REACH Assessment Officer

Department: REACH

Position: REACH Assessment Officer

Direct Hierarchy: REACH Country Coordinator

Contract duration: One Year

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Starting Date: TBC

BACKGROUND

ACTED is a French humanitarian NGO, founded in 1993, which supports vulnerable populations, affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. ACTED provides continued support to vulnerable communities by ensuring the sustainability of post-crisis interventions and engaging long-term challenges facing our target populations, in order to break the poverty cycle, foster development and reduce vulnerability to disasters. Their interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development crises through a multidisciplinary approach which is both global and local, and adapted to each context. Their 3,300 staff is committed in to responding to emergencies worldwide, to supporting recovery and rehabilitation, towards sustainable development.

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two INGOs (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.

Context / Country

REACH Somalia established its presence in Somalia in 2012, partnering with UN-OCHA and the cluster system. Its aim was to provide surge capacity and technical support contributing to the formulation of countrywide needs analysis and response strategies.

REACH Somalia stemmed on the focus of geographic identification of internally displaced peoples (IDPs) living insettlements through collecting a core baseline of household specific information focused on the shelter, WASH and education sectors that enables the preparation of situational and gap analyses; thus enabling better planning, coordination and traceability of aid. The team has quickly expanded its connectivity to other clusters (namely Food Security) and the overall coordination mechanism of OCHA.

The project coordinates its actions through the cluster system to define locations for assessment and mapping activities working through a large network of local partners operational in each assessment region. To date the project has mapped IDP settlements in Doolow, Mogadishu, Baidoa, Kismayo, North Galkayo, Hargeisa, Burao, Bossasso, Qardho and Garowe

Assignment

Under the supervision of the REACH Country Coordinator, the REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for the management and implementation of all REACH assessments in country, including their preparation, implementation and follow-up, if relevant. S/he will also be responsible for related logistics, partner coordination, reporting and finance requirements and will be required to provide input to the strategic development of REACH in country and region.

Functions

Summary

Under the supervision of REACH Country Coordinator, the REACH Assessment Officer shall be responsible for:

· Designing and implementing REACH assessment strategy and methodology and corresponding analytical frameworks;

· Provide information management support through in-depth data analysis, technical training development, macro development, IM platform management, and/or geo-referencing, when possible.

· Ensuring the writing of timely and accurate assessment reports and factsheets with integration of cluster and/or partner feedback;

· Manage project timeframes and assessment schedules and work with field staff to design and implement REACH assessment procedures;

· Supporting the development/revision of assessment/programme strategies, reports or new proposals;

· Liaising with programme staff of other ACTED departments to ensure close coordination is maintained;

· Under the supervision of REACH Assessment Officer, external representation of REACH with Donors, Partners and the wider Aid Community through clusters and sectoral working groups;

· Coordinate timely and accurate reporting to REACH Assessment Officer

· Managing of REACH assessment field staff to ensure a smooth and timely implementation of activities;

· Ensuring that assessment strategies are implemented in a structured and coherent manner in line with project and strategic objectives;

· Coordinating and ensuring timely data collection, analysis and, in partnership with GIS/DB team, mapping of datasets and ensuring that all collected data are geo-referenced

I. Reporting

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for supporting the consolidation of all analyses and conclusions from each activity into REACH products such as factsheets, profiles, reports and briefs using standard formats. S/he will liaise with the REACH GIS/DB team in order to represent data, as relevant.

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for following the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. S/he must ensure the writing of timely and accurate assessment reports and factsheets, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection of collected information. S/he will ensure that assessment reports contribute to aid coordination and planning and add to the general base of field knowledge in the country for all organisations working in the areas.

S/he will also manage the drafting of narrative reports and contribute to the development of financial reports through regular budgetary follow-up.

II. Representation

The REACH Assessment Officer will store, organize and disseminate assessments, project documents and best practices among ACTED and IPs. S/he will coordinate timely and accurate field-level information, when needed, and support Nairobi-level dissemination activities. The REACH Assessment Officer should be well-versed in the Somalia context, project activities and outcomes.More generally, the REACH Assessment Officer is expected to have well developed communication skills to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation, notably through the application of ACTED’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors

Representation of ACTED/REACH in cluster and multi-sector meetings/ technical working groups in country and follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings in other parts of the country. This specifically will include liaising with external partners to identify potential for data sets to be integrated into existing databases and mapped to support the coordination of the broader humanitarian community.

The REACH Assessment Officer will further represent ACTED/REACH vis-a-vis current and potential donors and communicate relevant information to the ACTED Project Development Officer and Country Director. S/he will participate in inter-NGO meetings and those of UN agencies and any other relevant inter-governmental institutions at the national or provincial level.

III. Project Support and Coordination

· Objective 3.1: Management of assessments process

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for contributing to the implementation of assessment projects, providing support to the development of assessment, database and GIS tools with the REACH team. This will specifically include, with the GIS/DB team, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more); development or review of databases, and ; contributing to GIS data collection procedures.

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for supporting the design of the methodology and tools associated with each assessment, according to REACH requirements and principles. S/he will manage the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all REACH and projects specific assessment activities conducted in country. In operations in which REACH is a project component of a wider ACTED intervention, the REACH Liaison Officer is required to contribute to the preparation and follow up of the Project Management Framework and ensure that activities are properly coordinated and implemented as per the Project Cycle Management.

The REACH Assessment Officer may need to support logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to REACH and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED counterpart. S/he is directly responsible for the implementation of proper ACTED FLAT procedures in all REACH interventions.

· Objective 3.2: Implementation

The REACH Assessment SupportOfficer is responsible for the preparation of project ToRs, observation of field-level procedures. The REACH Assessment Officer will ensure that all field teams are comprehensively briefed on the objective, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy of any given activity is clearly understood. S/he will ensure that project/field staff are given training and complete all the necessary documentation in line with program requirements set by REACH.

IV. Overall Coordination

The REACH Assessment Officer may be required to provide technical support to the relevant ACTED department in terms of the preparation of new project proposals, development of programme strategies, implementation of project activities, and any other required REACH input to ACTED projects for added-value.

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for the timely and accurate preparation of narrative and financial reports related to REACH activities in country through close liaison with the Project Development and Finance departments.

Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries

The staff member is responsible for ensuring that all relations with the communities we work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about ACTED programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every ACTED staff member.

Requirements

· Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, Sociology, M&E or any relevant discipline

• Excellent analytical skills;
• At least 1.5 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian settings;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Excellent team management skills;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment
• Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
• Prior knowledge of the region an asset
• Fluency in English required
• Ability to operation Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software.
• Ability to operate SPSS or related statistical programming an asset
• Ability to work independently

HOW TO APPLY:

Application Procedure

Qualified persons with the required skills are invited to submit their applications accompanied by detailed curriculum vitae detailing three work related referees and contacts to kenya.jobs@acted.org and received on or before 5.00PM on 12th September 2016

Please note that only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ACTED will at no stage of recruitment process request candidate to make payments of any kind. If you receive any email/calls in relation to ACTED’s recruitment and you are unsure about its validity or origin, please contact us on nairobi@acted.orgACTED is an Equal Opportunity Employer