REACH Assessment Specialist for Yemen At 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 formalized 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 Specialist to support our REACH Yemen team.

Position: Assessment Specialist

Department: REACH

Contract duration: 6 months (renewable)

Location: Amman, Jordan

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

The humanitarian situation in Yemen is one of the most severe in the world, with an estimated 20.7 million people – or 66% of the population – in need of humanitarian assistance, 12.1 million of whom are in acute need. The direct effects of the conflict – from airstrikes, to besiegement of population centers, to the extensive use of mines – continue to have severe effects on the population. The impact of the conflict, including blockades, the deterioration of basic services and infrastructure, and the depreciation of the Yemeni riyal also have enormous impact on Yemenis. The loss of livelihoods, when combined with the depreciation and general volatility of the Yemeni currency, has made the purchase of basic everyday necessities difficult for most Yemenis.16.2 million people will go hungry this year (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3 or higher), not necessarily because food is unavailable, but because they cannot afford to purchase it. Since 2016, Yemen has witnessed up to 1.3 million suspected cases of cholera, with outbreaks exacerbated by crumbling WASH infrastructure.

REACH has supported the humanitarian response to the Yemen crisis since October 2016, working extensively with the Shelter/NFI Cluster, the CCCM Cluster, the WASH Cluster, and the Cash and Markets Working Group (CMWG). The REACH team – based remotely in Amman – provides systemic assessment and Information Management (IM) support to the response through regular humanitarian monitoring systems, tool design, coordination of data collection exercises, data analysis, output production, and IM platform design. Given the challenging context in Yemen, REACH is constantly working to find new and innovative ways to effectively inform the humanitarian response.

POSITION PROFILE

REACH Yemen is currently recruiting an Assessment Specialist to provide technical support to teams across the REACH Yemen Mission. The Assessment Specialist will support REACH Assessment Officers with technical assistance in all stages of the research cycle (including assessment conceptualization, research design, training of field staff, producing scripts for data cleaning and data analysis, and the production of assessment information products). The Assessment Specialist will also provide regular training and capacity building across the REACH Yemen mission. The overall goal of the Assessment Specialist will be to ensure the accuracy of REACH information products, and manage the technical elements of REACH Yemen’s research cycles through assessment design and trainings to strengthen the accuracy, quality and efficiency of REACH assessments.

The Assessment Specialist will work largely with REACH Assessment Officers who manage the various existing REACH assessments to ensure that all assessments are implemented to the highest quality (in accordance with REACH standards, donor expectations, and REACH’s ethos of facilitating an evidence based humanitarian response). The Assessment Specialist, alongside the REACH Country Coordinator and Research Manager, will be involved in partner coordination, donor reporting, trainings and presentations, and will allow REACH Yemen’s strategic priorities to be realized efficiently and effectively.

Alongside mission wide support, the REACH Assessment Specialist will lead the Inter-Sectoral team in the review, analysis and drafting of the Multi-Cluster Location Assessment (MCLA) in Yemen alongside IOM, UNICEF, UNHCR and other UN stakeholders.

FUNCTIONS

Summary:

Under the REACH Country Coordinator, and alongside the REACH Research Manager, the REACH Assessment Specialist will be responsible for:

· Technical oversight and support of REACH Assessment Officers in all stages of the research cycle to ensure the design and implementation of high quality assessments that are in line with REACH processes and values, and which accurately address information gaps in the humanitarian response;

· In collaboration with REACH Research Manager and Assessment Officers, systematically review the efficiency and quality of research cycles and information products;

· Support the conceptualization, proposal, and development of strategic REACH Yemen information products, ensuring that team capacity is adequate and technical requirements are supported;

· The implementation of training and capacity building across the REACH Yemen team to improve the technical capacity of the mission.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

· Objective 1: Mission-wide technical oversight and technical support to REACH Assessment Officers in research design and implementation:

o The REACH Assessment Specialist will be responsible for ensuring technical accuracy of all REACH Yemen research cycles and supporting REACH Assessment Officers in designing methodologies, tools, terms of references, and data analysis plans. The REACH Assessment officer will also be responsible for the review of existing research cycles to identify areas of improvement relating to timeliness, automation, relevance, efficiency and quality, and for designing and implementing plans for improvement in these areas. It will also require supporting REACH Assessment Officers in data cleaning of large datasets, analysis, and output production. The REACH Assessment Specialist will also be responsible for support

REACH Assessment Officers in the management, confidentiality, and protection of collected information in line with IMPACT data protection policy.

· Objective 2: Technical system support to REACH Yemen mission:

The REACH Assessment Specialist will be responsible for ensuring that REACH Yemen has the software, hardware, and technical systems to support its work. The REACH Assessment Specialist will also work alongside HQ to ensure that REACH Yemen has access to global level resources and access to the technical resources the mission needs to work efficiently.

· Objective 3: Technical advisory support to new research cycles and strategic planning:

o The REACH Assessment Specialist will contribute to the strategic planning of the senior management team, ensuring that proposed assessments and information products are technically feasible and will advise the REACH Country Coordinator and Research Manager on technical elements of proposals and terms of references. The REACH Assessment Specialist will then work with the REACH Research Manager and Assessment Officers to ensure that all new assessments and information products are technically resourced and supported from conceptualization to publication.

· Objective 4: Management of the Multi-Cluster Location Assessment:

o Alongside the REACH Country Coordinator and in collaboration with the REACH Research Manager, the REACH Assessment Specialist will be responsible for supporting the Inter- Sectoral team in the design and delivery of the Multi-Cluster Location Assessment in Yemen. This will involve designing analysis plans and tools, coordinating with clusters and partners to ensure effective data collection, cleaning, analysing, and reporting on large datasets, and producing written narrative analysis based on collected data.

· Objective 5: Continuously build the technical capacity and expertise of the REACH Yemen team:

o The REACH Assessment Specialist, alongside the REACH Research Manager, will be responsible for identifying skills gaps and developing internal capacity building plans and implementing training across the REACH Yemen mission. The REACH Assessment Specialist will ensure that the REACH Yemen team improves its technical knowledge and expertise, strengthening the quality and efficiency of REACH assessments and research cycles.

REQUIREMENTS:

Essential:

· 3 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting;

· A masters degree in a relevant subject (Humanitarian response, data science, information management etc.)

· Advanced technical skills with regard to quantitative and qualitative research design and implementation including:

o Ability to script and operate in R (including R Shiny required);

o Good understanding of using a variety of sampling frameworks

o Strong analytical skills including ability to identify outliers, key trends, and ability to situate findings within a wider context;

o Advanced Excel skills;

o Experience cleaning and analysing large data sets;

o Experience conducting temporal or spatial trends analysis (an asset);

· Experience in designing and conducting training and capacity building workshops in related skills;

· Experience working independently and within a cross-cultural, international team;

· Fluency in English (written and spoken);

· Excellent communication skills;

· Team management experience;

Desired:

· Ability to operate Python, STATA, SPSS or related statistical program.

· Experience with data visualisation software such as InDesign.

· Knowledge of the humanitarian programme cycle (HPC) and the humanitarian coordination structure.

· Written and spoken fluency in Arabic highly desired.

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;

· Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance.

· Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package.