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 Assessment Officer to support our Sudan country team, currently based in Kampala, Uganda

Position: Assessment Officer ( Cash & Markets)

Contract duration: 12 months

Starting Date: January 2025

Location: Kampala, Uganda

Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Khartoum on 15 April 2023 and spread quickly across the country. Civilians have fled areas affected by fighting in large numbers, including to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. Prices of food, fuel and other basic goods have skyrocketed skyrocketing, making critical goods unaffordable for many people. Half of Sudan’s population are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the country is on the verge of a catastrophic hunger crisis. Humanitarian organizations are racing to respond to the most pressing needs wherever and whenever feasible, with access issues complicating the ability of actors to respond. In this fast-evolving context, IMPACT Initiatives is working to inform the emergency response to enable effective prioritization with scarce resources.

Under the line management of the Cash and Markets Senior Assessment Officer (SAO), the Assessment Officer will take responsibility for the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) research cycle which records prices and stock levels across Sudan on a monthly basis. This involves liaising with partner organisations who carry out data collection, supporting data cleaning, analysing findings, and crafting outputs such as factsheets and written reports that interpret these findings for partners. As the Cash and Markets unit expands to carry out additional research cycles, the Assessment Officer may be asked to contribute to these new projects.

This position requires strong research skills, a willingness to work in a team, an analytical mind, creativity, and independence. Knowledge of the national or regional context in Sudan is considered a strong asset. Candidates should have strong writing and presentation skills and be able to clearly think through and articulate implications of research findings. The position will regularly require looking at data, pulling out relevant findings, writing engaging briefs and factsheets, presenting findings to external audiences with varying amounts of data literacy, and guiding colleagues in how to think more analytically about their own research.

BACKGROUND ON CASH AND MARKET ASSESSMENTS

In recent decades, humanitarian action has moved towards giving aid in the form of cash or voucher assistance (CVA) issued directly to beneficiaries. This gives beneficiaries a choice in how to spend aid money, and it also supports livelihoods, markets, and supply chains within impacted localities. Effective CVA must be backed by informed research on price levels, the availability of goods, and the resilience of supply chains across different localities. More widely, Cash and Markets-based research can inform other humanitarian and developmental interventions, such as market strengthening initiatives in the form of business grants, infrastructure projects, and supply-chain strengthening.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Assessment Officer’s responsibilities include:

RESEARCH CYCLE MANAGEMENT

• Understanding key research cycles and how this research contributes to strategic response objectives.
• Managing relevant research cycles, including oversight of research design, data collection, or analysis.

CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING

• Keeping up to date with the shifting context in Sudan.

RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Overseeing development and implementation of analytical workstreams, including use of existing REACH data in thematic briefs, reports, presentations, etc.
• Leading the research cycle including research design, tool development, and data collection.
• Producing high quality research outputs in English.

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING

• Promoting capacity building across the IMPACT Sudan mission related to deepening analytical capacities using existing research (capacity building portfolio will depend on level of experience).
• Providing day-to-day direct and indirect management of the research team within their unit/workstream.

COORDINATION

1. Internal Coordination

• Interacting autonomously with HQ departments and possibly serving as a mission focal point for particular themes or technical areas;
• Coordinating with research units and teams to move forward or improve aspects of the research cycle;
• Supporting senior management with designing, planning, and implementing strategies, and objectives.

2. External Coordination

• Leading on external engagement related to analytical research findings as necessary.

The Assessment Officer will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. They will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of any information and data belonging to IMPACT and its partners, or collected during their assignment with IMPACT.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic qualifications Excellent academic qualifications are required. A master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (e.g. international studies, development, humanitarian response, data science, political science, etc.) is an asset.
• Years of work experience At least 1-2 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting or equivalent, which could include assessments, monitoring and evaluation, research design and analysis.
• Research skills Excellent quantitative and qualitative research data analysis experience is required.
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent verbal and written communication and drafting skills in English for effective reporting are required.
• Software skills Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software is an asset
• Familiarity with aid system Good understanding of the aid system and the research community. Prior experience with humanitarian coordination forums is an asset.
• Thematic experience Prior experience with Cash and Markets is an asset.
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the region is desirable; knowledge of the national context in Sudan would be a significant asset.
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Arabic is a significant asset.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFIT

· For this position, salary between 2’520 CHF and 2’640 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

· Accompanied status does not apply to this position*.*

· Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered)

· 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