REACH (Senior) Assessment Officer for Juba, South Sudan 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 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.

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, GIS and remote-sensing. 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, which allows particularly IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

COUNTRY PROFILE

IMPACT, through REACH, has been implementing programming in South Sudan 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 South Sudan as well as highlight areas of highest need and concern as crises emerge. Broadly, REACH South Sudan implements assessments across three core pillars:

Monitoring of the humanitarian situation in South Sudan through Real Time Monitoring, through frequent assessments covering over 2,000 settlements in South Sudan; tracking and analyzing large-scale population movement trends including returns and seasonal movements; market monitoring including Joint Market Monitoring.
Informing Emergency Prioritization in the response through providing direct technical support to humanitarian clusters through active engagement with coordination bodies, dedicated assessments and information products, and strategic engagement to promote evidence-based understanding and identification of emergency and catastrophic needs in South Sudan; engagement of Emergency Rapid Response Mechanism rapid assessments and tracking of Areas of Concern.
Mainstreaming Accountability to Affected Populations and Conflict Sensitivity, including through standalone assessments on community priorities relating to humanitarian needs and perceptions of assistance, contextual analysis of the impact of aid on community dynamics; as well as providing a critical AAP and CS lens to all REACH SSD research.

We are currently looking for a REACH (Senior) Assessment Officer to support the REACH South Sudan team’s work on Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), social cohesion, and protection

Department: REACH South Sudan

Position: REACH (Senior) Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 6 months or 12 months (depending on seniority)

Starting Date: 01.02.2023

Base: Juba, South Sudan

POSITION PROFILE

As REACH South Sudan is expanding it’s work related to people-centred research, the team is seeking a (Senior) Assessment Officer to work on some of the following key topics:

Accountability to Affected Populations – aiming to inform the wider humanitarian response with relevant contextual information on and analysis of affected communities’ perceptions and preferences relating to humanitarian assistance in South Sudan
Social cohesion / conflict sensitivity – aiming to better understand dynamics between communities, as well as how aid can impact relations between groups. This may also involve research into durable solutions to inform and enable an accountable and conflict-sensitive approach to displacement solutions-related programming and advocacy in South Sudan from a community-centred lens.

As the position outlines various areas of focus, candidates with expertise in any of the outlined topics are encouraged to apply.

In this role, the (Senior) Assessment Officer will be responsible for the design, implementation and follow up of assessments focusing on one or more of the above topics. Together with the Deputy Country Coordinator, the Senior Assessment Officer will develop the workstream’s strategy and contribute to the pillar’s overall strategic direction. They will also be required to undertake strategic engagement with response coordination and partners to identify existing gaps in knowledge within the humanitarian response, design assessments to fill the identified gaps and present assessment findings to key stakeholders and fora.

Moreover, the (Senior) Assessment Officer will support in mainstreaming AAP and conflict sensitivity across the REACH mission in South Sudan, including integrating these topics within REACH South Sudan’s existing research cycles through close collaboration with other REACH South Sudan units.

The role requires prior experience in AAP and/or protection-focused research methods. This position maintains a qualitative focus and requires a (Senior) Assessment Officer who is flexible and confident in working independently, often with limited structure. It brings with it the potential for deployment to the field and deep-field locations, which requires a considerable amount of resilience and independence.

RESPONSIBILITIES

RESEARCH PLANNING:

Anticipate knowledge gaps prior to the execution of a Research Cycle;
Ensure that required secondary data review and/or analysis has been conducted in preparation of an assessment;
Ensure that all research cycles are planned in line with the country strategy, relevant research and
project objectives and with IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
Design research approaches and methodologies according to IMPACT’s requirements and principles as well as partners’ information needs;
Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data teams, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools;
For each research cycle, prepare ToRs and ensure their validation by HQ before any data collection begins;
Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in research design and planning.

RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION

In close liaison with field officer(s), ensure that required enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;
In close liaison with field officer(s), monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
In close liaison with field officer(s), manage assessment logistics, including with partner organizations, identifying assessment areas, facilitating design workshops, managing joint data collection processes, and facilitating joint analysis workshops;
In close liaison with field officer(s), Ensure regular situation updates on data collection are produced and circulated to line manager, relevant colleagues and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process;
Ensure that the line manager and IMPACT HQ research department are alerted to any issues that prevents full implementation of the methodology agreed in the approved TORs. Ensure that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation, and that any change is formally validated by IMPACT HQ;
Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessments throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;
In close liaison with field officer(s), Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to ongoing and upcoming assessments are appropriately planned, implemented and coordinated with the relevant ACTED departments;
Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines and with the ToRs;
In close liaison with field officer(s), Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
In close liaison with data colleagues Provide data analysis on primary and/or secondary data as per ToRs, ensuring that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected;
Ensure that data and its 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.

DRAFTING OF RESEARCH PRODUCTS

Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate outputs that consolidate the analyses from each research cycle into relevant products such as factsheets, reports, briefs, presentations, etc which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
Ensure that products accurately reflect the information collected and that information is conveyed in a way that maximizes their impact in line with their intended use;
Liaise with relevant GIS colleagues to ensure effective spatial representation of research findings in maps or interactive web-portals, as relevant;
Follow the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;
Maintain regular communication with country Management and IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products;
Ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release.

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

The (Senior) Assessment Officer will represent the REACH mission in relevant cluster and multi-sector meetings/ technical working groups (such as the Communication and Community Engagement Working Group and the Protection Cluster) in South Sudan. This specifically will include liaising with external partners to identify information gaps relating to community perceptions and working with external actors to fill these gaps in order to support the coordination of the broader humanitarian community. These include response coordination mechanisms such the Humanitarian Needs Overview and the Humanitarian Response Plan.
Ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved at all stages of research cycle: assessment preparation; data collection; data analysis; review of research products; product dissemination; and lessons learnt;
After validation by the line manager, represent IMPACT in relevant meetings/ working groups;
Follow up on issues identified by partners or during meetings / working groups;
Promote an active use of datasets and research findings by partners and the broader humanitarian community for their decision making;
After validation by line manager, present research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact;
Ensure that all partner engagement and all external relations are clearly documented and communicated with the line manager and relevant colleagues;
More generally, contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organization, 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, support the conduct of monitoring and evaluation for each Research Cycle, as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines;
Generate and document robust lessons learned at the end of each Research Cycle;
Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared with other Units and teams within mission, and with HQ;
When required, provide feedback to appropriate global organizational knowledge learning tools.

PROJECT CYCLE MANAGEMENT

For relevant projects, ensure compliance to project cycle management requirements and guidelines at all phases;

Before project start, ensure the organization of a kick off meeting and the availability of key project management documentations to plan the efficient use of assets, financial and human resources;
In close coordination with line management, finance and grants colleagues, monitor and regularly update the use of assets, financial and human resources, in full compliance with IMPACT’s guidelines; this includes maintaining an oversight of budget availability and expenditure for assessment activities;
Ensure that project deliverables and requirements are tracked, met and complied to;
Ensure that any issue in relation to project implementation is reported to the line manager, finance and grants colleagues, and HQ;
Ensure that a project completion meeting is held and documented for all relevant projects;
Support the line manager, finance and grants colleagues in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports;
Other tasks as requested by supervisors.

TEAM MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING

As relevant, line management of national and international assessment team members;
For staff under his/her responsibility, and in close consultation with line manager, conduct of appraisals, provision of regular feedback, and participation in career management;
Prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her;
Conduct 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, ensure that all assessment and field teams are comprehensively briefed on objectives, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy is clearly understood;
Ensure that project/field staff are given required training and resources to achieve their tasks in line with IMPACT and project requirements;
Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping; regularly debrief team members to receive feedback on the progress of an activity;
In coordination with line manager, contribute to conduct induction for new staff members, including training in basic technical competencies for research design, implementation and analysis;
Support to the line managers and specialists in the development and implementation of capacity training plans for team members.

MAINSTREAMING OF AAP INTERNALLY

The (Senior) Assessment Officer will build on the AAP pillar’s work to further develop the mission’s strategy for mainstreaming AAP, for instance through integrating AAP in REACH research cycles, developing strategies to communicate research findings back to affected populations, delivering trainings on AAP to field staff and identifying and maintaining partnerships with key actors relating to AAP and CE.

INTERNAL COORDINATION

Actively participate in regular team meetings;
Ensure regular coordination and exchange with relevant colleagues;
Engage in the development and implementation of IMPACT’s strategy in South Sudan.

DATA CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTION

The (Senior) 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. 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.

REQUIREMENTS

Excellent academic qualifications, including a degree in a relevant discipline (international studies, development, humanitarian response, human rights, political science etc.);
For Assessment Officer, at least 1-2 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian or development settings, previous experience in other IMPACT/REACH missions is preferred; for Senior Assessment Officer, at least 3 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian or development settings, previous experience in other IMPACT/REACH missions is preferred;
Technical knowledge of or field experience relating to accountability to affected populations and/or protection and/or social cohesion/conflict sensitivity, required;
Excellent analytical skills including experience with qualitative analysis, required; experience in quantitative analysis an asset;
Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
Excellent team management skills;
Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
Prior knowledge of the region is an asset;
Familiarity with the aid system and understanding of donor and governmental requirements preferred;
Fluency in English required;
Ability to operate Microsoft Word and Excel is required;
Previous experience with InDesign and other Adobe Creative Suite Products an asset;
Ability to use Nvivo or other qualitative data analysis softwares an asset;
Ability to work independently required.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

For this position, salary between 2’460 CHF and 2’880 CHF monthly (before income tax), etc as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD
NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied as a recognition that some staff are required to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere.
Accommodation and food provided in a guesthouse. NB – IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country
Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance
Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered)
R&R after 3 months (flight ticket up to 500$ + 200$ of living allowance)
Contribution to the luggage transportation: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)
Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Family/compassionate leave when applicable.
Predeparture induction – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’s HQ in Geneva + one week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training;
IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fees
This is not a family duty station