Note Taker

Malaria Consortium (MC) Note Taker

Locations: Kanke, Pankshin, Langtang North - Plateau

Purpose and limits of the assignment

• Note Takers to undertake approved state-level qualitative fieldwork.
• Note Takers document sessions and support debriefs; and Transcribers produce accurate, de-identified transcripts and approved translations.
• Note Takers will work under the technical supervision of the
• This ToR covers field personnel only. No cadre is engaged to independently design or amend the protocol, approve sampling changes, lead the consultancy, undertake study-wide qualitative analysis, or prepare the final integrated research report.
• Duties are allocated by cadre and may overlap only when specifically assigned, personnel are trained and competent, and the Lead Consultant authorizes the arrangement.
• Locations (Applicants residing in these LGAs are encouraged to apply) Kanke, Pankshin, Langtang North - Plateau

Qualitative Study Participants and Planned Sample

• The Lead Qualitative Research Consultant will operationalize the approved multi-stage sampling process with MC and government counterparts. State Research Assistants will implement the approved recruitment plan and coordinate scheduling; Moderators and Note Takers will support eligibility checks and consent within their training and assigned roles; Transcribers will work only with authorized, consented recordings.
• No field cadre may independently change the sampling frame or respondent targets.

Participant Identification and Recruitment

• The Research Assistants, based in Kogi, Plateau and Sokoto States, with the support of the moderators, Note takers and transcribers will coordinate participant identification and recruitment for qualitative data collection in their respective states, working closely with Malaria Consortium (MC), State Programme Managers and relevant state/LGA authorities to facilitate official introductions, access to selected clusters and model facilities, and participant mobilisation through appropriate community and programme structures.
• The Research Assistants with the support of the moderators, Note takers and transcribers will coordinate the implementation of the MC-approved sampling and recruitment plan, ensuring that approved recruitment lists and eligibility criteria are followed. They will oversee the screening process, maintain accurate screening and recruitment logs, monitor recruitment progress and support the selection of participants representing diverse roles, geographical locations and levels of intervention exposure.
• The Research Assistants will coordinate with trained qualitative data collectors to ensure that prospective participants are approached appropriately, eligibility is verified, and recruitment and informed consent procedures comply with the approved study protocol and ethical requirements. Recruitment and consent will be undertaken by trained research personnel who are not directly responsible for providing services to prospective participants to minimize potential coercion and power imbalances.
• The Research Assistants will coordinate the identification, recruitment and scheduling of the relevant respondent groups in their respective states, including caregivers and community drug distributors (CDDs) from the selected qualitative cluster in each intervention LGA; health workers from model facilities serving the selected clusters; community/traditional leaders in the three Approach C LGAs; and programme stakeholders purposively selected based on their responsibilities for SMC, routine immunization (RI), primary healthcare (PHC) planning, implementation, supervision or oversight.
• The Research Assistants will monitor recruitment against the approved state-level targets and data collection schedule, document recruitment challenges, ineligibility and non-response, and promptly communicate any proposed respondent replacements to the study lead and MC for review and approval. MC will retain final approval of the recruitment matrix and any replacement of a selected respondent.

Supervision and working relationships

• The Lead Qualitative Research Consultant provides direct technical supervision to all four field cadres, including orientation, daily task allocation, coaching, fieldwork review, transcription standards and approval of routine adjustments within the MC-approved plan. Research Assistants coordinate state-level scheduling and day-to-day communication, but do not replace the Lead Consultant as technical supervisor.
• Research Assistants submit consolidated state updates; Moderators submit session completion records and interview issues; Note Takers submit session notes and debrief records; and Transcribers submit transcripts and discrepancy logs. Each cadre must promptly report consent, safeguarding, confidentiality, security or quality concerns to the Lead Consultant, with escalation to MC under approved procedures.
• MC retains overall authority for protocol, ethics, safeguarding, data governance, participant reimbursement and material changes to sampling or field procedures. MC/state/LGA counterparts support official introductions, access and approved mobilisation. No cadre may independently substitute participants, alter approved reimbursement or disclose study data.
• RAs and other data collection team members do not independently approve protocol changes, substitute respondents, alter reimbursement arrangements or share research data outside authorised channels.

Responsibilities of each Note taker

The qualitative data collection notetaker will support the moderator by systematically documenting important verbal and non-verbal information during interviews and focus group discussions. The notetaker will:

• Record key points, significant statements, emerging issues, and contextual information during each session.
• Document relevant non-verbal observations, including participants' interactions, pauses, emotional reactions, gestures, group dynamics, and other behaviours that may contribute to interpretation of the data.
• Record the date, location, participant/session identification code, duration, and other relevant contextual details for each session.
• Avoid influencing the discussion or interrupting participants unnecessarily while taking notes.
• Where applicable, document the sequence of speakers or use participant codes to distinguish contributions during focus group discussions.
• Note issues requiring further probing or clarification by the moderator.
• Immediately after each session, review and complete the field notes in consultation with the moderator while the discussion remains fresh.
• Participate in post-session debriefings with the moderator to identify emerging themes, contextual observations, and potential gaps requiring attention in subsequent interviews.
• Maintain confidentiality and ensure that notes do not contain unnecessary personally identifying information.
• Securely store all field notes and transfer them to the designated research team member in accordance with the study's data management procedures.
• Report any technical, logistical, ethical, or participant-related issues encountered during data collection to the qualitative research supervisor.

Expected deliverables by staff cadre

No. Cadre-specific deliverable Timing 1 Moderators: session guide/consent/audio checklist; Note Takers: expanded field notes and debrief record; Research Assistants: daily QA log After each session / daily 2 Moderators/Note Takers: securely handed-over recordings and notes; Transcribers: verbatim transcripts, approved translations and discrepancy log; Research Assistants: handover tracker Rolling handover during fieldwork 3 All