Objectives of the Role
The Field Officers will support the following objectives:
- Conduct community entry activities alongside PACKS Africa supervisors and local stakeholders.
- Participate in mandatory training on data collection tools, ethical standards, and PEAH (Protection, Ethics, Accountability, and Humanitarian) safeguarding principles.
- Facilitate and document focus group discussions with community members.
- Administer structured surveys to a representative sample of community respondents.
- Ensure data quality, completeness, and accuracy throughout the field exercise.
- Submit all completed data forms, field notes, and daily reports to the supervising PACKS Africa staff.
Key Responsibilities
A. Community Engagement
- Accompany PACKS Africa staff during community entry meetings with chiefs, MMDCEs, Assembly Members, Queen Mothers, and WASH Directors, among others.
- Act as a respectful and professional representative of the project in all community interactions.
- Support the identification of suitable respondents in line with the sampling criteria.
B. Focus Group Discussions
- Co-facilitate or assist in facilitating one focus group discussion per district on the final day.
- Take accurate and detailed notes capturing key themes, quotes, and community insights.
- Photograph activities during FGDs with the informed consent of participants.
C. Survey Administration
- Administer structured survey questionnaires to assigned respondents across Days Three to Five.
- Ensure all questions are clearly explained and associated answers accurately recorded.
- Maintain a daily target of survey completion as agreed with the supervising officer.
- Review completed forms for errors and omissions before submission.
D. Data Quality and Reporting
- Complete a brief daily activity report summarising progress, observations, and any challenges encountered.
- Flag data quality issues, community concerns, or access challenges to the supervising PACKS Africa staff promptly.
- Submit all completed data forms and materials at the end of each day or as instructed.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Lives in the assigned district
- Basic literacy in written English for completing reports and forms.
- Access to a smart phone and internet
- Minimum of a diploma or bachelor’s degree in social sciences, development studies, public health, or a related field.
- Prior experience in field data collection, community surveys, or research fieldwork.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to engage diverse community groups respectfully.
- Proficiency in the local language(s) of the assigned district (Gurene/Frafra for Bongo; Twi/Bono for Sunyani; Ga/Twi/Ewe for Adenta).
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team under supervision.
Desirable
- Previous experience working on WASH, gender, or climate resilience programmes.
- Familiarity with PEAH principles, research ethics, and community safeguarding.
- Experience using mobile data collection tools (e.g. KoBoToolbox, ODK) is an advantage.
- Demonstrated ability to work in rural or peri-urban community settings.
Reporting and Collaboration
Each Field Officer will report directly to the PACKS Africa supervising staff member assigned to their district zone. Supervisors will provide day-to-day guidance, conduct quality checks on completed forms, and address any operational issues that arise during the field exercise.
Field Officers are expected to communicate proactively with their supervising officer and adhere strictly to the agreed field schedule and protocols.
Level of Effort & Compensation
- Level of Effort: Up to 5 consultancy days over 1 month (with flexibility depending on project phases and deliverables).
- Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with experience, aligned with PACKS Africa’s consultancy framework.
Location: Bongo, Sunyani, Adenta
Salary
Competitive
Monthly based
Location
Adenta, Greater Accra Region, Ghana
Adenta, Greater Accra Region, Ghana