Co-Principal Investigator, Pre-conception Care Package

Country: Bangladesh Organization: Magenta FZE Closing date: 23 Oct 2026 SCOPE OF WORK (INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT) Co-Principal Investigator, Pre-conception Care Package Assignment period Up to 15 months from contract signing (Month 1 expected in November 2026) Location Dhaka, Bangladesh, with travel to the study districts and upazilas Reporting to MAGENTA Account Manager, with technical direction from the Team Leader / Principal Investigator Engagement type Deliverable-based (tentative, subject to contract award) Remuneration TBD based on experience MAGENTA is a leading Social and Behavioural Change (SBC) agency that specialises in understanding human decision-making processes in order to design relevant and impactful solutions to some of the most challenging problems of our time. We implement programmes across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean using the latest in behavioural science principles and a rigorous approach to research, strategy, campaign design and implementation. We help social-impact focused organisations across the world, including UN agencies, INGOs, governments and the private sector. Whether we are aiming to improve hygiene behaviours in schools or to understand how social norms shape menstrual health practices, we always go the extra mile to ensure we can create positive impact for some of the most underserved populations in the world. Our culture is driven by curiosity, transparency, authenticity and innovation. PURPOSE OF THE SOW This Scope of Work sets out the responsibilities and deliverables of the Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) for the pre-conception care component that MAGENTA would engage for this study. It is tentative and subject to contract award; nothing is binding before award. The Co-PI would lead the pre-conception component day-to-day, under the technical direction of the Team Leader/Principal Investigator (PI): methodology and tools, the package and its implementation tools, technical direction of the field research partner, and analysis and reporting of the pre-conception findings. BACKGROUND MAGENTA is bidding, as lead, for UNICEF Bangladesh's operational research on a pre-conception care package and on the quality of community-based Kangaroo Mother Care. The two are separate studies with separate reports and ethics approvals. This Scope of Work covers the pre-conception component only; the cKMC component has its own Co-PI. The pre-conception study is a non-experimental, mixed-methods operational study. It tests the feasibility, acceptability, reach and cost of delivering a pre-conception package through PHC, ANC, community, outreach and urban platforms, with newly married women as the entry point. It does not measure impact. The study runs in four stages: formative research in six sites (months 1–2), co-creation and testing of the package and materials (months 3–4), implementation tools, validation and revision (months 5–7), and implementation-phase data collection in four sites while the package is delivered (months 7–10), followed by analysis and final products through month 15. To deliver this initiative, MAGENTA would engage a Co-PI for the pre-conception component. The PI and Co-PI lead the methodology, tools, analysis and reporting. A field research partner, engaged by MAGENTA, contributes to the methodology from the start, then runs the ethics submissions, fieldwork and data management, with day-to-day technical direction from the Co-PI. Final sampling is shaped with the field research partner, then agreed with UNICEF and government at inception. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES The Co-PI would be responsible for the following areas of work. A. Methodology, sampling and ethics (month 1, and again before month 7) Draft the desk review and landscape analysis of pre-conception care: global evidence, social and behavioural evidence, national policies, programmes, service delivery platforms and other country experiences, for submission with the inception report in month 1. Develop the study methodology with the PI. Use the Behavioural Drivers Model to map determinants, COM-B for priority behaviours, and implementation outcomes (acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, reach, cost) for the delivery questions. Run design sessions with the field research partner and use its written input on sampling, sites, tools and field feasibility; the PI holds the final scientific decisions. Refine purposive, stratified site selection across three settings (rural; hard-to-reach; urban or peri-urban), with six formative sites and four implementation sites. Draft the protocol content for the formative-phase ethics submission, which the partner submits by the end of week 2, and for the implementation-phase protocol and amendment, approved before month 7. B. Formative research (months 1–2) Develop the formative tools: IDI, FGD and KII guides and the platform mapping checklist with a short readiness section. Deliver the protocol and tools sessions in the partner's team training. Direct about 10 to 15 field days across six sites: 12 IDIs with newly married women, 18 FGDs with newly married women, husbands and mothers-in-law, 8 KIIs, and 18 facility and outreach mapping visits. Conduct the national key informant interviews led by MAGENTA. Lead the analysis and the situational analysis and formative research report with the PI. Write the service delivery and integration assessment report on the mapping, covering integration opportunities and referral pathways (month 2). C. Co-creation and package development (months 3–7) Develop the draft pre-conception care package with the PI by month 3, covering service components, delivery mechanisms, operational guidance and the integration framework. Lead journey mapping and two co-creation workshops with newly married women, each followed by a session to test draft messages and materials in Bangla, and draft the SBC strategy (months 3–4). Develop the content of the communication materials and community engagement tools by month 4. By month 5, develop and standardise the implementation package (operational guidelines, SOPs, training modules, counselling tools, community engagement tools and stakeholder coordination mechanisms, plus recording and reporting tools, competency-assessment procedures and the quality-control mechanism) and, with the Data Manager, the MEL framework (indicators, monitoring tools, reporting formats and recommendations for integration into government systems). Prepare the month 6 consultation and validation workshop with the PI, write its report, and revise the package and tools by month 7. D. Implementation support (months 6–10) Lead the training of the providers who deliver the package and the competency assessment, and the supportive supervision of implementation in the four sites. Track implementation performance, flag bottlenecks, and propose corrective measures with the PI and UNICEF. Direct the field research partner's implementation-phase data collection: a client survey of about 300 women, a provider survey and competency assessment of about 80 providers, 24 service observations, 4 IDIs and 4 KIIs. E. Costing (months 6–10) Develop the costing approach and tools, and lead the costed scale-up and sustainability plan with the PI by month 10, covering resource requirements, implementation arrangements and a phased scale-up approach. F. Analysis and reporting (months 10–15) Review the partner's rolling data packages and the final package by month 12. Support the PI in interpreting implementation performance, challenges and costs, and contribute to the implementation progress report (month 12). Prepare the draft final package with the PI for UNICEF and government review (month 14). Draft sections of the technical report and contribute to the final package, scale-up roadmap, manuscript and dissemination. Beyond specific deliverables, the Co-PI would be expected to attend regular project meetings, including the brainstorm session before the bid is submitted, and contribute to presentations to the client as required. REQUIREMENTS Experience • Advanced university degree in public health, epidemiology, implementation science, maternal and newborn health, nutrition or a related discipline. • Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in maternal health and nutrition, ANC, health systems and primary health care. • Demonstrated experience with a pre-conception study or programme, and with ANC package development. • Experience working with relevant ministries and directorates, such as DGHS, DGFP and MoWCA. • Experience training and supervising healthcare providers or field research teams. • Experience in Bangladesh or a comparable LMIC setting is highly desirable. Skills • Development of SOPs, recording and reporting tools, monitoring tools and competency-assessment procedures. • Interpretation and reporting of implementation findings. • Training, supervision and technical troubleshooting. Competencies • Research ethics, informed consent, confidentiality and safeguarding, including referral for danger signs, gender-based violence and distress. • Gender-sensitive, participatory work with newly married women, adolescents and families. • Reliable delivery to tight timelines, with transparent reporting of deviations. Languages required • Fluency in English and ideally Bangla is required. WORKING CONDITIONS • Location and travel: Dhaka-based, with travel to the study districts and upazilas for training, formative research, co-creation workshops, provider training, supportive supervision and data collection, including hard-to-reach areas. Travel arrangements and per diem will be managed in line with MAGENTA's travel policy and the agreed project budget. • Ethical review: ERB approval is needed before any fieldwork, including the formative phase. • Data and safeguarding: all data belong to UNICEF. Adverse events and safeguarding concerns are reported to UNICEF immediately. • Exclusivity and confidentiality: UNICEF may reject related proposals. The Co-PI must not be named in, submit or join another proposal for this tender, and signs a confidentiality agreement before receiving further tender material. • Contract: nothing is binding before award. If MAGENTA wins, a consultancy contract follows, with payment terms agreed at that stage. How to apply ? Interested, or know someone who'd be a great fit? Apply via: https://recruitcrm.io/apply/17913674516410125780yev