REACH SENIOR GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (SGIS) OFFICER LOCATION MOGADISHU

Position: REACH Senior Geographic Information System (SGIS) Officer

Department: REACH

Location: Mogadishu

Contract Duration: 31st December 2023

Direct Hierarchy: Senior GIS Manager

Starting date: May 2023

Background on ACTED

Created in 1993, ACTED is an international non-governmental organization pursuing a dual mandate of emergency response and development interventions in 40 of some of the world’s most vulnerable countries affected by conflicts, disasters, or socio-economic hardship. With a team of 7,000 national staff and 400 international staff, ACTED implements 500 projects a year to support more than 20 million beneficiaries, notably in hard-to-reach areas.

ACTED goes to the last mile through programs and approaches that look beyond the immediate emergency towards opportunities for longer term livelihood reconstruction and sustainable development. Guided by the motto “Think Local, Act Global” and its 3Zero –Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon, and Zero Poverty – strategy, ACTED puts local territories at the centre and provides a tailored support to local needs.

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two INGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) 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, supporting, and working within the framework of the humanitarian reform process. 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.

COUNTRY PROFILE

REACH has been operating in Somalia since 2012 and has multiple research cycles including two large-scale national assessments (Joint Multi-Cluster Needs Assessment and Detailed Site Assessment) as well as several other smaller assessments all aimed at providing intersectoral analysis of the response. In addition, there is a cash and markets team, which provide third party monitoring to the largest cash consortium in Somalia and Joint Market monitoring for the Shelter, NFI and WASH clusters.

REACH is looking for professionally confident, self-motivated, experienced, and committed team player to fill the position Senior GIS Officer, Mogadishu, Somalia.

Position Profile:

Under the line management of the Senior GIS/Data Manager in Kenya, the Senior GIS Officer ensures the validity and strengthens the quality and efficiency of all geospatial data, analysis and information systems across IMPACT research cycles in Somalia (mainly) and Kenya (as required), in accordance with IMPACT’s standards, partner expectations, and IMPACT’s ethos of facilitating an evidence-based response.

In his/her mission, the Senior GIS Officer will be hosted by IMPACT’s global partner ACTED and will fall under the direct responsibility and management of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates for all Administrative, Security, and relevant Logistics and Finance issues. S/he will therefore fully abide to ACTED’s Security, Administration, and relevant HR, Logistics and Finance rules and regulations..

FUNCTIONS

1. Strategy development & implementation

The Senior GIS Officer will participate and actively contribute to the development of IMPACT’s strategy in Ken/Som, in support to the Country Coordinator. She/he may be asked to collaborate occasionally in the Senior Management Team. S/he will support in identifying and concretizing:

• GIS and information management gaps in country and help to develop a national GIS and IM strategy

• Ensuring the national GIS/IM strategy is integrated and actioned across Units and within individual work plans of GIS officers.

• Synergies with other GIS and IM actors

• Dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of our GIS and IM work

• Engagement with IMPACT HQ in global level GIS priorities

1. Research planning and implementation

• In coordination with management and assessment teams, ensuring that assessments are planned in line with project and program objectives and with IMPACT GIS, research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
• Identification of available GIS to inform secondary data review, in coordination with the assessment team.
• For each assessment, ensure contribution to and review of draft ToRs with a specific focus on the analysis plan, as well as data management plan, and related mapping.
• In coordination with Assessment team, co-construct qualitative and quantitative data collection tools, ensuring GIS requirements of research cycle/assessment are met.
• Develop geo-spatial analysis of assessment areas to be used, as relevant, in developing daily assessment plans, field movement plans and accompanying operational maps for field teams.
• Keep track of progress and delays of all GIS and relevant data- and information-management tasks throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified problems are reported by writing and orally in a timely manner.
• When relevant, ensure that support is provided by the GIS staff for the identification and training of enumerators for primary data collection;
• When relevant, ensure that support is provided by GIS staff in overseeing data collection, in line with agreed TORs (including their Annexes), including spatial verification and validation as part of daily assessment checks.
• Ensure that collected data is geo-referenced, enabling the production of maps and related products.
• In coordination with the assessment team, ensure that all changes in data collection that lead to a modification in the agreed TORs are documented; and that the IMPACT Country Coordinator and IMPACT HQ are informed and agree on the modifications.

1. Data management, cleaning, and analysis

• Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines, and with the ToRs (data management plan Annex);
• Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded.
• Ensure spatial analysis is conducted on collected data as per ToRs;
• Ensure that data and its spatial analysis are validated by IMPACT HQ before product drafting stage.
• Ensure that data and its analysis do not contain personal information and are validated by IMPACT HQ before sharing to external parties.
• Ensure the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection of collected information.

1. Drafting of products
   • Ensure accurate linkages between spatial databases and assessment data.
   • Ensure that the GIS products meet the requirements of IMPACT and concerned partners.
   • Maintain regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for GIS products.
   • Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate GIS products, which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines.
   • Ensure that all GIS products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release.
   • When relevant, in close coordination with IMPACT HQ, support the regular maintenance and update of web GIS products;
   • In coordination with the CC and Senior GIS/Data Manager, liaise with IMPACT HQ on the procurement of UNOSAT services and satellite imagery.
2. Team functional supervision and line-Management

• Direct line management of GIS staff, providing guidance on the career development, work planning and technical guidance
• Conduct regular meetings with all international and senior national GIS Team members to assess progress in all research cycles and to review work plan;
• Reviewing the GIS unit staff work throughout research cycles (clean datasets, analysis scripts, maps, etc.)
• Bilateral management of international and senior national GIS team members as needed, including (in consultation with IMPACT Country Coordinator) the conduct of appraisals, as well as participation in staff career management.
• In coordination with Country Coordinator/Representative, conduct induction for new staff members, and provide ongoing training for staff.
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping;
• When relevant, support Country Coordinator/Representative and RMs in staff appraisal and recruitment process.

1. Internal Knowledge sharing, Learning and Capacity Building

• Identify GIS capacity gaps, and resolve to bridge these through targeted capacity building, training, performance monitoring, and backstopping where needed.
• Support to the line managers and specialists in the development and implementation of GIS capacity training plans for team members.
• Conduct and support regular training to [country/regional] teams, including regular updates on IMPACT guidelines, adapted (to context) training modules, learning on the job; Complement in house training material with external resources, if and as relevant.
• Ensure impact of trainings and progression of staff is monitored.
• Pro-actively provide regular technical support and backstopping to teams.
• Support to GIS/ Assessment / unit teams to systematically review the efficiency and quality of research cycles and information products.
• Support monitoring and evaluation for relevant Research Cycle, as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines.
• Contribute to generating and documenting robust lessons learned at the end of relevant Research Cycle;
• Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared across the [mission/region] and with HQ;
• Able and available to engage with Global Units and global learning processes, such as methodology notes, lessons learned, SOPs, Communities of Practice, etc;
• Continuously seek to improve and innovate IMPACT research, GIS practices, information products and processes to identify and meet information gaps in the Ken/Som humanitarian response in order to support in the facilitation of an evidence-based response;
• Work closely with other specialists in the region to develop, implement and monitor a multi-disciplinary training and learning plan for IMPACT teams;
• More generally, contributes to creating a culture of rigour, innovation and learning within IMPACT’s operations.

1. Strategy, program and project development
   • • Contribute to country, regional and unit strategies development with relevant technical and thematic contents;
       • Ensure that GIS strategies are implemented in a structured and coherent manner in line with project and strategic objectives.
       • Support the development/revision of programme strategies, reports, or new proposals.
2. External Engagement
   • Under the coordination of the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative and Senior Data and GIS Manager and RMs, ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved in the preparation of GIS products;
   • In coordination with the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative, engage in relevant technical fora in country (e.g. IM/GIS working groups);
   • In support of the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative, engage with other organizations engaged with the maintenance of spatial data in Ken/Som, ensuring IMPACT Geodatabases are up-to-date and in line with Common Operational Datasets (CODs) and Fundamental Operational Datasets (FODs)
   • In coordination with the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative, support the presentation of GIS products to relevant third parties, to enhance their use and impact.
3. Dissemination

• Ensure the strictest confidentiality of data and data processes. The Senior GIS Officer will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of information and data.
• In coordination with IMPACT HQ, ensure that GIS products are uploaded on relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs;
• In coordination with IMPACT’s Country Coordinator/Representative and with the assessment, GIS and data team, ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented at the end of each research cycle.

1. Data Confidentiality and Protection

• The Senior GIS Officer will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. He/she will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of any information and data belonging to IMPACT and its partners or collected during his/her assignment with IMPACT.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
• Research skills Excellent research and analytical skills required, including a sound understanding of sampling frameworks and their application, an ability to analyse large data sets, as well as conduct temporal or spatial trend analysis. Demonstrable experience with geo-spatial information management and analysis. Excellent spatial analysis skills
• Software skills Advanced knowledge of ArcGIS. Proven knowledge of Microsoft office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge of R, STATA, python or equivalent statistical software an advantage.
• Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the aid system, and the research community;
• Years of work experience At least 5 years of relevant working experience
• Training skills Proven experience in conducting training and capacity building for teams and partners on assessment methods, including ability to mentor;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting, including proven experience in contributing to research journals and/or technical guidance documents;
• Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles in complex environment;
• Level of independence A self-starter with a proven ability to work independently;
• Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the HoA region is desirable;
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Somali an asset;
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment