Call for Expression of Interest – Eyeglasses Research Services

Call for Expression of Interest for a Consultant to conduct a retrospective study among patients in Sierra Leone, who received eyeglasses between 3 and 5 years ago, to understand their usage and experience, supported by the Livelihood Impact Fund’s Eyeglasses Initiative.

Title: Eyeglasses Research Services

Location: Sierra Leone

Anticipated Consultancy Length: 25 days between February 1st and April 30th 2025.

Overview of the Consultancy:

Sightsavers is being supported by the Livelihood Impact Fund’s Eyeglasses Initiative to generate new evidence on the usability, durability and wearability of near vision eyeglasses among patients in Sierra Leone. Using our existing eye care project in Freetown, Sightsavers will conduct a retrospective study among patients who received eyeglasses between 3 and 5 years ago, to understand who uses those glasses, whether they have been replaced, and their experiences of wearing the glasses. Furthermore, this pilot study will determine the feasibility of following up with these patients and provide information about the feasibility and cost of conducting a similar study at national scale.

Sightsavers is seeking an experienced researcher with strong quantitative data collection and management skills to support the timely delivery of a pilot operational research study into the durability, usability and wearability of eyeglasses in Sierra Leone. The consultant will work closely with members of Sightsavers’ Sierra Leone office, and Sightsavers’ global leads in research and refractive error to plan and deliver this pilot research study. The consultant will supervise and support two data collectors who will be hired specifically to support with data capture for this study.

Purpose of the Consultancy:

The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following:

A correct and accurate database of fully digitised patient records from the selected facilities;
A complete and accurate set of follow-up data from patients selected to participate in the telephone survey.
Draft and input into reports about study activities and results.

Schedule of Payment

This consultancy will take place between February 1st and April 30th 2025. In total the consultant will work for 25 days and be paid a rate of USD 150 per day.

Consultant specifications

The consultant will have demonstrable experience in developing and supervising quantitative data collection exercises using electronic applications.
The consultant will have demonstrable experience in supervising data collectors and implementing quality assurances processes.
The consultant will have demonstrable experience in conducting research or collecting health data from members of the public.
The consultant will have excellent written and spoken communication skills and be experienced in working with a wide range of stakeholders.
The researcher will be familiar with concepts related to research ethics such informed consent and confidentiality, and the local laws and guidelines pertaining to research involving human subjects.
It is highly desirable that the consultant is knowledgeable about issues related to eye health, particularly refractive error and spectacle use.

This is a varied and involved consultancy and the above is not an exhaustive list of duties or required professional skills. For full details of the background to this work, the approach, methodology, timelines, and budget, please see the Terms of Reference

As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Sightsavers is a Disability Confident Leader and qualified people with a disability are particularly encouraged to apply.

Sightsavers is an employer that does not tolerate any form of harassment and has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse. All potential candidates will be subjected to rigorous background checks and controls.

In line with its commitment to safe programming and recruitment, Sightsavers participates in the inter-agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) administered by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response. Through collaboration with other MDS members, Sightsavers aims to ensure that there are no sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment issues relating to potential new hires and that we can respond systematically to checks from fellow MDS members. This ensures our work is accountable, delivered to a high standard and supports safeguarding across the development and humanitarian fields.