NAFASI Za Kazi JSI Research & Training Institute

NAFASI Za Kazi JSI Research & Training Institute

Research Assistants – Governance and Health Financing (14 Position)

Project Overview
The purpose of the NextGen Ugavi Bora, Afya Bora Project is to strengthen Tanzania’s public health supply chain and pharmaceutical services to ensure sustainable access to and appropriate use of safe, effective, quality-assured, affordable health commodities. NextGen Ugavi Bora, Afya Bora Project must work to develop the capacity of local systems, institutions, and individuals to sustainably manage supply chains, for both US Department of State (DOS) procured health commodities and those procured through national/local systems, and to strengthen local pharmaceutical management systems, including quality pharmaceutical services and national regulatory systems

Objective of the Assignment 
To support the collection of qualitative and quantitative data required for the comprehensive mapping of the current SC&PM governance and supply chain financing landscape in Tanzania, including gathering data on structures, processes, policies, and mechanisms in place at national and sub-national levels.

Roles and Responsibilities 

The research assistants will: 

• Participate in training sessions to understand the mapping objectives, tools, and methodologies.
• Revise and translate data collection instruments in Kiswahili and English.
• Develop a schedule for data collection in designated study areas.
• Coordinate and schedule meetings with focal persons at national, regional, council, and health facility levels and collect data through Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and document reviews.
• Accurately record data using the provided tools.
• Ensure adherence to ethical standards and informed consent processes.
• Maintain confidentiality and integrity of data collected.
• Support clarification and follow-up on data points as needed.
• Participate in team meetings and collaborative activities.
• Identify potential obstacles to timely task completion, resolve issues independently when possible, and communicate challenges that cannot be resolved autonomously.
• Maintain accurate records of meetings and research activities, including meeting minutes and an activity logbook.
• Ensure regular communication with team leads and other members.
• Ensure the safety and security of project materials, properties, personnel, and the entire team during activity execution.
• Respect for everyone, during execution and after the execution of the project.
• Perform additional tasks as requested by team leads.

Deliverables 

• Finalized assessment tools-qualitative and quantitative
• Field notes summarizing key findings and audio files (recordings)
• Daily progress reports
• Activity report summarizing key observations, challenges and recommendations.

Reporting and Supervision
The team of research assistants will work closely with technical staff from the UBAB program. They will submit daily updates to the supervisors (Governance and Finance lead respectively) and participate in debriefing sessions to share field experiences and observations throughout the field period.

Duration of the Assignment
The proposed assignment is estimated to take a total of 17 days (covering 2 training days, 1 pilot, 2 travel days and 10 days of field activities)

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Social Sciences, Pharmacy, or related fields
• Experience in qualitative and/or quantitative data collection methods.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Proficiency in Kiswahili and English
• Ability to travel within assigned regions and work independently
• Understanding of Tanzania’s service delivery and leadership at various level
• Familiarity with health systems (governance, financing etc), or supply chain concepts (added advantage)

Research Assistants Governance and Healthfinancing Transcribers (14 Position)

Project Overview
The purpose of the NextGen Ugavi Bora, Afya Bora Project is to strengthen Tanzania’s public health supply chain and pharmaceutical services to ensure sustainable access to and appropriate use of safe, effective, quality-assured, affordable health commodities. NextGen Ugavi Bora, Afya Bora Project must work to develop the capacity of local systems, institutions, and individuals to sustainably manage supply chains, for both US Department of State (DOS) procured health commodities and those procured through national/local systems, and to strengthen local pharmaceutical management systems, including quality pharmaceutical services and national regulatory systems

Objective of the Assignment
To support transcription of the qualitative data collected from the comprehensive mapping of the current SC&PM governance and supply chain financing landscape in Tanzania.

Roles and Responsibilities 

The research assistants will: 

• Conduct transcription of qualitative data concurrently as data collection is going on as per agreed daily target
• Provide daily report and submission of transcriptions for quality check
• Work on supervisor’s feedback to improve transcription quality as needed
• Participate in team meetings and collaborative activities.
• Identify potential obstacles to timely task completion, resolve issues independently when possible, and communicate challenges that cannot be resolved autonomously.
• Ensure regular communication with team leads and other members.
• Ensure the safety and security of project materials, properties, personnel, and the entire team during activity execution.
• Respect for everyone, during execution and after the execution of the project.
• Perform additional tasks as requested by team leads.

Deliverables 

• Completed submission of clean and validated datasets/transcripts
• Activity report summarizing key observations, challenges and recommendations Reporting and Supervision

The team of research assistants will work closely with technical staff from the UBAB program. They will submit daily updates to the supervisor and participate in debriefing sessions to share field experiences and observations throughout the field period. Completed data collection tools will be submitted upon completion of the fieldwork activities.

Duration of the Assignment 

• The proposed assignment is estimated to take a total of 14 days.

Required Qualifications and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in public health, Social Sciences, Pharmacy, or related fields
• Experience in qualitative and/or quantitative data collection methods.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Proficiency in Kiswahili and English
• Ability to travel within assigned regions and work independently
• Understanding of Tanzania’s service delivery and leadership at various level
• Familiarity with health systems (governance, financing etc), or supply chain concepts (added advantage).

Data Collectors – Private Sector Landscape Assessment (Position 9)

Project Overview
The purpose of the NextGen Ugavi Bora, Afya Bora (UBAB) Project is to strengthen Tanzania’s public health supply chain and pharmaceutical services to ensure sustainable access to and appropriate use of safe, effective, quality-assured, affordable health commodities. NextGen Ugavi Bora, Afya Bora Project will work to develop the capacity of local systems, institutions, and individuals to sustainably manage supply chains, for both US Department of State (DOS) procured health commodities and those procured through national/local systems, and to strengthen local pharmaceutical management systems, including quality pharmaceutical services and national regulatory systems. UBAB will further work to strengthen private sector engagement, this will be informed by the assessment results of the private sector landscape in selected regions Tanzania.

Objectives of Data Collection 

• Collect quantitative and qualitative data using a pre-developed assessment tool (questionnaire).
• Gather insights on supply chain efficiency, regulatory compliance, inventory management, last-mile delivery, and private-sector engagement models.
• Engage both public and private sector stakeholders to obtain information on the pharmaceutical private sector engagement.

Scope of Work 

Data collectors will be responsible for the following activities over 15 days:

Deliverables

• Completed assessment tools (questionnaires) with quantitative and qualitative data. • Field notes documenting key observations and stakeholder insights. • A consolidated summary report highlighting challenges, best practices, and recommendations.

Qualifications and Requirements 

• Bachelor Degree
• Experience in data collection, surveys, or fieldwork in health/pharmaceutical sectors. • Familiarity with Tanzania’s supply chain systems and private health sector. • Strong communication skills (Swahili and English).
• Ability to travel to assigned regions and adhere to deadlines.

Reporting and Supervision 

• Data collectors will report to the Private Sector Advisor
• Daily check-ins via phone/email to address challenges.

Note: The assessment tool and stakeholder list will be provided during training.

Nafasi Mpya Za Kazi Kutoka JSI Research & Training Institute

How to Apply:
If you are interested in applying, please send your CV/resume to: tanzaniaHR@jsi.org and kindly include the title you are applying to and your name in the subject line.

Please note that given the likely high volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

No phone calls or drop-ins will be accepted.

Deadline is 3 September, 2025.