BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH
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.
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.
Missions
We are currently looking for an Assessment Officer to support our Governance & Services team, a part of the Resilience & Early Recovery Unit.
Department:REACH
Unit: Resilience & Early Recovery
Team: Governance & Services
Position:ASSESSMENT OFFICER
Contract duration:6 months, with possibility of extension
Location: Ukraine, location to be confirmed (Odesa/Dnipro/Kyiv)
Starting Date: May 2024
Country and Team profile
Following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, military hostilities have caused widespread damage to infrastructure and houses, hundreds of civilian deaths, disrupted markets and essential services, and precipitated massive displacement within Ukraine and into neighbouring countries. Present in Ukraine since 2014, IMPACT is working across the country to provide humanitarian and early recovery actors with rigorous data and in-depth analysis to ensure aid interventions are timely, appropriate, and relevant.
The Resilience and Early Recovery Unit (RERU) within IMPACT’s country mission conducts comprehensive assessments aimed at evaluating the resilience of Ukrainian communities amidst the challenges posed by the ongoing conflict and broader recovery processes in the country. These assessments delve into the communities’ capacity to withstand, adapt to, and recover from the impacts of the war.
RERU’s primary objective is to provide relevant, current data and insights that facilitate collaborative efforts between humanitarian agencies, development actors, and the government, thereby facilitating a smooth transition towards early recovery initiatives. Depending on the nature of the project, RERU collaborates closely with various stakeholders including Ukrainian authorities, United Nations agencies, international organizations, foreign government offices, local and international NGOs, and other recovery and development actors.
Within RERU, the Governance and Services Team is specifically mandated to undertake research concerning access to essential services (e.g., healthcare, education, and social services) among diverse population groups and service providers. The team aims to assess the extent to which the Ukrainian population, across different regions, can meet their fundamental needs. These assessments may target specific demographics (e.g., Ukrainian children or veterans), or may be focused on the living conditions within different regions. Employing a blend of quantitative tools (e.g., household surveys) and qualitative methods (e.g., key informant interviews and focus group discussions), these assessments provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation on the ground.
Functions
Under the management of the Senior Assessment officer for the Governance & Services Team , the Assessment Officerwill be responsible for the following tasks:
Assessment preparation and planning
• Conducting secondary data and literature review of English, Ukrainian and Russian language sources.
• Liaising with local authorities to obtain relevant secondary data.
• Drafting research design plans, including data collection tools (questionnaires) and data analysis plans in line with ACTED tools and templates.
• Adjusting research design based on inputs from IMPACT HQ, ACTED and development partners.
• Consulting internal stakeholders to ensure that the data collection tools are of a high quality and field-ready.
• Maintaining preparation and planning documentation, ensuring strict version control.
• Either translating the questionnaires or checking the translated version for accuracy.
Research cycle management and coordination of data collection activities
• Coordinating, with the support of the field manager and field team leaders, the data collection (incl. household surveys and key informant interviews).
• Preparing materials for enumerator and team leader training sessions, aimed at preparing the field team for effective data collection).
• Monitoring and adjusting data collection strategies and tools based on feedback from the Field team. Ensuring overall high quality of data and adherence to standard ACTED processes.
• Providing regular updates on the status of the research cycle.
Output production
• Conducting analysis of primary data and secondary data (including quantitative and qualitative data). Liaising with the GIS and data teams in the production or adjusting the data analysis tools.
• Providing suggestions in terms of data visualization and data communication. Drafting presentations and other products (e.g., reports, factsheets) on assessments results. Assisting in the planning of – and participating in – dissemination events (e.g., presenting the findings to the donors, partners, and other humanitarian stakeholders).
• Ensuring tracking of all feedback provided on products. Maintaining a log of lessons learned and best practices.
• Any additional tasks as required by the ACTED unit.
Assessment follow-up
• Supporting close compliance to M&E procedures of ACTED. Ensuring tracking of feedback provided on products. Maintaining a log of lessons learned.
• Presenting the findings of research cycles and assessments in various stakeholder forums, including with government and other humanitarian partners.
Performing other duties and responsibilities as required and necessary within the area of responsibility.
Requirements
• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
• Research skills: At least 1 years of progressively responsible experience in data collection and/or report writing and or drafting of analytical products. Excellent analytical skills – ability to situate findings within a wider context.
• Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Advanced skills in R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software are an advantage; Prior professional experience with Adobe products (InDesign in particular) preferred;
• Years of work experience: At least 1 years of relevant working experience. Experience in displacement data and humanitarian settings is an advantage;
• Communication/reporting skills: Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Level of independence: Ability and willingness to work autonomously;
• Cross-cultural work environment: Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in or knowledge of Ukraine is an advantage;
• Language skills: Fluency in English required, competency in Ukrainian and/or Russian is an asset;
• Security environment: Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment
Compensation and Benefits
- For this position, salary between 2’400 CHF and 2’520 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. Depending on the country situation, a contribution to a housing allowance of up to 75% of country-specific benchmark can be considered instead. NB – IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country
- Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance
- This base is not a family duty station
- Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered)
- R&R after 2-3 months (flight ticket up to 500$ + 200$ of living allowance) if duty station allows
- 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;
- Enrolment in IMPACT Initiatives Research Foundational Learning Programme within the first 3 months from the start of contract.
- 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