Terms of Reference (TOR)

TITLE:                         Data Analyst

REPORTS TO:           Sr. MEL Advisor – BHF Pathfinder

PROJECTS:                 Building Healthy Families Activity – Pakistan

LOCATION:               Hyderabad, Sindh

Overview of USAID/Pakistan Building Healthy Families (BHF):

Building Healthy Families BHF is a USAID-funded five-year activity, with Pathfinder International as the lead implementer in Pakistan, aiming to improve population health outcomes in Pakistan through stronger primary health care systems and encouraging uptake and continuation of voluntary Family Planning (FP)/ Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child Health (RMNCH) services. Using a market development and health systems strengthening approach, BHF will support the Government of Pakistan (GoP) in Sindh & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the private sector institutions to achieve three results:

1. Increase the capacity of the government and private health institutions to lead resilient, responsive FP/MNCH systems;
2. Improve utilization of quality FP/RMNCH products and services; and
3. Empower men and youth to communicate about, demand, and use essential services

One of the key intermediate results of BHF is the “capacity of government institutions strengthened to scale up FP/RH/MNCH high-impact practices”. One such activity includes strengthening the Management Information System (MIS) Directorate in Sindh for improved health services data management and utilization which will be sustainable once the BHF activities/intervention ends. Overall, strengthening the MIS Directorate in Sindh involves enhancing its infrastructure, capacity strengthening of MIS teams in data accuracy, visibility, and reporting, enhancing FP data collection, analysis, and reporting processes through Technical Assistance (TA), and FP data integration to ensure effective data management and utilization. By organizing these initiatives cohesively, the MIS Directorate in Sindh stands prepared to elevate data-driven governance, ultimately fostering improved healthcare delivery and societal well-being.

Purpose of TA:

Providing TA through skilled data analysts is pivotal in empowering the Directorate General Health Services (DGHS) office and its MIS team to leverage data effectively for decision-making and problem-solving. The primary objective of the TA is to strengthen and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the MIS. Specifically, the data analyst will be responsible for capacity strengthening of all the existing MIS staff, data cleaning, data analysis, generating quality reports, and extracting actionable insights from the available data. Initially, a key focus will be on delivering comprehensive training to the existing MIS directorate staff, including all staff who are overseeing DHIS, DGHS M&E team, and ECR. This effort is designed to empower the workforce with updated skills and knowledge, optimizing the utilization of diverse information systems within healthcare management. Another crucial aspect involves data cleaning, data analysis, generating quality reports, and extracting actionable insights. This strategic addition is intended to bolster analytical capabilities, thereby facilitating informed decision-making grounded in data-driven insights.

To achieve the aforementioned goal, BHF will provide Short-Term Technical Assistance (STTA) for Health System Strengthening (HSS) to fulfill all the specified tasks during its tenure (nine months). Additionally, the same STTA will conduct capacity building for DGHS staff, ensuring their capability to independently handle these tasks in the future.

Scope of work for the Data Analyst/STTA:

1. Review, and maintain large datasets of DHIS and Electronic Client Records (ECR)
2. Data validation of the reported data in all the MISs through joint field monitoring with the relevant MIS team such as DHIS
3. Perform data quality assessment (DQA) to ensure data accuracy, data completeness, and data consistency.
4. Provide support in data analysis of DHIS, implementing data analysis procedures for all MISs within the MIS Directorate at the DGHS office.
5. Conduct in-depth analysis using descriptive statistical methods and use data visualization tools to project data in a useful manner.
6. Identify trends, patterns, and anomalies within datasets.
7. Work closely with cross-functional teams in DGHS to understand data requirements.
8. Manage and optimize databases for efficient data retrieval and analysis.
9. Conduct capacity-strengthening for Department of Health (DOH) staff to ensure their independent handling of tasks in the future.
10. Assist in the expansion of ECR in 16 BHF intervention districts.
11. Assist in the strengthening of the Sindh Health Information System (SHIS).
12. Present analytical results clearly and understandably. Generate actionable insights from the existing databases/datasets (DHIS and ECR).

Deliverables:

1. Report on the training of DGHS MIS staff, including DHI, including list of personnel trained, description of training, and outcome.
2. Documented procedures for data analysis of both the MISs (ECR and DHIS), for all within the DGHS office.
3. Comprehensive data analysis reports to communicate findings effectively.
4. Final report providing an overview of capacity-strengthening for DGHS MIS staff with recommendations for the way forward.

Reporting:

The Data Analyst will be reporting to Sr. MEL Advisor BHF and closely working and collaborating with Asst. Director MIS DGHS based in Hyderabad Sindh

Level of Effort: The expected duration of the assignment is nine (09) months with a total LOE (Level of Effort) of 195 days distributed as a maximum of 23 working days per month.

Required expertise:

The individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the required knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed to perform the principal duties:

1. Master's degree in Statistics / Information Technology / Computer Sciences or related discipline required
2. Minimum of eight (8) years of experience in a relevant field (data analysis, capacity strengthening, conducting training and generating data reports)
3. Experience with the health/development sector will be a must
4. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
5. Excellent skills in data analytics, interpretation of data/findings, and report writing in English
6. Experience with District Health Information System (DHIS), LHW MIS, and CMW MIS is preferred.
7. Attention to detail and accuracy in data interpretation.

Note: The scope of work can be changed as per the advice of the donor