IMPACT Initiatives
BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH
REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two International NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). REACH’s purpose is to promote and facilitate the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts. REACH facilitates information management for aid actors through three complementary services: (a) need and situation assessments facilitated by REACH teams; (b) situation analysis using satellite imagery; (c) provision of related database and (web)-mapping facilities and expertise.
IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation manages several initiatives, including the REACH Initiative. The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalised in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.
We are currently looking for a REACH Assessment Officer to support our REACH Humanitarian Situation Monitoring team in South Sudan, managing several bases in Greater Bahr el Gazal.
Department: REACH
Position: Assessment Officer
Contract duration: 6 months
Location: Wau, South Sudan
Starting Date: ASAP
COUNTRY PROFILE
REACH expanded its programming to include the IDP response, participating in Initial Rapid Needs Assessments of conflict affected areas, providing mapping and monthly service provision analyses for major IDP sites around the country, and running large-scale IDP return intentions assessments.
2018 saw the expansions of both IMPACT and REACH programming to 10 of 10 states, spanning the refugee, IDP and development responses, and covering diverse activities such as cross-border port monitoring, assessments of hard to reach areas, flood mapping and vulnerability analysis, market monitoring and supply chain analysis, analysis of tensions and conflicts over access to natural resources, and third party monitoring of humanitarian and development programming. In 2019, REACH expanded its role within the technical space, increasing involvement in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), Needs Analysis Working Group, UN technical agencies, and academics. In response, REACH has also expanded into multiple new research cycle streams beyond humanitarian needs monitoring, including sector specific, population movement, and AAP research.
As of 2022, REACH South Sudan broadly implements assessments across three core pillars:
- Monitoring of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan through Real Time Monitoring, through monthly assessments covering over 2,000 settlements in South Sudan; tracking and analyzing large-scale population movement trends including returns and seasonal movements through port and road monitoring; market monitoring including Joint Market Monitoring and WASH market monitoring.
- Informing Emergency Prioritization in the response through providing direct technical support to humanitarian clusters through active engagement with coordination bodies, dedicated assessments and information products, and strategic engagement to promote evidence-based understanding and identification of emergency and catastrophic needs in South Sudan; engagement of Emergency Rapid Response Mechanism rapid assessments and tracking of Areas of Concern.
- Mainstreaming Accountability to Affected Populations and Conflict Sensitivity, including through standalone assessments on community priorities relating to humanitarian needs and perceptions of assistance, contextual analysis of the impact of aid on community dynamics; as well as providing a critical AAP and CS lens to all REACH SSD research.
POSITION PROFILE
IMPACT is seeking an experienced candidate with recent experience implementing qualitative and quantitative research, but who also possesses a strong understanding of community-centric qualitative approaches. The candidate should be able to live and operate in very basic, remote field conditions for long periods of time.
FUNCTIONS
Under the supervision of, and in close coordination with, the Senior Assessment Officer (SAO), the REACH Assessment Officer (AO) is responsible for the management and implementation of all aspects of assessments in their bases, including assessment planning, data collection, and analysis. The AO is responsible for identifying information gaps, providing contextual understanding, and contributing to monitoring areas that have been identified to be of concern due to severity of needs. He/she will also be responsible for partner coordination, reporting, and will be required to provide input to the strategic development of IMPACT in the country and region.
SUMMARY
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Implementation of HSM Area of Knowledge (AoK) research cycle in the relevant state(s) assigned.
- Responsible for oversight/accountability of quality data collection, and data cleaning.
- Responsible for monitoring of humanitarian needs at a county level, in particular counties that have been flagged as Areas of Concern (AoC). AO is responsible for identifying information-gaps in their State and implement follow-up assessments (e.g. in-depth, thematic, rapid needs).
- Accountability to affected populations – the AO is responsible for implementing “Closing the Feedback Loop” including providing quarterly PPT and train enumerators on presenting this to respondents.
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Implementation of Port and Road Monitoring research cycle, including overseeing data cleaning and producing monthly factsheets, if applicable.
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Technical skills capacity building of field staff in coordination with field coordinators. This will include field staff objective setting and tracking in line with research activities.
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External engagement at state and county level in alignment with mission wide advocacy strategy
ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION
Objective 1.1: Management of assessments process
The Assessment Officer is responsible for designing the methodology and tools associated with each assessment, according to IMPACT requirements and principles. He/she will manage the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all IMPACT and projects specific assessment activities conducted in country. S/he will need to follow the Area of Knowledge methodology to understand, implement and guide the data collection, cleaning, and analysis to relay back to the Juba Humanitarian Situation Monitoring Research Manager.
Objective 1.2: Implementation
The Assessment Officer is responsible for contributing to the implementation of assessment projects, providing support to the development of assessment, database, and GIS tools with the IMPACT team. This will specifically include, with the GIS/Data-base (DB) team, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more); development or review of databases; contributing to GIS data collection procedures and mapping thereof through ARC GIS and other ESRI products in particular; and analysis of spatial and other information to contribute to reports and the like.
Objective 1.3: Coordination
The Assessment Officer shall liaise with other IMPACT Officers in the region and throughout IMPACT Initiatives’ and ACTED’s networks to provide and receive support in the expansion of IMPACT globally.
REACH REPORTING
The Assessment Officer is responsible for consolidating all analyses and conclusions from each assessment into IMPACT products such as factsheets, reports and briefs using standard formats. He/she will liaise with Geneva and Regional GIS/DB Specialists in order to represent data in interactive web map or static map format, as relevant. The Assessment Officer is responsible for following the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. He/she must ensure the writing of timely and accurate assessment reports and factsheets, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection of collected information.
He/she will ensure that assessment reports contribute to aid coordination and planning and add to the general base of field knowledge in the country for all organisations working in the areas. He/she will also manage the drafting of narrative reports and contribute to the development of financial reports through regular budgetary follow-up. The Assessment Officer will also store, organize and disseminate assessments, project documents and best practices among partners and potential partners. He/she will coordinate timely and accurate reporting to IMPACT.
MANAGEMENT
Working closely with the Field Coordinator, who is the direct line manager of Field Officers and Assistants, the Assessment Officer is responsible for research technical management of Field Officers/Assistants. He/she is expected to technically guide and direct field staff, prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member that s/he supports. The Assessment Officer will be required to support in the recruitment of field staff in coordination with the Field Coordinator and ACTED HR Officer. This will include input into ToRs, and supporting to undertake interviews.
The Assessment Officer will ensure that all field teams are comprehensively briefed on the research objective, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy of any given research activity is clearly understood. He/she will identify research capacity gaps and ensure that project/field staff are given the required training and skilling support.
REPRESENTATION
Representation of IMPACT in cluster and multi-sector meetings/ technical working groups in country and follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings in other parts of the country. This specifically will include liaising with external partners to identify potential for data sets to be integrated into existing databases and mapped to support the coordination of the broader humanitarian community.
The Assessment Officer will further represent IMPACT vis-a-vis current and potential donors and communicate relevant information to the IMPACT Country Coordinator. He/she will participate in inter- NGO meetings and those of UN agencies and any other relevant inter-governmental institutions at the national or provincial level.
More generally, the Assessment Officer is expected to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation, notably through the application of IMPACT’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.
ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES
The staff member is responsible for ensuring that all relations with the communities we work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about IMPACT programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.
REQUIREMENTS
- Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master degree in relevant discipline, or a Bachelor degree and working experience in relevant discipline;
- At least 1 year of relevant working experience in humanitarian settings;
- Excellent analytical skills;
- Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
- Excellent team management skills;
- Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
- Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
- Prior knowledge of the region an asset;
- Fluency in English required;
- Ability to operation Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software;
- Ability to operate SPSS, related statistical programming, and/ or GIS an asset;
- High level of autonomy and willingness to spend time in deep field locations away from IMPACT/ ACTED support;
- A good sense of humour about bugs and bucket showers required;
- Ability to work independently.
CONDITIONS
- Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus
- Additional monthly living allowance provided in country by IMPACT’s partner ACTED Food and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse/or housing allowance (depending on contract length and country of assignment)
- Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package