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/GIS Manager to support our team in Somalia.

Department:REACH

Position: DATA/GIS MANAGER

Contract duration: 1 year

Location: Hargeisa, Somaliland

Starting Date: 1 January 2024

Country profile

REACH has been operational in Somalia since 2012, providing information management support to humanitarian actors in a complex environment through assessment capacity, GIS services and support to Cluster IM practices. Projects have included tri-cluster assessments in support of the WASH, Shelter and Education Clusters, support to Food Security response analysis, and development of a Shelter Cluster M&E Framework.

REACH Somalia is looking to expand information support to the humanitarian response in several key areas, including IDP settlement profiling and monitoring, multi-cluster needs assessments, durable solutions and improved remote data collection. Key strategic aims are to increase geographic and sectoral coverage and to enhance advocacy capacity through strengthened data collection and information targeting.

FUNCTIONS

1. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT & Staff Capacity Building

• In coordination with the Country Coordinator for Kenya/Somalia the incumbent will be responsible for managing the staff allocation of spare capacity within Kenya/Somalia for database and GIS Officers. Resource allocation will be based on priority as determined within SMT and ultimately by the Kenya/Somalia CC.
• The incumbent must ensure that requests for resource from the central team are accurately estimated (as far as possible) in terms of complexity and effort, and that the appropriate resources are allocated to each request. It will be the responsibility of the incumbent to determine the process for tracking resource allocation and progress on each request. The incumbent’s will be expected to volunteer their own effort in supporting these requirements and support all Kenya and Somalia Units.
• It will be the responsibility of the incumbent to work with the Country Coordinator to ensure that the Data/GIS team is adequately equipped to deal with requests from the units, and that wherever possible peaks of effort are anticipated.
• Identify the technical and non-technical skills of the Data/GIS team and create capacity building plans for individual staff as well as the overall team based on the strategic goals of the research cycles.

1. TECHNICAL BACKSTOPPING OF DATA, DATABASE FUNCTIONS, AND GIS, WITHIN RESEARCH CYCLES
2. Assessment Preparation and Planning:

· The Data and GIS Manager must ensure all planned IMPACT research assessment cycles are meeting / exceeding IMPACT’s research standards, wider academic standards, and overall research ethics in the research methods, data processing and analysis, and GIS practices being used in country.

· Identification of available data to inform secondary data review in coordination with the assessment team, with an aim of actively proposing spatial analysis and/or remote sensing activities that can provide additional information to enrich the assessments;

· For each assessment, ensure contribution to and review of draft ToRs with a specific focus on the analysis plan, as well as data management plan, and related mapping to ensure that all stages of the assessment cycle are planned in line with project and program objectives;

· Support project teams to co-construct qualitative and quantitative data collection tools and mapping tools, ensuring data and GIS requirements of research cycle/assessment are met and all required geo-reference data will be collected to allow for accurate analysis and visualization of findings;

· Develop sampling frames through geo-spatial analysis of assessment areas and subsequently develop statistically representative samples. Related support to operations teams in developing maps and reference guides for daily assessment plans and field movement plans;

• Create – and/or support the Data Officers to develop – Data SOPs in the preparation phase for ease of coordination and role responsibilities with the Field and Assessment teams during the data collection and analysis periods.
  1. Data Collection

· When relevant, and in coordination with the operations team, ensure that support is provided by the data analysis and/or GIS teams for the identification and training of enumerators for primary data collection;

· In close collaboration with field teams, oversee data collection daily checks including spatial verification and validation with two-way feedback between internal departments;

· Keep track of progress and delays of all data, information-management, and GIS tasks throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified problems are reported by writing and orally in a timely manner.

1. Data Management, Cleaning & Analysis

· Develop advanced data cleaning scripts and ensure all relevant staff are trained in their use and interpretation – and validated by IMPACT HQ;

· Establish coordination and technical systems to ensure all incoming data, across all research cycles, is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;

· Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines upholding principles of data protection and data privacy;

· Establish systems to ensure that all data and its analysis, included spatial analysis, are technically sound, linked to the validated methodology, and checked validated by internal teams before sharing to external parties and product drafting stage;

· Ensure the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as accurate linkages between spatial databases and assessment data;

1. Product dissemination and evaluation

· Identify the best visualization technique for each project, such as figures, graphs, static/dynamic maps or interactive dashboards, that helps to understand the data and facilitate its distribution, taking into account the purpose of each project;

· Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate GIS products which meet the requirements of IMPACT and concerned partners;

· In coordination with IMPACT HQ, ensure that data and GIS products are uploaded on relevant portals, as specified in Research ToRs;

· In coordination with IMPACT’s Country Coordinator, Senior Management Team, and Data and GIS team, and with the assessment team, ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented at the end of each research cycle.

INTERNAL COORDINATION

• The Senior Data and GIS Manager will be responsible for day-to-day management of Data and GIS Officers and/or Assistants working within the portfolio. S/he/they are expected to guide and direct IMPACT staff and prepare and follow up workplans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her. This will include the preparation of ToRs, observation of recruitment procedures by planning recruitment needs in advance, and undertake interviews.
• The Senior Manager is also responsible for cross-team learning and sharing for cross-disciplinary team members beyond those under their direct management. S/he/they will therefore be expected to actively contribute to informal technical sharing for the Field and Assessment teams.

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 IMPACT programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

All IMPACT / REACH staff are expected to maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. S/he/they 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

• At least 5 years of relevant working experience working in data analytics, data management, geo-spatial visualization, information management, or a related field;
• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Geography, Statistics, Economics, or a relevant discipline;
• Proven experience in data processing and statistical analysis
• Proven experience in use of software such as ArcGIS and R;
• Advanced MS Excel skills (Advanced usage of formulas, Pivot tables, Lookup functions);
• Strong understanding of sampling methodologies and statistical analysis
• Considerable experience using ODK/KOBO for quantitative data collection (questionnaire coding and dataset structures);
• Familiarity with PowerBI, Shiny, or other interactive dashboard software an asset;
• Ability to think creatively in terms of tool and process development;
• Experience managing a team and staff capacity building; proven experience in remote management an asset
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Good organizational, communication and interpersonal skills with proven ability to lead cross-team learning initiatives;
• Positive attitude and a willingness to learn;
• High level of autonomy and ability to work independently.
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility, in high pressure situations with competing priorities;
• Prior knowledge of the region an asset;
• Fluency in English required

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• For this position, salary between 3’300 CHF and 3’600 CHF monthly (before income tax), etc as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD
  NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied as a recognition that some staff are required to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere.
• Accommodation and food provided in a guesthouse. NB – IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country
• Accompanied status does not apply to this position
• Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance
• Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered)
• R&R after 3 months (flight ticket up to 500$ + 200$ of living allowance)
• Contribution to the luggage transportation: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)
• Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Family/compassionate leave when applicable.
• Predeparture induction – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’s HQ in Geneva + one week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training;
• IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fees
• This is not a family duty station