IMPACT INITIATIVES
IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization manages several initiatives, including the REACH initiative. The IMPACT team is made up of specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarters is based in Paris and which is present in around thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, allowing IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support in its areas of intervention.
REACH was created in 2010 as a joint initiative of two international NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Program for Operational Satellite Applications (UNOSAT). The objective of REACH is to promote and facilitate the development of information products that improve the decision-making and planning capacity of the humanitarian community in emergency, reconstruction and recovery contexts. development. REACH facilitates information management for aid actors through three complementary services: a) assessment of needs and situation facilitated by REACH teams; b) analysis of the situation using satellite images; c) provision of integrated databases and web maps.
COUNTRY PROFILE
The DRC is facing an acute and complex humanitarian crisis. Recurrent conflicts in the Kivus provinces and Ituri as well as emerging crises in other areas of the country, health shocks and natural disasters, as well as the chronic poverty from which a large part of the population suffers are all reasons which explain the high level of humanitarian needs. According to the 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview, 26.4 million people (including 5.5 million displaced people) in the DRC are in need of humanitarian assistance. The country also hosts more than 500,000 refugees from neighboring countries, a particularly vulnerable population. Many parts of the country also remain affected by multiple epidemics, including measles, cholera, malaria and Ebola.
MISSION STRUCTURE & PROJECTS
Since 2016, IMPACT, – currently present in Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu and Kalemie – provides through its three initiatives REACH, AGORA and PANDA rapid and in-depth assessments, information management services and mapping to inform humanitarian planning and action in the DRC. All publicly available information products produced by the DRC mission are accessible on the REACH Resource Center. The main objective of the Humanitarian Programming Cycle (HPC) research unit is to inform the strategic and programmatic prioritization of humanitarian aid in a complex context, and to support the harmonization and strengthening of intersectoral capacities of humanitarian actors. ugly. From 2020, new research projects emerged in the unit then created such as monitoring the humanitarian situation (in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika, now also extended to Ituri and Maniema); profiling of sites and host communities (Ituri province); and in collaboration with all the actors involved in monitoring prices and the functioning of the markets and the Cash Working Group (CWG) analyzes the evolution of prices on the Congolese markets. From 2021, REACH, in collaboration with OCHA, also piloted a Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) in Tanganyika province, then expanded to South Kivu province in 2022, with the aim of informing the cycles of humanitarian programming (HNO/HRP) of the country. The unit finally saw further developments in 2023, through an ambitious technical partnership with the World Food Program (WFP) to implement a joint multi-sectoral assessment at the national level, as well as with the recent development of a group of crisis analysis and response quality work whose objective is to inform the key players in the response on the operational and strategic levels.
We are currently looking for a Senior Technical Assessment Officer (SAO) to support our REACH research unit in the DRC.
Department:REACH – Humanitarian Programming Cycle Unit “HPC”
Title: REACH senior evaluation manager (technical)
Duration of the contract: 12 months
Workplace: Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Contract start date: January 2024
JOB PROFILE
Under the supervision of the senior research manager, the technical SAO will act in support of the HPC research unit and other teams on a transversal level, along 3 main axes:
- Ensure involvement and support in the unit’s research cycles on the humanitarian programming cycle from design to validation and dissemination processes, in particular research cycles based on strong technical requirements and dynamic data visualization;
- Propose technical (automation, visualization, etc.) and organizational (request management, monitoring tools, etc.) innovations to the HPC research unit that can also be used by other research units; work transversally to improve the use of data available on the mission and offer transversal and innovative analyses, useful for humanitarian coordination;
- Provide support to members of the HPC research unit for capacity building, and also for other members of the IMPACT RDC team;
The ideal candidate will be desirous to work in a dynamic organization, with the opportunity to develop skills in data analysis and research. Strategic and technical support will be provided by the mission’s Senior Management Team (SMT) and the IMPACT team at headquarters in Geneva.
FUNCTIONS
Under the functional supervision of the senior research manager of the HPC unit**, the technical SAO will participate in the following various tasks and responsibilities**:
1/ Coordination and implementation of research activities falling within the HPC unit portfolio, in particular research cycles based on strong technical requirements (~50%):
- Research design: development and revision of indicators, development of the evaluation methodology and sampling strategy as well as data collection tools;
- Planning and coordination of data collection activities, in close collaboration with the support teams in the DRC; Monitoring data processing: Development of data cleaning and analysis plans, production of analyzes (in close collaboration with the data team in the country); Development of information products and presentations of results;
- Close coordination, throughout the research cycle, with all relevant external actors within the humanitarian coordination structure in the DRC and supporting the integration of results into strategic planning documents;
- Regular communication and collaboration with the units in charge of data management and reporting at IMPACT headquarters to ensure the application of the global standards and best practices of REACH and IMPACT in general.
2/ Development of technical (automation, visualization, etc.) and organizational (request management, monitoring tools, etc.) innovations for the benefit of the HPC unit, transversally and for the benefit of coordination in the DRC (~35%):
- Analyze in conjunction with the senior research manager, senior management and the evaluation and technical teams what tasks could benefit from automation and propose appropriate solutions within the HPC unit primarily, possibly from in a more transversal manner and for the broader benefit of key actors in the humanitarian response in the DRC;
- Propose, in conjunction with the senior research manager, senior management and the evaluation and technical teams, visualization solutions adapted to each project and product of the HPC unit, and possibly train the teams to use them; possibly in a more transversal manner and for the broader benefit of key actors in the humanitarian response in the DRC;
- Carry out, in conjunction with the senior research manager, senior management and the evaluation teams, transversal research work, based on the data already available to optimize their use, in particular by delving into certain themes, by triangulating analyzes across several research cycles and/or determining trends on long research cycles in particular of the HPC unit (longitudinal analyzes MSNA, Cash, HSM, etc.);
3/ Capacity building of the HPC unit teams and possibly in a more transversal manner (15%):
- Provide support to the senior research manager and senior management for team capacity building, primarily for the HPC unit but possibly in a more transversal manner for other members of the IMPACT RDC team;
- Take stock of the needs in terms of capacity building within the HPC research unit in collaboration with senior management, Data and GIS managers, to develop a capacity building plan adapted to the unit, possibly in a manner more transversal;
CONFIDENTIALITE
The SAO must maintain the highest level of confidentiality of data collected in the field and ensure adherence to global personal data protection processes. She or he will ensure that mechanisms are implemented to avoid unauthorized sharing of information collected during their mission in collaboration with the data management team at headquarters.
ACCOUNTABILITY TOWARDS COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES
The SAO, like any other IMPACT staff member, is responsible for ensuring that relationships with the communities in which IMPACT and its partners work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Particular attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are properly consulted and informed of the objectives, activities, and methodologies of IMPACT projects.
PROFILE
- Academic Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a master’s degree in the relevant discipline;
- Research skills Proven experience in research, data science and/or geographic information systems (GIS). Excellent data analysis skills.
- Software skills Advanced knowledge of R, STATA, Python or equivalent statistical software. Proven knowledge of GIS software, particularly ArcGIS, will be an asset. Proven knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- Years of professional experience At least 2 years of relevant professional experience. Experience in the humanitarian field highly desirable;
- Management skills Experience and skills in team management and training/capacity building highly desirable;
- Communication and reporting skills Excellent writing and data visualization skills;
- Ability to multitask and prioritize within tight deadlines, over numerous research cycles;
- Level of independence Proven ability to work independently;
- Intercultural work environment Ability to work in an intercultural environment requiring flexibility;
- Language skills Fluency in French required, fluency in English is desired, knowledge of Swahili is an asset;
- Security environment Ability to work in a complex security environment
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
- For this position, the salary is between 2,580 CHF and 2,640 CHF per month (before income tax), etc. as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD.
- NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary scale based on the grade of the position and the education level of the staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied to account for the fact that some staff have to work in difficult locations where living and working conditions are much harsher than usual. elsewhere.
- Accommodation and food in a guest house. NB – IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country
- Membership in a Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approximately 9.975% of gross staff salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance
- This base is not a family duty station.
- Airfare every 6 months and visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and business expenses are fully covered)
- Contribution to baggage transport: between 20 and 100 kg, depending on the duration of the contract (+ baggage and personal property insurance)
- Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Leave for family or compassionate reasons, if applicable.
- Pre-departure induction – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives headquarters in Geneva + one week of pre-departure training at ACTED headquarters in Paris, including 4 days on-site safety training;
- Registration for Research Foundational Learning Program of IMPACT Initiatives within the first 3 months following the start of the contract.
- IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among other things, up to €1000 per year in psychosocial counseling costs.