REACH Database Specialist_Nairobi At ACTED

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 organization 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 complementary 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 Database specialist to support our REACH team in Kenya and other countries of operation.

Department: REACH

Position: REACH Database Specialist

Contract duration: Fixed

Location: Nairobi

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

REACH has been operational in East Africa since 2012, providing information management support to humanitarian actors in a complex environment through assessment capacity, GIS services and support to Cluster IM practices. Projects have included tri-cluster assessments in support of the WASH, Shelter and Education Clusters, support to Food Security response analysis, and development of a Shelter Cluster M&E Framework.

REACH Kenya is looking to expand information support to the humanitarian response in several key areas, including IDP settlement profiling and monitoring, multi-cluster needs assessments, durable solutions and improved remote data collection across the region. Key strategic aims are to increase geographic and sectoral coverage and to enhance advocacy capacity through strengthened data collection and information targeting.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the REACH Database and GIS specialist and the IMPACT Deputy Country Coordinator, the REACH Database specialist will be responsible for the design of data processes, the management of large sets of data, and primarily supporting of the Inter-Sectoral Unit with data-related tasks, including cleaning, analysis, reporting, and automating recurring tasks. This encompasses:

1) Designing Innovative Data Solutions

Taking the lead on engaging creatively with new and existing data collection cycles to identify opportunities for innovation, improved data quality, and increased strategic engagement with data;

Improving data quality by automating data checking and cleaning processes in R, including for large country-wide assessments;

Automating recurrent data analysis processes to reduce the amount of time between data collection and the creation of information products;

Designing products and technical processes to improve the use of and engagement with REACH data within the humanitarian response;

Supporting the development of innovative frameworks for data analysis, such as early warning systems and methods for needs prioritisation, by providing technical expertise.

2) Assessment Support

Supporting team members with designing and implementing assessment strategies and methodologies, including sampling frameworks, data analysis plans, data collection tools, and data quality checks;

Ensuring the quality and accuracy of REACH data as well as the confidentiality and protection of collected information;

Managing the analysis of data in line with IMPACT’s guidelines;

Designing and producing engaging information products, including dashboards, reports, and maps;

3) Technical Support

Advising staff on IMPACT Initiative’s R based analysis packages, developed by IMPACT headquarters in Geneva;

Working with staff to troubleshoot issues with existing scripts and data processes;

Training staff on statistical analysis and programming;

Pro-actively identifying data support needs across the mission and addressing them.

Mainstreaming: Promoting of and adhering to Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy and guidelines (for site residents, ACTED staff, partner agencies, casual labors)

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Management Systems, Statistics, Mathematics, etc.) including Master’s level Statistics courses in R required;
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to identify outliers and key trends, and to situate findings in a winder context required;
• Advanced experience analysing complex data with R required;
• Advanced understanding of database management required;
• Strong skills in Excel required;
• Experience with cleaning large datasets required;
• Experience conducting temporal or spatial trends analysis required;
• Good understanding of various sampling frameworks;
• Experience writing R packages an asset;
• Knowledge of other statistical programming languages and packages an asset;
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (QGIS, ArcGIS) an asset;
• Experience with JavaScript an asset;
• Experience with Tableau an asset;
• Experience conducting data collection an asset;
• Ability to design and operate Kobo, ODK or similar mobile data collection tools an asset;
• A self-starter with a strong existing ability to work independently;
• Good attention to detail, and commitment to producing high quality work;
• Openness to feedback and willingness to learn;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural and cross-country environment, requiring flexibility
• Flexibility and adaptability to ever-changing needs and responsibilities;
• A sense of humour with bugs and bucket showers required!