Data Management and Quality Assurance Expert

Background 

We are looking for a health expert to join us in the tendering for a third-party monitoring assignment covering the delivery of lifesaving in-hospital care to vulnerable populations in Lebanon. The scope covers programmatic and financial implementation across a network of hospitals through desk review, hospital-based field verification, clinical audit, claims validation, and stakeholder engagement. 

Purpose of the Role 

The Data Management Expert owns the data architecture of the verification exercise. The role designs how evidence is collected, stored, protected, and analyzed, and is accountable for the accuracy, traceability, and integrity of every figure that appears in a report. The role also assesses the data systems of the entities being monitored, determining whether reported outputs can be substantiated against source documentation. 

Key Responsibilities 

Data systems design and management 

• Design and maintain the data architecture for the assignment, including databases, coding structures, and version control 
• Develop and digitize data collection tools, checklists, audit templates, and field forms during the inception phase 
• Configure and manage mobile or tablet-based field data collection platforms, including offline capability for remote sites 
• Establish and document the data flow from field collection through cleaning, storage, analysis, and reporting 

Sampling and analysis 

• Develop and document the sampling strategy for hospitals, cases, and claims, including sample size justification and stratification logic 
• Clean, code, and manage quantitative datasets covering clinical, programmatic, and claims data 
• Conduct descriptive and comparative analysis, trend analysis, and triangulation across independent data sources 
• Produce tables, visualizations, and dashboards that support report findings and periodic reporting to the client 

Data quality assurance and verification 

• Verify the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of data reported by monitored entities 
• Cross-check reported outputs against primary source documents and reconcile discrepancies 
• Assess the data management systems of monitored entities for traceability, reliability, and integrity of reporting flows 
• Design and apply internal quality control protocols, including double entry checks, spot re-verification, and audit trails 
• Maintain a documented, auditable chain of evidence for every finding reported 

Data protection and confidentiality 

• Establish and enforce data protection procedures for sensitive patient and financial information, in line with international data protection standards 
• Manage anonymization, pseudonymization, access controls, encryption, and secure storage and transfer protocols 
• Maintain the data protection and confidentiality documentation required for reporting and audit 

Reporting and team support 

• Contribute the data quality assurance and methodology sections of the inception report, quarterly verification reports, and the final report 
• Train and support field monitors on correct use of data collection tools and quality standards 
• Provide rapid data extraction and analysis in response to ad-hoc verification requests 

Required Qualifications 

Education 

• Master's degree in statistics, biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, data science, information management, monitoring and evaluation, or a closely related field 
• A bachelor's degree combined with 6 or more years of directly relevant experience may be considered in place of a master's 

Experience 

• Minimum 6 years of professional experience in data management, monitoring and evaluation, or health information systems 
• Demonstrated experience managing health datasets, including clinical, claims, or facility-level data 
• Proven experience in data quality assurance, data verification, or audit environments, with the ability to evidence a full audit trail 
• Experience designing sampling strategies for verification, audit, or survey work 
• Experience handling confidential health and financial data under formal data protection requirements 
• Prior experience on third-party monitoring, verification, or evaluation assignments with international organizations is strongly preferred 
• Experience in fragile, emergency, or humanitarian contexts is an advantage 

Technical skills 

• Advanced proficiency in at least one statistical package (Stata, R, SPSS, or Python) 
• Advanced Excel, including large dataset handling and reconciliation 
• Experience with mobile data collection platforms such as KoBoToolbox, ODK, SurveyCTO, or CommCare 
• Working knowledge of relational databases and SQL 
• Data visualization and dashboard development (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent) 
• Working understanding of data protection principles and secure data handling practice 

Languages 

• Full professional working proficiency in both English and Arabic is mandatory, written and spoken 

Competencies 

• Precision and discipline in documentation, with an instinct for reconciling numbers back to source 
• Ability to explain methodology and data limitations clearly to non-technical audiences 
• Independence and willingness to report data gaps and inconsistencies without softening them 
• Strong organization under concurrent reporting deadlines