Data Specialist

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 Data Specialist to support our team in Uganda.

Department:REACH

Position: Data Specialist

Contract duration:12 months with possibility of extension

Location: Kampala

Starting Date: 13.02.2022

COUNTRY PROFILE

Uganda is currently hosting more than 1.5 million refugees and asylum seekers, the largest number in the region. Most have fled civil unrest and conflicts in neighbouring countries of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, and Burundi. Refugee flows into Uganda are likely to continue due to ongoing conflicts, violent wars, unrest and human rights violations in neighbouring countries.
The vast majority of refugees are hosted in settlements in 12 refugee-hosting districts in northern and mid/south-western Uganda, while 5% of them reside in urban Kampala.

In Uganda, the response coordination is held by UNHCR and by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). The Uganda government, in coordination with the humanitarian partners, has granted a welcoming policy for all asylum seekers. The asylum seekers, once registered as refugees, receive a piece of land in one of the refugee settlements and a monthly general food assistance from WFP.

In the past years Uganda has been affected by a general decreasing of humanitarian funds that have triggered a prioritization of the humanitarian assistance.

FUNCTIONS

Under the line management of the IMPACT Country Coordinator in Uganda, the Data Specialist ensures the validity and strengthens the quality and efficiency of all IMPACT research cycles in Uganda, in accordance with IMPACT’s standards, partner expectations, and IMPACT’s ethos of facilitating an evidence-based response.

In coordination with the Country Senior Management Team, the Data Specialist will provide technical inputs at all stages of relevant research cycles, including for secondary data reviews, assessment conceptualization, research design, data cleaning, data analysis, production of information products (inclusive of maps and factsheets), and dissemination of information products, etc.

S/he will be involved in partner coordination, donor reporting, presentations, and will be required to provide input to the strategic development of IMPACT in Uganda.

Another key responsibility of the Data Specialist will be the development and implementation of a continuous capacity building program for national and international team members, and (when relevant) for providing trainings to partners.

He/she will be the technical line manager of a Database Officer and a GIS Officer. The Data Specialist will work in close coordination with the Research Manager and/or the Assessment Focal Point to ensure that the data team is involved in the different stages of the research cycles and that all the data support (review and coding of survey tools, development of checking and analysis scripts, conduct daily data quality check, clean and analysis the data set) is provided in a coordinated, timely and quality manner.

In his/her mission, the Data Specialist 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.

RESPONSABILITIES

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION

The Data Specialist will participate and actively contribute to the development of IMPACT’s strategy in Uganda, in support to the Country Coordinator/Representative. She/he may be asked to collaborate in the Senior Management Team. In particular s/he will support in identifying and concretising:

• Contribute to country, regional and unit strategies development with relevant technical and thematic contents;
• Support the development/revision of assessment/programme strategies, reports, or new proposals;
  Identify data gaps in country and develop a national data strategy;
• Ensure that data analysis strategies are implemented in a structured and coherent manner in line with project and strategic objectives and with IMPACT’s guidelines and processes;
• Ensuring the national data strategy is integrated and actioned across Units and within individual work plans of data officers;
• Synergies with other data and IM actors and strengthening the participation of IMPACT in key working groups (Assessment Technical Working Group, Data Management Working Group, etc.);
• Dissemination strategies to strengthen the impact of our data and IM work;
• Engagement with IMPACT HQ in global level data priorities.

RESEARCH PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

• In coordination with the Research Manager, ensuring that assessments are planned in line with project and program objectives and with IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
• Identification of available data to inform secondary data review, in coordination with the assessment team;
• For each assessment, ensure contribution from the data team to and review of draft ToRs with a specific focus on the sampling design, data collection methodology, analysis plan, as well as data management plan,
• In coordination with Assessment team, ensure participation of the data team in co-construct quantitative data collection tools, ensuring data requirements of research cycle/assessment are met;
• In coordination with the assessment team, ensure that the data team develops data cleaning processes and scripts as relevant;
• Ensure that the data team keeps track of progress and delays of all relevant data- and information-management tasks throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified problems are reported by writing and orally in a timely manner;
• When relevant, ensure that support is provided by data staff in overseeing data collection, in line with agreed TORs (including their Annexes), including validation as part of daily assessment checks;
• In coordination with the assessment team, ensure that all changes in data collection that lead to a modification in the agreed TORs are documented; and that the IMPACT Country Coordinator and IMPACT HQ are informed and agree on the modifications.

DATA MANAGEMENT, CLEANING AND ANALYSIS

• Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines, and with the ToRs (data management plan Annex);
• Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
• Ensure data analysis conducted on collected data as per ToRs;
• Ensure that data analysis is 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;
• Ensure the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection of collected information.

DRAFTING OF PRODUCTS

• Ensure that the data products meet the requirements of IMPACT and concerned partners;
• Maintain regular communication with IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for data analysis products
• Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate products (including factsheets, graphics, webmaps and dashboards), which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines;
• Ensure that products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release;
• When relevant, in close coordination with IMPACT HQ, support the regular maintenance and update of web products.

TEAM FUNCTIONAL AND LINE-MANAGEMENT

• Close collaboration with Research Managers / Assessment Focal points who are line managing data staff in their units on the career development, work planning and technical guidance of the relevant data staff; in addition to direct line management of cross-unit data staff, if any;
• Conduct regular meetings with all international and senior national data team members to assess progress in all research cycles and to review work plan;
• Reviewing data staff work throughout research cycles (clean datasets, analysis scripts, maps, etc.)
• Bilateral management of international and senior national data team members as needed, including (in consultation with IMPACT Country Coordinator) the conduct of appraisals, as well as participation in staff career management;
• In coordination with Country Coordinator, conduct induction for new staff members, and provide ongoing training for staff;
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping.

INTERNAL KNOWLEDGE SHARING, LEARNING AND CAPACITY BUILDING

• Identify capacity gaps, and resolve to bridge these through targeted capacity building, training, performance monitoring, and backstopping where needed;
• Support to the line managers and specialists in the development and implementation of capacity training plans for data, assessment and other team members;
• Conduct and support regular training to Uganda teams, including regular updates on IMPACT guidelines, adapted (to context) training modules, learning on the job; Complement in house training material with external resources, if and as relevant;
• Ensure impact of trainings and progression of staff is monitored;
• Pro-actively provide regular technical support and backstopping to data and assessment teams;
• Pro-actively monitor risks on data quality across all research cycles and ensure any issues flagged to management in country and HQ Research design and data unit.
• Support to data and Assessment teams to systematically review the efficiency and quality of research cycles and information products;
• Support monitoring and evaluation for relevant Research Cycle, as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines;
• Contribute to generating and documenting robust lessons learned at the end of relevant Research Cycle;
• Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared across the Uganda] and with HQ;
• Able and available to engage with Global Units and global learning processes, such as methodology notes, lessons learnt, Communities of Practice, etc;
• Continuously seek to improve and innovate IMPACT assessments, information products and processes to identify and meet information gaps in the Uganda humanitarian response in order to support in the facilitation of an evidence-based response;
• Work closely with other specialists in the Uganda to develop, implement and monitor a multi-disciplinary training and learning plan for IMPACT teams;
• More generally, contributes to creating a culture of rigour, innovation and learning within IMPACT’s operations.

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

• Under the coordination of the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative, ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved in the preparation of data products;
• In coordination with the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative, engage in relevant technical fora in country (e.g. IM/data working groups);
• In support of the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative, engage with other organisations engaged with the maintenance of data in Uganda, ensuring IMPACT databases are up-to-date and in line with Common Operational Datasets (CODs) and Fundamental Operational Datasets (FODs);
• In coordination with the IMPACT Country Coordinator/Representative, support the presentation of data products to relevant third parties, to enhance their use and impact.

DISSEMINATION

• Ensure the strictest confidentiality of data and data processes. The Data Specialist will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of information and data;
• In coordination with IMPACT HQ, ensure that data products are uploaded on relevant data portals, as specified in Research ToRs.

DATA CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTION

The Data Specialist will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. 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 degree in relevant discipline;
• Research skills Excellent research and analytical skills required, including a sound understanding of sampling frameworks and their application, an ability to analyse large data sets, as well as conduct temporal or spatial trend analysis. Demonstrable experience of data science. Excellent data analysis skills.
• Software skills Advanced knowledge of R, STATA, Python or equivalent statistical software. Proven knowledge of Microsoft office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge of ArcGIS and GIS a great advantage (including remote sensing).
• Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the aid system and with the research community;
• Years of work experience At least 4 years of relevant working experience
• Experience in Humanitarian sectors Experience working in humanitarian sector an asset;
• Training skills Ability to conduct trainings and mentor IMPACT teams and partners on assessment skills;
• 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 Strong existing ability to work independently in support of colleagues and partners;
• Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the region is desirable;
• Language skills Fluency in English required
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment