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 our Humanitarian Situation Monitoring (HSM) unit in the Greater Bahr el Ghazals region of South Sudan.
Supervisor: REACH Research Manager
Position: REACH Senior Assessment Officer
Contract duration: 12 months
Location: Wau, South Sudan
Starting Date: ASAP
Country profile
IMPACT, through REACH, has been implementing programming in South Sudan since 2012. Responding to the Sudan Border Crisis, REACH initially engaged through coordinated information management support – in the form of refugee camp mapping and service provision analyses, thematic assessments, and multi-sectoral needs assessments – in Maban County, Upper Nile State and Pariang County, Unity State. IMPACT was engaged by DFID to provide a series of impact evaluations of their BRACE programming across Greater Bahr el Ghazal and Upper Nile States in 2013; a programme with run for two years, included 5 total assessments, and reached a total of more than 20,000 households. Immediately following the conflict of December 2013, REACH expanded its programming to include the IDP response, participating in Initial Rapid Needs Assessments of conflict affected areas, providing mapping and monthly service provision analyses for major IDP sites around the country, and running large-scale IDP return intentions assessments.
2018 saw the expansions of both IMPACT and REACH programming to 10 of 10 states, spanning the refugee, IDP and development responses, and covering diverse activities such as cross-border port monitoring, assessments of hard to reach areas, flood mapping and vulnerability analysis, market monitoring and supply chain analysis, analysis of tensions and conflicts over access to natural resources, and third party monitoring of humanitarian and development programming. In 2019, REACH expanded its role within the technical space, increasing involvement in Integrated Phase Classification (IPC), Needs Analysis Working Group, UN technical agencies, and academics. In response, REACH has also expanded into multiple new research cycle streams beyond humanitarian needs monitoring, including sector specific, population movement, and AAP research.
Project:
The Humanitarian Situation Monitoring (HSM) unit monitors humanitarian needs and displacement of populations living in hard-to-reach areas across South Sudan. Using the “Area of Knowledge (AoK)” methodology, staff conduct assessments in areas inside South Sudan where access to direct regular primary data collection is not possible, as well as direct primary data collection in secure and accessible locations. As of January 2020, AoK data is collected from 16 field bases in South Sudan, assessing 10 out of the 10 states. Humanitarian information is collected at the settlement level in areas identified with ongoing violence or deepening food insecurity, through a network of key informants (KIs). The AoK approach provides regular, reliable indicative tracking of humanitarian needs over time, to support in prioritisation and identification of “hot-spot” areas witnessing a deterioration of humanitarian needs.
The HSM Unit regularly engages with both internal and external assessment teams, technical agencies, and key analysis forums to identify information gaps and provide technical support as needed. To ensure data is directly informing humanitarian response planning, data is shared through formal coordination structures, such as OCHA, the ICWG, relevant clusters as well as the IPC, with feedback from partners used for both triangulations of gathered data as well as to inform research design and geographical targeting
Position profile
Functions
REACH is currently recruiting for a Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) to manage HSM processes in the Greater Bahr el Ghazals region of South Sudan. The overall goal of the Senior Assessment Officer will be to ensure the smooth running of activities in the region. This will include full operational and programmatic management of four REACH bases; one in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, one in Western Bahr el Ghazal, and two in Lakes state. More specifically, he/she will be responsible for overall programme management of REACH activities in this region, including management of Junior Assessment Officer(s), oversight of project implementation, operational oversight in terms of logistics, administrative and HR, as well as donor and partner engagement.
The REACH SAO will represent REACH to key external actors, including stakeholders in the humanitarian coordination system, as well as technical working groups and various NGO fora and information management groups. He/she will ensure the dissemination of REACH findings to the relevant stakeholders and monitor information needs of the humanitarian community. More generally, the REACH SAO is expected to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation.
The position is based in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazals, South Sudan, with regular travel to other areas of the Greater Bahr el Ghazals. Under the supervision of the REACH Assessment Manager and IMPACT HQ in Geneva, the REACH Senior Assessment Officer is responsible for the implementation of all REACH ad hoc needs assessments and rapid needs assessments, including their preparation, implementation, and follow-up.
Summary
The REACH Senior Assessment Officer will be responsible for:
- Directly managing the Wau and Aweil bases and line-managing REACH Assessment Officer (AO) in the Lakes bases to ensure smooth and timely implementation of activities in the Greater Bahr el Ghazals region;
- Designing the methodology, tools, and data analysis plan associated with each needs and rapid needs assessment, according to REACH requirements and principles;
- Analysing data and drafting information products relating to the Greater Bahr el Ghazals for use in coordination of humanitarian aid in South Sudan;
- Implementing and monitoring the REACH needs assessment strategy in coordination with the Country Coordinator and REACH Assessment Manager;
- In coordination with the REACH Assessment Manager, external representation of REACH with donors, partners, and the wider aid community through clusters and sectoral working groups;
- Liaising with programme staff of other ACTED departments to ensure close coordination and information sharing is maintained;
- Coordinate timely and accurate reporting to IMPACT HQ along with the REACH Assessment Manager, the Senior Assessment Officers working in the two other key regions, and Country Coordinator.
Responsibilities
1. Assessment Management and Coordination
1.1 Management of assessment processes
The Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) is responsible for designing the methodology and tools associated with each assessment, according to IMPACT requirements and principles. He/she will manage the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all IMPACT and project specific assessment activities conducted in the Greater Bahr el Ghazals region. The SAO shall manage logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to IMPACT and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED counterpart. He/she is directly responsible for the implementation of proper IMPACT and ACTED FLAT procedures in all IMPACT interventions in the region.
1.2 Implementation
The SAO is responsible for contributing to the implementation of assessment projects, and providing support to the development of assessment, database and GIS tools with the IMPACT team. This will specifically include, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more); development or review of databases; contributing to GIS data collection procedures; and analysis of information to contribute to reports. The SAO is responsible for investigating information gaps in the Greater Bahr el Ghazals as requested by unit heads, and will coordinate and conduct ad hoc assessments in the Greater Bahr el Ghazals according to identified needs.
1.3 Coordination
The SAO is responsible for the timely and accurate preparation of narrative and financial reports related to IMPACT activities in country through close liaison with the Project Development and Finance departments. The SAO shall liaise with other IMPACT Officers in the region and throughout IMPACT Initiatives’ and ACTED’s networks to provide and receive support in the expansion of IMPACT globally.
2. REACH Reporting
The REACH SAO is responsible for consolidating all analysis and conclusions from each assessment into IMPACT products such as factsheets, reports and briefs using standard formats. He/she will liaise with Geneva and Regional GIS/DB Specialists in order to represent data in static map formats, as relevant. The SAO is responsible for following the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. He/she must ensure the writing of timely assessment reports and factsheets, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality of collected information.
He/she will ensure that assessment reports contribute to aid coordination and planning and add to the general base of field knowledge in South Sudan for all organisations working in the region. The SAO will also store, organise and disseminate assessments, project documents and best practices among partners and potential partners. He/she will coordinate timely and accurate reporting to IMPACT.
3. Staff Management
The SAO is responsible for day-to-day management of project and field staff both directly and remotely. He/she is expected to guide and direct IMPACT staff and prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her. The SAO 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. He/she will ensure that project/field staff are given training and complete all the necessary documentation in line with program requirements set by IMPACT. He/she will also be responsible for capacity building and staff development of enumerators, Field Officers and Junior Assessment Officers.
4. External Engagement
The SAO is responsible for the representation of IMPACT in cluster and multi-sector meetings/technical working groups in country, and is expected to follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings. 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 SAO will further represent IMPACT vis-a-vis current and potential donors and communicate relevant information to the IMPACT Country Coordinator. He/she will participate in inter-NGO meetings and those of UN agencies and any other relevant inter-governmental institutions at the national or provincial level. More generally, the SAO is expected to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation, notably through the application of IMPACT’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.
5. Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries
The SAO is responsible for ensuring that all interactions with South Sudanese communities are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about IMPACT programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member
Requirements
- Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree, if relevant;
- 2 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting;
- Excellent team management, coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including an ability to manage large workloads, oversee multiple teams and effectively meet deadlines, through an excellent ability to multi-task and prioritise;
- Experience with external engagement (donors, partners and other key stakeholders) required;
- Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system required;
- Excellent communication and drafting skills required for effective report writing;
- Excellent analytical skills required- ability to situate findings within a wider context;
- Solution-oriented, flexible, and open-minded, including ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment required;
- Fluency in English required;
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel required;
- Experience with mobile data collection (ODK, ONA, KOBO) required;
- Knowledge of the Adobe Suite software, particularly Illustrator and InDesign an asset;
- Prior knowledge of the South Sudan context an asset;
- Experience working and living in challenging environments for extended periods of time;
- A good sense of humour about bugs and bucket showers in the field!;
- Willingness to relocate to South Sudan.
Conditions
- Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus**
- Additional monthly living allowance
- Food allowance and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse
- Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance
Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package**
More Information
- Job City Wau
