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 Junior Assessment Officer to support our SOMALIA team.

Department: REACH

Position: REACH Junior Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 6 months

Location: Hargeisa, Somalia

Starting Date: February 2021

COUNTRY PROFILE

Somalia has been experiencing a multi-layered, complex, and protracted crisis over the past three decades. Insecurity and armed conflict continues to exacerbate the effects of periodic natural disasters and climatedriven shocks, such as droughts and flooding. The humanitarian situation in Somalia has seen a rapid deterioration since 2016 due to unprecedented drought. Poor rainfall has contributed to crop failure, livestock depletion and extreme food insecurity for at least a quarter of the population. Simultaneously, Somalia continues to be affected by protracted conflict, and the combination of these two crises have exacerbated displacement trends, with an estimate of 2.6 million people now displaced from their homes.

REACH began working in Somalia in 2012 in order to fill information gaps and to provide timely data on the humanitarian needs of displaced and vulnerable populations

The compound and complex nature of the crisis continues to influence displacement patterns and constrain the availability of resources, while the presence of armed groups severely impedes the level of access and support provided by humanitarian actors. Crops have been affected by large swarms of locusts in the region in late 2019 and again in 2020. These infestations have impacted large areas of the country. In addition, in March 2020, COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the country. This situation and the precautious steps taken to curb the spread of the virus have further complicated both the needs of households, and the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond to needs.

The humanitarian response system in Somalia has mechanisms in place for rapid scale-up and sustained response, including cash and voucher assistance (CVA). In 2020, 32% of the total requirement by clusters in Somalia is planned for CVA or 332 million dollars. Multi-Purpose Cash, Shelter, and Food Security are responsible for 84% of the total amount, with a budget of 280 million dollars dedicated to CVA. Indeed, poverty and the inability to afford basic services are frequently reported as a key issue across different clusters. Concurrently, one study shows that both non-displaced and displaced population groups in the country identify cash as one of their most urgent unmet needs.

The progress of CVA in Somalia has been documented by different studies. A recent survey found that cash recipients report feeling “more empowered” by the humanitarian support they receive than non-cash recipients. Cash assistance can respond to emergencies, as an enabler to address basic needs, while also aiming for promoting sustainable livelihoods and resiliency. The success of these interventions depend on several preconditions, including the particular beneficiary needs, community and political acceptance to CVAs, market conditions, and adequate operational conditions to distribute assistance. While market monitoring provides insights to maximise the success of CVAs, cash post distribution monitoring (PDM) helps monitoring the effect of cash programming, ensuring that aid is being prioritised effectively.

POSITION PROFILE

REACH Somalia/land is seeking a Junior Assessment Officer (JAO) to provide support to the Cash & Markets Unit. In this role, the JAO will be responsible for leading the ongoing Somali Cash Consortium post distribution monitoring (PDM), supporting the quarterly Joint Market Monitoring Initiative, and ad-hoc support to the Somalia Cash Working Group (CWG). The JAO will work closely with the REACH Cash & Markets Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) and will help to coordinate with the CWG, Clusters, and other relevant sectoral actors on matters related to evolving information needs and REACH assessments.

Tasks the JAO will lead on include the implementation of the regular post distribution monitoring of the Somali cash consortium. Tasks the JAO will support on include external engagement, ad-hoc analysis and information requests, the monthly market assessment, the output production for the monthly market assessment, and the design and update of the monthly market assessment.

As a member of the assessment team, the JAO will be expected to take an active role in the supporting IMPACT’s strategy within Somalia through pro-actively informing the humanitarian response through insight and analysis.

FUNCTIONS

Objective 1: Research Design

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets Senior Assessment Officer and in consultation with the CWG and the Somali Cash Consortium (SCC), REACH field teams, and the Data and Research Units in IMPACT HQ, the JAO will lead in maintaining and updating the design of the PDM research cycles to ensure they follow the best practices as defined by the global standards of REACH and IMPACT, and closely fit the most up-to date information needs of relevant clusters.

Objective 2: Implementation

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets Senior Assessment Officer, and in collaboration with CWG and SCC coordinators and the IMPACT Data Unit, the JAO will lead the implementation of select operational stages of the PDM research cycles and support the remaining operational stages. Operational stages include the relevant data collection exercises, 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 Assessment Officer, and in collaboration with CWG and SCC coordinators and the IMPACT Reporting Unit, the JAO will lead the production all relevant outputs related to the PDM research cycles. These outputs may include cleaned excel datasets, InDesign situation overviews (including narratives), reports, and online dashboards.

Objective 4: Coordination and External Engagement

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets Senior Assessment Officer, the JAO will support in the coordination with CWG, SCC, and other appropriate stakeholders throughout all stages of the Research Cycle. The JAO will also support in managing all related external engagement, including assisting in the development of key assessment messages.

Objective 5: Ad-Hoc Analysis and Information Requests

Under the supervision of the Cash & Markets Assessment Officer and in collaboration with other members of the Cash & Markets Unit or other REACH Somalia units, the JAO will support on 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 degree in relevant discipline;
• Proven analytical skills; skills in Excel, SPSS, R or other statistical packages or scripting languages;
• At least 1 year of relevant working experience in humanitarian settings;
• Proven coordination and external engagement skills;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Demonstrably curious nature and penchant for problem solving;
• Written and spoken fluency in English required;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting and coordination;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Ability to work independently.

DESIRABLE

• Experience with all parts of the research cycle
• Previous experience in InDesign;
• Knowledge of the humanitarian coordination structure;
• Knowledge of the Somalian 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.
• R&R every 3 months