REACH Assessment Officer (Cash and Markets) for Syria

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 REACH Assessment Officer to support our REACH Syria team.

Department: REACH

Position: Cash and Markets Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 6 months

Location: Amman, Jordan

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

Into its ninth 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 in opposition-controlled parts of Syria and coordinates closely with OCHA, nearly all clusters, key working groups (IM and technical) within the Syria coordination system, and various NGO fora 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.

Through these engagements, REACH has identified that the following key challenges remain: (1) the lack of a needs tracking system that brings together and shares timely and regular information on changes in needs from a variety of sources; (2) the ability to conduct coordinated large scale data collection on a more regular basis – particularly critical in the highly volatile context, and during key humanitarian milestones such as the HNO; (3) the lack information from harder to reach areas with some of the most acute needs (4) lack of ability to quickly mobilise data collection in areas experiencing sudden escalations in conflict, due to accessibility, operational and security constraints; (5) the lack of more granular and detailed information on needs and response capacity on specific newly accessible geographic areas. Broadly speaking, REACH Syria implements assessments within four key streams:

• Monitoring of the humanitarian situation in Syria, through monthly assessments covering over 1,600 communities in Syria, market monitoring to track prices of goods as per the survival minimum expenditure basket (SMEB), and ad hoc rapid assessments in times of sudden escalations in conflict or natural disasters.
• Displacement tracking, through tracking the movement of IDPs and Returnees down to a 24-48 hourbasis, as well as monitoring the humanitarian situation inside IDP camps and informal settlements.
• Area-Based Assessments to support humanitarian actors in the coordination to identify key response gaps by comparing humanitarian needs data with response data, in a set locality – often one that has recently become accessible and/or that is recovering for instance from besiegement.
• 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:

• REACH: Southern Idleb and Northern Hama Rapid Needs Assessment, Factsheet – May 2019
• REACH: Humanitarian Situation Overview in Syria, March Northeast regional factsheet and Northwest regional factsheet

POSITION PROFILE

REACH Syria is seeking an Assessment Officer (AO) to provide support to the Cash & Markets Unit. In this role, the AO will be responsible for leading ongoing rapid market assessments and any future livelihoodsrelated research cycles. The AO will work closely with Cash Working Groups (CWG), Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) coordination bodies, and other relevant sectoral actors on matters related to evolving information needs and REACH assessments. Tasks will include the maintenance and updating of the current rapid market assessment, indicator review and development, technical tool development, coordination of data collection, data analysis, output production, and presentation of key findings and messages.

FUNCTIONS

Objective 1: Research Design

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets Research Manager (RM), and in consultation with CWG and FSL coordinators, the Market Monitoring Assessment Focal Point, REACH field teams, and the Data and Research Units in IMPACT HQ, the AO will be responsible for ensuring that the Research Design for the project is comprehensive, follows the best practices as defined by the global standards of REACH and IMPACT, and closely fits the most up-to-date information needs of relevant clusters.

Objective 2: Implementation

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets RM, and in collaboration with CWG and FSL coordinators and the IMPACT Data Unit, the AO will be responsible for implementing all operational stages of the relevant data collection exercises, including methodology and indicator design, the maintenance and revision of kobo tool and other technical tools, coordination of data collection with field teams, data cleaning, and data analysis.

Objective 3: Output Production

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets RM, and in collaboration with CWG and FSL coordinators and the IMPACT Reporting Unit, the AO will be responsible for producing all relevant outputs related to the aforementioned data collection exercises. These outputs may include cleaned excel datasets, InDesign factsheets or situation overviews, reports, and online dashboards.

Objective 4: Coordination and External Engagement

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets RM, the AO will be responsible for coordinating with CWG, FSL, and other appropriate stakeholders throughout all stages of the Research Cycle. The AO will also be responsible for managing all related external engagement, primarily through development and presentation of key assessment messages.

Objective 5: Ad-Hoc Analysis and Information Requests

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets RM and in collaboration with other members of the Cash & Markets Unit or other REACH Syria units, the AO may be asked to carry out ad-hoc analysis of existing data at the request of cluster or working group partners. This may include more targeted analysis of rapid market assessment data or may include supporting in targeted or trends analysis of data from other related projects.

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a master’s degree in relevant discipline (international studies, development, humanitarian response, economics, monitoring and evaluation, etc);
• Proven coordination and external engagement skills;
• At least 2 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian settings;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Written and spoken fluency in English required;
• Previous experience in survey tool design and implementation;
• Excellent analytical skills – ability to situate findings within a wider context;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting and coordination;
• Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Ability to work independently

DESIRABLE

• Previous work on Cash & Markets;
• Ability to operate analytical software, to include SPSS, Stata, Tableau, and /or R;
• Previous experience in InDesign;
• Knowledge of the humanitarian coordination structure;
• Knowledge of the Syrian context.

CONDITIONS

• Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus.
• Additional monthly living allowance provided in country by IMPACT’s partner ACTED.
• Food and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse/or housing allowance (depending on contract length and country of assignment).
• Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance.
• Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package.