REACH Senior Assessment Officer for oPt

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 Senior Assessment Officer to support REACH activities in oPt.

Department: REACH

Position: Senior Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 6 months

Location: East Jerusalem

Starting Date: January 2021 (pending funding confirmation)

COUNTRY PROFILE

The situation in occupied Palestine territory (oPt) is characterized as a protracted protection crisis. According to the 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), 2.2 million Palestinians out of a total population of 5.2 million were estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance, 43% of whom were classified as being in severe need. The population faces multi-faceted and compounding humanitarian and protection challenges, putting vulnerable households at continual risk of conflict and violence, displacement, food insecurity, and poverty. In addition to the humanitarian context, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are also facing a number of socioeconomic and environmental challenges. The Government of Palestine, Palestinian civil society, and international organisations are thus working towards achieving sustainable development targets in the midst of ongoing insecurity and occupation.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated humanitarian needs and pre-existing vulnerabilities among the Palestinian population and poses an additional risk to sustainable development. Following the declaration of a state of emergency in oPt on 5 March 2020, the humanitarian community has mobilized to support necessary interventions outlined in the COVID-19 Response Plan.

REACH has been present in oPt on a project basis since 2016, including an evaluation of shelter assistance to conflict-affected populations in Gaza and monitoring the impact of cash assistance. REACH has coordinated activities through the humanitarian Cluster system to define locations for assessment and mapping activities, and has worked in both the West Bank and Gaza.

In 2021, REACH aims to support both humanitarian and development actors in oPt through conducting a MultiSector Needs Assessment (MSNA), designed to inform joint humanitarian-development response planning based on the nexus approach that the UN Country Team has adopted for next year.

POSITION PROFILE

REACH is seeking a Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) to serve as project lead and focal point for the 2021 MSNA in oPt. In this role, the SAO will be responsible for overseeing the MSNA research cycle, including both technical and coordination aspects. Tasks will include coordinating and implementing the research design process (e.g. developing household indicators, sampling strategy, data collection methodology), developing and testing data collection tools, overseeing data collection and cleaning in collaboration with field managers, leading the joint analysis of MSNA data, and leading the production of final assessment outputs such as factsheets, reports, and delivering presentations of key findings.

This position will also require a strong coordination role, including regular consultation with MSNA partners. The SAO will therefore be expected to engage bilaterally and multilaterally with partners in a collaborative manner, to incorporate inputs into the research design, joint analysis, and validation of findings.

Please note, the final offer for this position is contingent upon confirmation of funding.

FUNCTIONS

1) Implementation of the MSNA – Under the supervision of the REACH Country Coordinator and in collaboration with the IMPACT HQ Research and Global Initiatives Departments, as well as all relevant MSNA partners and stakeholders, the SAO will be responsible for:

Objective 1.1: Coordination Coordinating with all relevant stakeholders, including but not limited to the UNCT, OCHA, Clusters and their partners, government representatives, local NGO partners, and other UN agencies, throughout all stages of the research cycle.

Objective 1.2: Research Design Ensuring that the MSNA research design is rigorous, methodologically sound, and follows best practices as defined by the global standards of REACH and IMPACT.

Objective 1.3: Implementation Supporting the implementation of all operational stages of the relevant data collection exercise(s), including tool and methodology design, coordination of data collection, data cleaning, and data analysis. The SAO will work with GIS and data colleagues within IMPACT HQ and the MSNA team, and will be expected to coordinate closely to ensure all relevant team members are aware of their roles across the research cycle.

Objective 1.4: Output Production Producing and/or overseeing the production of all relevant outputs related to the aforementioned data collection exercise. These outputs may include cleaned datasets, factsheets, situation overviews, maps, reports, and online dashboards.

2) Line management of MSNA team – Under the supervision of the REACH Country Coordinator, the SAO will be expected to directly line manage 1-2 members of the MSNA team (i.e. Data Officer and/or Junior Assessment Officer). Responsibilities will include management and oversight of assigned tasks, wider workplan management, technical capacity building and mentorship, and formal performance appraisal.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The REACH Senior Assessment Officer 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

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a master’s degree in relevant discipline (international studies, development, humanitarian response, monitoring and evaluation, etc;
• Excellent quantitative analysis skills, including familiarity with key statistical concepts and proven ability to interpret and extract key information from large datasets;
• At least 2 years’ experience coordinating and implementing large-scale needs assessments or other large-scale primary research projects
• At least 3 years’ experience working in humanitarian and/or development settings
• Knowledge of the Humanitarian Programme Cycle, humanitarian coordination structure, and the humanitarian-development nexus
• Proven organization skills
• Proven external engagement and verbal communications skills
• Excellent written communication skills in English for effective reporting and coordination;
• Advanced experience with Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge and experience in R or other statistical analysis software and Adobe InDesign desired;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Ability to work independently;
• Written and spoken fluency in English required; Arabic language skills desired.

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 organization’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.