversight, data management support, analysis inputs, reporting and dissemination. The Study Coordinator will not replace the Principal Investigator or technical research lead. Rather, the role will ensure that the approved protocol is operationalized consistently across study sites and that all field teams, partners and facility-level stakeholders are adequately coordinated and supported under the direction of the Principle Investigator and study Co-investigators and the Senior MERLA Advisor. 5. Scope of Work 5.1 Study start-up, planning and coordination • Coordinate inception meetings with Ipas, IRC, Ministry of Health counterparts, study investigators and local implementation teams to confirm roles, timelines and decision-making processes. • Maintain a detailed study workplan and action tracker covering IRB approval, tool finalisation, translation, training, pre-testing, data collection, transcription, translation, cleaning, analysis, reporting and dissemination. • Support site readiness planning for the selected regions and facilities, taking into account security, accessibility, facility operating conditions and privacy requirements. • Prepare weekly progress updates highlighting completed activities, upcoming tasks, risks, decisions required and mitigation actions. 5.2 Ethics, regulatory and safeguarding compliance • Support preparation, tracking and follow-up of ethics and administrative approvals, including IRC IRB requirements and any MOH review processes. • Ensure all data collection activities are implemented strictly in line with the approved protocol, informed consent procedures, confidentiality requirements and data protection standards. • Coordinate translation and field use of consent forms, participant information sheets and referral information in relevant local languages. • Ensure that field teams understand and apply procedures for privacy, voluntary participation, participant distress, referral pathways and discreet handling of sensitive study materials. • Immediately escalate any adverse events, protocol deviations, confidentiality concerns or safeguarding risks to the designated study leadership team. 5.3 Tool finalization, pre-testing and training support • Coordinate finalization and version control of data collection tools, including provider IDI guides, PAC client interview guides, key informant interview guides, facility assessment checklists and health records review forms. • Support adaptation of tools into appropriate digital format, including Kobo or other agreed data collection platforms where applicable. • Coordinate translation, back-translation and technical review of tools to ensure conceptual accuracy and sensitivity of language. • Plan and support interviewer training covering study objectives, qualitative interviewing, ethical conduct, trauma-informed approaches, confidentiality, consenting, use of tools, digital data capture and field protocols. • Coordinate tool pre-testing, document lessons learned and support revisions before full data collection begins. 5.4 Fieldwork coordination and quality assurance • Coordinate day-to-day data collection across approved study sites, including scheduling visits, liaising with facility focal persons and tracking completion against targets. • Support identification, orientation and supervision of research assistants, interviewers, translators, supervisors or records review staff as required. • Ensure that participant recruitment follows approved inclusion criteria and confidentiality safeguards, especially for PAC clients and providers. • Monitor data quality during collection, including completeness, consistency, consent documentation, audio recording quality where permitted and secure upload or transfer of files. • Conduct field debriefs with data collection teams to identify emerging issues, refine field procedures within protocol limits and escalate concerns requiring technical decisions. • Maintain a fieldwork dashboard or tracker showing facilities covered, interviews completed, records reviewed, issues encountered and corrective actions taken. 5.5 Data management, transcription, translation and analysis support • Coordinate secure naming, storage, transfer and tracking of audio files, transcripts, translated transcripts, facility assessment data and records review data. • Support transcription and translation workflow management, including quality checks, anonymization and version control. • Work with the research team to ensure quantitative facility assessment and records review data are cleaned, labelled and ready for analysis. • Support qualitative analysis preparation by developing transcript inventories, coding tracker files and emerging theme memos where required. • Contribute operational insights to data interpretation, particularly around field realities, facility readiness, documentation practices and context-specific constraints. 5.6 Stakeholder engagement, reporting and dissemination support • Coordinate routine communication with Ipas, IRC, MoH counterparts, participating facilities and study leadership to maintain alignment and troubleshoot implementation issues. • Support preparation of interim updates for WISH2 country and programme steering processes, including concise progress summaries, risks and emerging operational lessons. • Contribute to drafting sections of the research report related to methods, field implementation, limitations, data quality and operational recommendations. • Support development and review of dissemination products, including policy briefs, presentation slides, stakeholder workshop materials, dashboards or summary briefs. • Support planning and coordination of dissemination meetings, webinars or national stakeholder workshops, including logistics, participant lists, agendas and documentation of feedback. 6. Deliverables # Deliverable Description Indicative timing 1 Inception note and implementation tracker Brief inception note confirming role, coordination structure, detailed workplan, communication channels, risk tracker and immediate start-up actions. Within 1-2 weeks of start 2 Ethics and readiness checklist Tracker confirming approval status, facility permissions, consent materials, referral information, tool versions, data protection arrangements and field readiness. Before fieldwork 3 Finalised fieldwork coordination package Field schedule, site contact list, team deployment plan, data collector orientation materials, supervision plan and field protocols. Before data collection 4 Training and pre-test report Summary of interviewer training, tool pre-test results, implementation issues, recommended revisions and final tools cleared for field use. After training/pre-test 5 Weekly fieldwork progress updates Concise updates covering interviews, facility assessments, records reviews, quality issues, risks and decisions required. Weekly during fieldwork 6 Data collection completion report Summary of completed sample by participant group and facility type, deviations from plan, data quality notes and outstanding issues. End of fieldwork 7 Data management handover package Organised and anonymised files, transcript inventory, data cleaning notes, Kobo/export files where applicable and secure handover confirmation. After transcription/cleaning 8 Analysis and reporting inputs Operational inputs for methods, limitations, implementation lessons, facility observations and practical recommendations for programme use. During analysis/report writing 9 Dissemination support package Stakeholder meeting logistics, presentation inputs, feedback notes and dissemination action tracker. During dissemination phase 7. Indicative Timeline The final timeline will be confirmed after ethical approval, site selection and partner availability are agreed. The coordinator is expected to support the full implementation cycle, with effort concentrated during start-up, training, fieldwork, data cleaning and dissemination. Phase Key activities Estimated timing Start-up and approvals Coordination mobilisation, IRB/admin approval tracking, site readiness planning, workplan finalisation Month 1 Tool finalisation and training Tool formatting, translation/review, training, pre-test and final revisions Month 1-2 Data collection IDI/KII coordination, facility assessments, records review, field supervision, quality checks Month 2-3 Transcription, translation and cleaning File tracking, transcript management, anonymisation, data cleaning, handover package Month 3-4 Analysis and reporting support Operational interpretation, methods inputs, review of emerging findings and recommendations Month 4-5 Dissemination and close-out Stakeholder dissemination logistics, feedback documentation, final handover and close-out report Month 5+ 8. Required Qualifications and Experience • Strong Familiarity with Somalia's health system, security/access constraints and Somali language/cultural context is strongly preferred. • Advanced degree in public health, social sciences, reproductive health, health systems, epidemiology, monitoring and evaluation, research methods or a related field. • At least 5-7 years of experience coordinating health research (SRH research preferred), operational research, programme evaluation or mixed-methods studies in fragile, humanitarian or low-resource settings in Somalia • Current certification from in-person or online research ethics course • Demonstrated experience coordinating qualitative interviews, facility assessments, records reviews and field supervision involving sensitive health topics. • Qualitative analysis using Dedoose • Strong understanding of research ethics, informed consent, confidentiality, data protection and safeguarding requirements for human subjects research. • Experience working with Ministry of Health teams, NGOs, facility managers, data collectors and multi-partner research teams. • Experience with Kobo, Excel, qualitative transcript tracking, data quality checks and basic research documentation systems is desirable. • Excellent written and spoken English; Somali language skills are highly desirable. Applicants with a clinical background in nursing, midwifery, medicine, or other relevant health disciplines are strongly encouraged to apply and will have an added advantage. Experience in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), maternal and newborn health, post-abortion care (PAC), family planning, or related public health programs will be highly desirable 9. Budget and Payment Schedule To be completed during procurement and contracting. The budget should include the consultant daily/monthly rate, estimated level of effort by phase, reimbursable expenses, communication costs and approved travel or accommodation costs where applicable. Payment milestone Suggested basis Indicative proportion Milestone 1 Approved protocol received from international and national IRBs, inception note and implementation tracker 20% Milestone 2 Finalized data collection tools, data collector training package and pre-testing completed 20% Milestone 3 Completion of data collection and weekly field updates 25% Milestone 4 Data management handover and analysis/reporting inputs 25% Milestone 5 Dissemination support and close-out handover 10% 10. Evaluation Criteria for Selection Criterion What to assess Suggested score Relevant research coordination experience Experience coordinating mixed-methods health research, field teams and sensitive study topics 25 Somalia/contextual experience Knowledge of Somalia health system, partner coordination, security/access considerations and local language/culture 20 Ethics and data protection Understanding of consent, confidentiality, safeguarding, distress protocols and secure data handling 20 Operational planning and quality assurance Ability to manage workplans, trackers, field supervision, data quality checks and risk mitigation 20 Communication and reporting Quality of written communication, stakeholder engagement and progress reporting 10 Availability and value for money Availability during required period and cost reasonableness 5 11. Proposed Start Date As soon as approvals and contracting are completed. The start date should be aligned with ethical approval, tool finalization and the agreed Somalia fieldwork schedule. 12. Application criteria Upload your CV, financial and technical proposal by 4th September ,2026 11pm EAT .