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, GIS and remote sensing. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO with headquarters based in Paris and presence in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, which allows IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support in its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for a Senior Assessment Officer to support our team in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

Position: Senior Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 12 months

Starting Date: 1 December 2023

Location: Kampala, Uganda, with frequent travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

COUNTRY PROFILE

Since 2018, Ethiopia has witnessed an escalation in unrest including large-scale displacement, killings, and destruction of property following domestic political changes. Such unrest has exacerbated the impact of climate-related crises, including the most devastating desert locust infestation in 25 years, which has damaged crops and fostered food insecurity. In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic infiltrated Ethiopia leading to lockdowns and transport bans in many regions that restricted access to markets. Then in November 2020, conflict erupted in the northern Tigray region, displacing many Ethiopians, and contributing to an approximate 1.1 million additional people needing assistance in Amhara, Afar and Tigray regions. In August 2023, conflict in Amhara resulted in a state of emergency declaration and restricted movement for citizens across the region. All of these events have severely disrupted livelihoods, affected the availability of staple market commodities, and threatened to sharply escalate humanitarian need for vulnerable populations across the country.

POSITION PROFILE

Under the line management of the Public Health Research Manager, the (Senior) Assessment Officer is responsible for the management and implementation of IMPACT’s public health research cycles in country, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination and evaluation stages. Throughout research cycles, the (Senior) Assessment Officer engages with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact. He/she also ensures an efficient and transparent use of resources required for project implementation. This can include the direct supervision of assessment teams.

In his/her mission, the (Senior) Assessment Officer will be hosted by IMPACT’s global partner ACTED and will fall under the direct responsibility and management of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates for all Administrative, Security, and relevant Logistics and Finance issues. S/he will therefore fully abide to ACTED’s Security, Administration, and relevant HR, Logistics and Finance rules and regulations.

This position requires strong research skills, prior experience in nutrition and/or epidemiology assessments in the humanitarian sector, an analytical mind, creativity, independence, and an interest in the regional context. 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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Assessment Officer’s responsibilities include leading on REACH Ethiopia health research cycles, in particular mortality and nutrition assessments:

RESEARCH PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Ensure that required secondary data review and/or analysis has been conducted in preparation of an assessment;
• Design research approaches and methodologies according to IMPACT’s requirements and principles as well as partners’ information needs;
• For each research cycle, prepare ToRs and ensure their validation by HQ before any data collection begins;
  Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in research design and planning.
• In close liaison with field officer(s), ensure that required enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;
• In close liaison with field officer (s), Monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
• In close liaison with field officer (s), Ensure regular situation updates on data collection are produced and circulated to line manager, relevant colleagues and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process;
• Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessments throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;
• In close liaison with field officer (s), Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to ongoing and upcoming assessments are appropriately planned, implemented and coordinated with the relevant ACTED departments;
• In close liaison with field officer (s), Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
• In close liaison with data colleagues provide data analysis on primary and/or secondary data as per ToRs, ensuring that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected;

DRAFTING OF RESEARCH PRODUCTS

• Ensure the drafting of timely and accurate outputs that consolidate the analyses from each research cycle into relevant products such as factsheets, reports, briefs, presentations, etc which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
• Ensure that products accurately reflect the information collected and that information is conveyed in a way that maximizes their impact in line with their intended use;
• Liaise with relevant GIS colleagues to ensure effective spatial representation of research findings in maps or interactive web-portals, as relevant;
• Follow the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

• Ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved at all stages of research cycle: assessment preparation; data collection; data analysis; review of research products; product dissemination; and lessons learnt;
• After validation by the line manager, represent IMPACT in relevant meetings/ working groups;
• After validation by line manager, present research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact;
• Ensure that all partner engagement and all external relations are clearly documented and communicated with the line manager and relevant colleagues;
• More generally, contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organization, notably through the application of IMPACT’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND LEARNING PROCESSES

• In coordination with country management, support the conduct of monitoring and evaluation for each Research Cycle, as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines;
• Generate and document robust lessons learned at the end of each Research Cycle;
• Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared with other Units and teams within mission, and with HQ;
  When required, provide feedback to appropriate global organizational knowledge learning tools.

TEAM MANAGEMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING

• As relevant, line management of national and international assessment team members;
• For staff under his/her responsibility, and in close consultation with line manager, conduct of appraisals, provision of regular feedback, and participation in career management;
• Conduct regular meetings with relevant national and international assessment staff members to assess progress in relevant research cycles and to review work plan;
• For all activities, ensure that all assessment and field teams are comprehensively briefed on objectives, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy is clearly understood;
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping; regularly debrief team members to receive feedback on the progress of an activity;
• Support to the line managers and specialists in the development and implementation of capacity training plans for team members.

INTERNAL COORDINATION

• Actively participate in regular team meetings;
• Ensure regular coordination and exchange with relevant colleagues;
• Engage in the development and implementation of IMPACT’s strategy in (country).

DATA CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTION

• The (Senior) Assessment Officer will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes, ensuring full compliance with IMPACT’s data protection policy and SOPs. He/she 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

• Years of work experience 3 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting, working in Health, Nutrition or related subject;
• Research skills Excellent quantitative research data analysis experience required, preferably with epidemiological methods and study designs;
• Familiarity with aid system Good understanding of the aid system and the research community. Prior experience with humanitarian coordination forums preferred;
• Thematic experience Prior experience with mortality assessment, verbal autopsy, rapid health assessments, SMART+ surveys, outbreak investigation, is an asset;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent verbal and written communication and drafting skills for effective reporting required;
• Academic qualifications Excellent academic qualifications, including a master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (Public Health, Epidemiology, Nutrition, etc);
• 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 an asset
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment.
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the region is desirable;
• Language skills Fluency in English required.

CONDITIONS

• For this position, salary between 2’580 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 the guesthouse.
• 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).
• 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.