Job Opportunity at Africare, Database Consultant

 

Title: Database Consultant ;- Africare/Mwanzo Bora Nutrition Program
Location: Dar es Salaam Region
Reports to: Chief of Party

Project Overview ;
The Mwanzo Bora Nutrition Program (MBNP) is Africare’s flagship nutrition project. This USAID- funded program, through the Feed the Feed (FtF) and the Global Health Initiatives (GHI), supports the Government of Tanzania to improve the nutritional status of Tanzanians by implementing the National Nutrition Strategy, the Tanzania Agricultures and Food Security Investment Plan (TAFSIP), and other relevant policies. The overall goal of the program is to improve the nutritional status of children, pregnant and lactating women in Tanzania, with a specific focus on reducing maternal anemia and childhood stunting in Dodoma, Iringa, Manyara, Mbeya, Morogoro and Songwe Regions, and three districts in Zanzibar (Chake Chake, Micheweni and North A).

Background ;
Currently, nutrition data collected for MBNP are stored in MS Excel database. The data are mainly recorded at the community level by community volunteers (Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Village Agriculture and Nutrition Promoters (VANUPs) using monitoring forms developed by MBNP. This information is summarized at level-1 (village/street) by CHWsNANuPs every month and submitted at level-2 (District/Council) to MBNP sub-grants Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and then to level-3, (Region) to MBNP. Finally, the data submitted at level-4 to the MBNP Country Office for analysis and report writing, and finally stored.

The proposed digital platform will be utilized at second level (District level) for data entry. The MBNP database system will be used for aggregating MBNP statistical data collection, validation, analysis, management, and presentation.

Purpose and Objective ;
Africare in seeking a consultancy firm (termed as consultant) to develop a database that will capture/report and store data for MBNP indicators, including: children under five years of age, number of people attending demonstration days, prevalence of anemia, prevalence of stunting and minimum acceptable diet (dietary diversity and frequency; quantity and quality); and feed these data into the existing DHIS2 africaregdb.com and dev.africare.com database. The database will be used for visualization on the performance of indicator, as well as for analysis and reporting in line with Africare’s and USAID’s needs.

The specific objectives are to: ;
1. Develop a database to capture MBNP indicators.
2. Train Africare Tanzania staff and other users on functions of the database such as data entry and data use at all levels.
3. Mentor the MBNP Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist on how to develop and upgrade the database (allow for shadowing of the entire process to onboard additional skillsets within the program).

In addition, the consultant will be required to do the following.

a. Conduct desk research

Requirement gathering ;Collation and review of M&E frameworks, data collection tools, reports, and indicators for analysisAnalysis of data collection workflow, reporting frequency, and analytics’ essentials ;

b. Develop and customize the database

Map the indicators and framework to suit purpose ;Allow for Africare and USAID co-review ;Customize MBNP forms to fit into the developed system of the database ;Develop entry interface with validity checks ;Develop standard reports and dashboards ;Customize reporting hierarchy, data elements, indicators, organizational units, periods, and reporting frequencies for analytics ;Test, setup, and deploy MBNP online database and instance. ;

c. Conduct training and supportive supervision

Prepare training materials and operation manuals on database customization ;Provide training field based MBNP data collection and reporting ;

d. Provide technical support and maintenance during the piloting phase of the database

Routine support on users, tools, updates, fixes, and attendance of feedback and queries (once in a month for 6 months) ;Routine electronic data checks and notification on integrity and quality violations impacting analysis (Once a month for 6 months) ;

Expected Deliverables
The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:
1. Database and dashboard for MBNP
2. MBNP specific training manuals and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
3. Consultancy report

Proposed Timeline of Activities
The overall Level of Effort (LOE) for this assignment is 24 days Supervision The consultant will work closely with the MBNP M&E team and other project staff.

Qualifications (Education, Work Experience, Special skills andlor knowledge, Competencies required for the assignment):

The key personnel of the consultancy firm should:

Have a masters’ degree, preferably in software background and development. ;Have at least five years working experience in software development, and must have solid experience as a database preferably DHIS2 developer ;Have good knowledge in using DHIS2 for individual records ;Have good knowledge on large scale DHIS program implementation. ;Have good knowledge of MS Excel and indicator book development; and key performance indicator tracking with a good understanding of M&E for program implementation in development ;Be familiar with standard data and information ethics and security protocols ;

How to Apply:
Please submit your firm proposal to the Chief of Party, MBNP through email ONLY attanzania_procurements@africare.orgincluding the following:

• Curriculum vitae (CVs) for the firm key personnel — primary developer
• Reference and contacts of institutions where related previous work on database development was conducted-
• OSLO certification is an added advantage Please, include “Database Consultant – MBNP.” in the subject line when submitting through the email address provided. The deadline for receiving applications is by close of business at 16:30, Wednesday 7th March 2018. Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications that we receive, we will not be able to respond to each individual applicant.

Africare is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, political affiliation, religion, gender, disability, and/or sexual orientation.

Source: The Guardian February 28, 2018 ;