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 WASH Assessment Officer to support our REACH team in Central African Republic .

Department:                 REACH

Position:                      REACH Assessment Officer

Contract duration:        6 months

Location:                      Bangui, Central African Republic

Starting Date:               ASAP

POSITION PROFILE

Under the supervision of the REACH Assessment Manager, the WASH Assessment Officer is responsible for the support to the WASH cluster and to overall REACH WASH assessments. He/she will also be required to provide input to the strategic development of REACH in Central African Republic. S/he will also be responsible for liaising with relevant stakeholders, including the WASH Cluster and relevant partners in Central African Republic.

FUNCTIONS

The WASH Assessment Officer, under the supervision of the REACH Assessment Manager, shall be responsible for:

• Ensuring a secondary data review of existing WASH and sector related data to provide an in depth-analysis of WASH humanitarian situation.
• Ensuring the writing of timely and accurate assessment reports and other outputs, including integration of sector and/or partner feedback;
• Implementing WASH assessments in close coordination with the WASH cluster and its partners and corresponding to the WASH cluster analytical framework.
• Coordinating and ensuring timely data collection, analysis and, in partnership with GIS/DB team, mapping of datasets and ensuring that all collected data are geo-referenced.
• Providing information management support to the WASH Cluster, through in-depth data analysis and support to the light Humanitarian Needs Overview review and 2020 Cluster Strategy planning.
• Supporting the WASH cluster with its assessment strategy and overall response strategy, ensuring evident is adequately used;
• Under the supervision of REACH Assessment Manager, support external representation of REACH with Donors, Partners and the wider Aid Community through clusters and sectoral working groups, in particular developing WASH relations and opportunities;
• Ensuring that WASH assessment strategies are implemented in a structured and coherent manner in line with project and strategic objectives;

1. REACH ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION

Objective 1.1: Management of assessments process

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for designing the methodology and tools associated with each assessment, according to REACH requirements and principles. He/she will manage the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all REACH and projects specific assessment activities conducted in country. In operations in which REACH is a project component of a wider ACTED intervention, the REACH Assessment Officer is required to contribute to the preparation and follow up of the Project Management Framework and ensure that activities are properly coordinated and implemented as per the Project Cycle Management. The REACH Assessment Officer shall manage logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to REACH and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED counterpart. He/she is directly responsible for the implementation of proper ACTED FLAT procedures in all REACH interventions.

Objective 1.2: Implementation

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for contributing to the implementation of assessment projects, providing support to the development of assessment, database and GIS tools with the REACH team. This will specifically include, with the GIS/DB team, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more); development or review of databases; contributing to GIS data collection procedures and mapping thereof through ARC GIS and other ESRI products in particular; and analysis of spatial and other information to contribute to reports and the like.

Objective 1.3: Coordination

The REACH Assessment Officer shall provide technical support to the relevant ACTED department in terms of the preparation of new project proposals, development of programme strategies, implementation of project activities, and any other required REACH input to ACTED projects for added-value.

The REACH Assessment Officer is responsible for the timely and accurate preparation of narrative and financial reports related to REACH activities in country through close liaison with the Project Development and Finance departments. The REACH Assessment Officer shall liaise with other REACH Officers in the region and throughout IMPACT Initiatives’ and ACTED’s networks to provide and receive support in the expansion of REACH globally.

2. REACH REPORTING

Objective 2.1: Assessment Reporting

The WASH Assessment Officer is responsible for consolidating all analyses and conclusions from each assessment into REACH 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 interactive web map or static map format, as relevant.

The WASH Assessment Officer 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 and accurate assessment reports and factsheets, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection 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 the country for all organisations working in the areas.

Objective 2.2: Programmatic Reporting

He/she will also manage the drafting of narrative reports and contribute to the development of financial reports through regular budgetary follow-up, in coordination with the REACH Country Coordinator.

The WASH Assessment Officer will also store, organize and disseminate assessments, project documents and best practices among ACTED and PD.

3. REACH HR MANAGEMENT

Objective 3.1: Staff Management

The WASH Assessment Officer is responsible for day-to-day management of project and field staff both directly and remotely. He/she is expected to guide and direct REACH staff and prepare and follow up workplans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her. The WASH Assessment Officer will be required to take the lead in the recruitment of REACH assessment staff in coordination with the ACTED HR Officer, the REACH Country Coordinator and the REACH Assessment Manager. This will include the preparation of ToRs, observation of recruitment procedures by planning recruitment needs in advance, and undertake interviews.

The WASH Assessment Officer 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 REACH.

Objective 3.2: Internal Capacity Development

The WASH Assessment Officer is responsible, in coordination with the REACH Assessment Manager, for the development and implementation of capacity training plans for REACH assessment and field team members. He/ she is responsible for setting clear and personalised development goals, and designing training and mentorship plans to assist team members in professional development.

4. REPRESENTATION

Representation of REACH in multi-sector meetings/ technical working groups in country and follow up on technical issues identified in sector 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.

More generally, the WASH Assessment Officer is expected to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation, notably through the application of REACH and ACTED’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Advanced skills in R, SPSS, excel or related statistical programming
• At least 2 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian settings, including management experience;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Ability to engage externally and verbally communicate assessment findings in a meaningful way;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Familiarity with the cluster system and the Humanitarian Program Cycle;
• Prior knowledge of Central African Republic an asset;
• Fluency in French required;
• Ability to work independently and in a team.

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