REACH Senior Assessment Officer (Humanitarian Program Cycle) for Syria 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 Senior Assessment Officer to support our Humanitarian Program Cycle team.

Department: REACH

Position: Senior Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 12 months

Location: Amman, Jordan

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

Into its tenth year of conflict, conditions in Syria remain highly volatile and marked by intense violence and limited humanitarian access. The scale, complexity, and severity of humanitarian needs in Syria extends the necessity for up to date, timely, and accurate information. Evidence-based planning and programming remains paramount to ensure that the response adequately meets the needs of the most vulnerable people and is tailored to different realities across communities and over time. However, informing operational and strategic planning remains highly challenging, as accessibility and security issues impede systematic data collection. A lack of predictable and consistent data undermines the ability of humanitarian actors to review their approach in light of the dynamic context. REACH has been conducting assessments on the humanitarian situation in Syria since 2013 and has over the years grown significantly both in size and in influence as an actor in the Syria response. REACH works closely with OCHA, most clusters, key working groups (IM and technical), and several NGO fora within the Syria coordination system – in order to identify, address, and raise awareness of key information gaps, as well as to uphold the quality of data used to inform the response.

Broadly speaking, REACH Syria implements assessments within four key streams:

· Monitoring of the humanitarian situation in Syria, through i) monthly assessments covering over 1,600 communities in Syria, ii) market monitoring to track prices of goods as per the survival minimum expenditure basket, and iii) rapid assessments in times of conflict escalation or natural disasters.

· Displacement tracking, through tracking the movement of IDPs and Returnees down to a 24-48 hour basis, as well as monitoring the humanitarian situation inside IDP camps and informal settlements.

· Remote sensing activities, across all thematic areas, to serve as a triangulation source and facilitate a coordinated response, including shelter counts, flood assessments, camp boundary mapping, etc.

· Technical support to clusters, for example in the form of coordination and implementation of sector and multisector assessments to inform the HNO, production of thematic assessments, presentations of findings, and capacity building.

For an example of REACH Syria information products, please see below:

· Northeast Syria Market Monitoring Exercise – September 2021

· Northwest Syria Flood Susceptibility and Flood Hazard Assessment – January 2021

· Briefing Note: Humanitarian Situation Overview in Northeast Syria – June 2021

POSITION PROFILE

REACH Initiative Syria is currently seeking a professional with a background in research and coordination to serve as a Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) in the newly formed Humanitarian Program Cycle (HPC) team. This team was created to provide dedicated support to high-level, strategic planning for the Humanitarian Program Cycle as part of the Whole of Syria response. REACH Syria is looking for a creative, dedicated individual with a background in research and/or coordination to manage and develop existing and new research cycles focused on tracking needs and severity of needs in Syria. This position is suited for a person with strong analytical and communication skills, and a background in implementing and developing research portfolios – particularly in a humanitarian context. Past experience working on needs assessments and managing junior staff is preferred.

FUNCTIONS

Under the line management of a Research Manager, the Senior Assessment Officer is responsible for the coordination and implementation of a research portfolio focused on conducting needs assessments for planning purposes. This portfolio includes two major assessments: 1) the multi-sectoral needs assessment (MSNA), a yearly assessment led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) with support from REACH and other partners; 2) the quarterly needs assessment (QNA), an assessment still under development which will serve as a mechanism for monitoring needs across Syria on a more regular basis over the course of the program year.

The Senior Assessment Officer will be involved with coordination and implementation of both of these research cycles, including external engagement, management of more junior staff, and oversight of all implementation activities. S/he is also responsible for strategic development of the needs assessment portfolios in collaboration with external partners and the Research Manager.

In his/her mission, the Senior Assessment Officer will be hosted by IMPACT’s global partner ACTED and will fall under the direct responsibility and management of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates for all Administrative, Security, and relevant Logistics and Finance issues. S/he will therefore fully abide to ACTED’s Security, Administration, and relevant HR, Logistics and Finance rules and regulations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Assessment Officer is responsible for the following:

Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA)

· Oversight of all REACH engagement with the MSNA process, including management of assessment and data officers and coordination with external partners. This role requires development of strong relationships and regular coordination with OCHA, the humanitarian cluster system, and other key humanitarian program cycle stakeholders.

· In collaboration with the Research Manager and team members, development and guidance of MSNA strategic vision.

· Overseeing that activities are planned and implemented in a structured and coherent manner, in line with project and program objectives, and ensuring that deadlines are met.

· Helping to write and develop all research components, including ToRs, tools, and analysis files.

· Reviewing and/or developing all reporting components, including grants, reports, and presentations.

· Provision of technical advice to humanitarian stakeholders to inform MSNA development and subsequent humanitarian planning documents.

· Coordination with IMPACT HQ and OCHA on global and in country approaches to planning and analysis for the 2023 Syria Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

Quarterly Needs Assessment (QNA)

· Oversight of QNA methodology development, in collaboration with OCHA and other relevant members of the humanitarian cluster system. This role will involve development of strong relationships with external partners to ensure that the QNA methodology is both practical and useful; this will include developing a strategy for the QNA.

· Providing technical guidance and oversight on QNA methodology implementation.

· Management of assessment and/or data officer implementing the QNA.

· Reviewing all activities, research documents, and related reports.

· Overseeing dissemination activities and reviewing and/or conducting presentations on research results.

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

· Academic Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (international development, humanitarian response, political science, monitoring and evaluation, etc.);

· Research skills Proficiency and proven experience with research methods, including both quantitative and qualitative research. Excellent analytical skills;

· Software skills Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Advanced skills in R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software are an advantage; Experience with InDesign an asset.

· Years of work experience At least 3 years of relevant working experience. Experience in humanitarian settings and knowledge of the humanitarian program cycle highly desirable;

· Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;

· Organizational and coordination skills Strong coordination, presentation, and organizational skills;

· Management skills Experience managing and developing junior staff;

· Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles;

· Level of independence Proven ability to work independently;

· Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;

· Experience in geographical region Past experience working in Syria or the Middle East is desirable;

· Language skills Fluency in English required, fluency in Arabic and/or Kurdish an asset;