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 an REACH Assessment Officer to support our team in Erbil, Iraq.**
Department: REACH**
Position: Assessment Officer**
Contract duration: 6 months
Location: Erbil, Iraq
Starting Date: ASAP
COUNTRY PROFILE
REACH Initiative has been present in Iraq since 2012, supporting humanitarian decision-making with assessments and information management activities focusing on the needs of displaced, returnees, and conflict-affected populations. Today, data collected and disseminated by REACH aims to provide a baseline for ongoing response planning efforts across Iraq.
REACH assessment activities in Iraq are currently focused along the three major themes:
- Support for decision-makers in the humanitarian planning cycle;
- Information support and advocacy for durable solutions for internally displaced persons and returnees;
- Third-party quality monitoring of humanitarian programmes.
REACH has its main assessment office in Erbil, with data collection teams working across Iraq.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Under the supervision of the REACH Durable Solutions Research Manager, the REACH CCCM (Camp Coordination and Camp Management) Assessment Officer is responsible for the management and implementation of REACH assessments related to in-camp and informal settlements in Iraq including their preparation, implementation and follow-up. S/he will also be responsible for related logistics, partner coordination, reporting, and finance requirements and will be required to provide input to the strategic development of REACH in Iraq. S/he will also support liaising with relevant stakeholders, including the CCCM cluster and other key stakeholders. S/he also ensures an efficient and transparent use of resources required for project implementation. This can include the direct supervision of assessment teams.
- Assessment Preparation and Planning
- Identifying knowledge gaps prior to the execution of CCCM Research Cycles;
- Ensuring that required secondary data review and/or analysis has been conducted in preparation for an assessment;
- Designing and implementing IMPACT assessment strategy and methodology, including desk reviews and contribution to questionnaire and tool design;
- Working with field staff to design and implement IMPACT assessment procedures, including coordinating and ensuring timely data collection and analysis, and in partnership with GIS team;
- Ensuring the writing of timely and accurate assessment reports, factsheets, and other outputs (including designing and creating data visualisations using specific software when needed);
- Supporting the development/revision of assessment/programme strategies, reports or new proposals;
- For each research cycle, preparing ToRs and data analysis plans and ensuring their validation by HQ before any data collection begins;
- Ensuring relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in research design and planning; and
- Liaising with other programme staff to ensure close coordination and information sharing is maintained.
- Data collection
- Supporting the identification and training of enumerators for primary data collection;
- In close liaison with field officer(s), monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
- Ensuring that the line manager and IMPACT HQ research department are alerted to any issues that prevent full implementation of the methodology as agreed in the approved ToRs. Ensuring that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation, and that any change is formally validated by IMPACT HQ; and
- Keeping track of progress and delays of all assigned assessments throughout the research cycle, and communicating them, where relevant, to external partners and stakeholders. Ensuring that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner.
- Data management
- In close liaison with field officer(s), ensuring that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
- In close liaison with data colleagues, conducting data analysis on primary and/or secondary data as per ToRs, ensuring that appropriate techniques are used to analyse the data collected;
- Ensuring that data and analysis are validated by IMPACT HQ before product drafting stage; and
- Ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection of all data.
- Product drafting
- Drafting timely and accurate outputs such as factsheets, reports, briefs, and presentations, which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines;
- Communicating with GIS colleagues on mapping needs for assessment outputs, ensuring effective spatial representation of research findings in maps or interactive web-portals, as relevant;
- Following the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. Ensuring that delays or identified challenges are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;
- Maintaining regular communication with country Management and IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products; and
- Ensuring that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ before publication.
- External engagement
- Consulting and involving relevant partners at all stages of the research cycle: assessment preparation, data collection, data analysis, review of research products, product dissemination, and lessons learned;
- Acting as the lead contact between REACH and the Iraq CCCM Cluster, identifying assessment needs;
- Aligning REACH’s work to best support CCCM’s programming and maintaining relevancy in Iraq’s shifting humanitarian landscape;
- After validation by the line manager, representing IMPACT in relevant meetings/ working groups;
- Following up on issues identified by partners or during meetings / working groups;
- Promoting the active use of datasets and research findings by partners and the broader humanitarian community for decision making;
- Presenting research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact;
- Ensuring that all partner engagement and external relations are clearly documented and communicated with the line manager and relevant colleagues;
- Identifying stakeholders for REACH Iraq’s CCCM-related activities and working with the unit Research Manager on information dissemination strategies; and
- More generally, contributing 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.
- Knowledge sharing and learning processes
- In coordination with country management, supporting monitoring and evaluation for each Research Cycle, as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines;
- Generating and documenting robust lessons learned at the end of each Research Cycle;
- Ensuring knowledge and learning processes are shared with other Units and teams within mission and with HQ; and
- Providing feedback to appropriate global organisational knowledge learning tools, such as the REACH CCCM Community of Practice.
- Project cycle management
- Ensuring compliance with project cycle management requirements and guidelines at all phases;
- Organising kick-off meetings and completing key project management documents to plan the efficient use of assets, financial and human resources;
- Ensuring that project deliverables and requirements are tracked, met and complied to;
- Ensuring that any issue in relation to project implementation is reported to the line manager, finance and grants colleagues, and HQ; and
- Supporting the line manager, finance, and grants colleagues in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports as necessary.
- Team management and capacity-building
- Providing line management of international assessment team members;
- For staff under his/her responsibility, and in close consultation with line manager, conducting appraisals, providing regular feedback, and participating in career management;
- Conducting regular meetings with relevant national and international assessment staff members to assess progress in relevant research cycles and to review work plan;
- For all activities, ensuring that all assessment and field teams are comprehensively briefed on objectives, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy is clearly understood;
- Ensuring that project/field staff are given required training and resources to achieve their tasks in line with IMPACT and project requirements;
- Being available to provide regular support and technical backstopping; regularly debriefing team members to receive feedback on the progress of an activity; and
- Supporting line managers and specialists in developing and implementing capacity training plans for team members.
- Data confidentiality and data collection
The Assessment Officer will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes, ensuring full compliance with IMPACT’s data protection policy and SOPs. S/he will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorised sharing of any information and data belonging to IMPACT and its partners, or collected during his/her assignment with IMPACT. This includes, but it not limited to, having external partners signing Memorandum of Understand and Data Sharing Agreement prior to any work conducted jointly with REACH.
REQUIREMENTS
- Excellent academic qualifications, including ideally a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline;
- Excellent analytical skills–ability to situate findings within a wider context;
- 2+ years of relevant working experience in the humanitarian sector;
- Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
- Knowledge of camp coordination and management an asset;
- Familiarity with the displacement and humanitarian context in Iraq an asset;
- Understanding of the global and country level cluster approach, an asset;
- Experience conducting data analysis;
- Fluency in English required;
- Ability to operate Microsoft Word and Excel;
- Ability to operate STATA, SPSS, R or related statistical programming, an asset;
- Ability to operate Adobe InDesign and Illustrator, an asset;
- Ability to operate Kobo, ODK or similar data collection software, an asset;
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; and
- Ability to operate in a cross-cultural and cross-country environment, requiring flexibility.
Other:
Good attention to detail, and commitment to producing high quality work;
- Openness to feedback and willingness to learn;
- Ability to work independently with initiative, and strong capacity to work in an intercultural team;
- Flexibility and adaptability to ever-changing needs and responsibilities
The ideal candidate will be eager to work in a dynamic organisation with opportunities to build skills with an international team in a humanitarian context. This position is based in Erbil, Iraq, with travel required.