Assessment Officer for Ethiopia (50% based in Kampala, Uganda)

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 Assessment Officer to support our Ethiopia team.

Department: REACH

Position: Assessment Officer

Contractduration: 6 months

Location: Kampala, Uganda, with up to 50% travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

StartingDate: September 2023

COUNTRY PROFILE

Since 2018, Ethiopia has witnessed an escalation in unrest including large-scale displacement, killings, and destruction of property following domestical political changes. Such unrest has exacerbated the impact of climate-related crises, including the most devastating desert locust infestation in 25 years, which has damaged crops and fostered food insecurity. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic infiltrated Ethiopia leading to lockdowns and transport bans in many regions that restricted access to markets. Then in November 2020, conflict erupted in the northern Tigray region, displacing many Ethiopians, and contributing to an approximate 1.1 million additional people needing assistance in Amhara, Afra and Tigray regions. All of these events have severely disrupted livelihoods, affected the availability of staple market commodities, and threatened to sharply escalate humanitarian need for vulnerable populations across the country.

FUNCTIONS

Under the line management of the IMPACT Country Coordinator / Representative or his/her delegates in country of deployment, the Assessment Officer is responsible for the implementation of IMPACT’s research cycles, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination and evaluation stages. Throughout research cycles, the Assessment Officer engages with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact. He/she also ensures an efficient and transparent use of resources required for project implementation. This can include the direct supervision of assessment teams.

In his/her mission, the 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 Assessment Officer is responsible for overseeing the planning, implementation and follow up of research cycles to which s/he is assigned, in close coordination with other team members and with relevant external partners. In doing so, the Assessment Officer will ensure an effective management of related projects and resources, including (when relevant) line-management national staff.

More specifically the Assessment Officer is responsible for the following:

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 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;
• 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), 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;
• 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;

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

• 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;
• Ensure that all partner engagement and all external relations are clearly documented and communicated with the line manager and relevant colleagues;

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 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;
• Support to the line managers and specialists in the development and implementation of capacity training plans for team members.

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 country strategy

DATA CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTION

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. 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 Masters degree in relevant discipline;
• Research skills: Proficiency and proven experience with research methods. Excellent analytical skills required.
• 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 1 year of relevant experience, experience in humanitarian settings is highly desirable;
• Management skills: Team management experience and skills highly desirable;
• Communication/reporting skills: Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• 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 in East Africa is desirable;
• Language skills: Fluency in English required, competency in Amharic an asset.
• Security environment: Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment when relevant.

CONDITIONS

• For this position, salary between 2’160 CHF and 2’280 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. Depending on the country situation, a contribution to a housing allowance of up to 75% of country-specific benchmark can be considered instead. 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)
• 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