Senior Assessment Officer for Ukraine : Humanitarian Resilience Assessments

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 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 Senior Assessment Officer to support our team in Ukraine.

Title: Senior Assessment Officer – Humanitarian Resilience Assessments

Contract duration: 12 months

Location: Ukraine, base TBD

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY 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 actors with rigorous data and in-depth analysis to ensure aid interventions are timely, appropriate, and relevant. As part of this, the Humanitarian Infrastructure and Damage Unit (HIDU) analyses the impact of conflict-related damage to the built and natural environments, identifies and tackles knowledge gaps, and supports the humanitarian community and local authorities in addressing the immediate consequences of the conflict and informing a sustainable and climate-sensitive recovery.

FUNCTIONS

Under the line management of the Humanitarian Infrastructure and Damage Unit Research Manager (RM), the Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) is responsible for the development and implementation of IMPACT’s research cycles in Ukraine, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination and evaluation stages. S/he is also responsible for supporting the management, implementation and follow-up of REACH Ukraine’s Humanitarian Infrastructure and Damage portfolio. This position will provide analytical capacity for the implementation of current research cycles and programmatic expansion in Unit. The ideal candidate will approach this role strategically, ensuring that the data collected and outputs disseminated can meet the information needs of targeted humanitarian actors, and of relevant local and national government authorities.

With the support of the HIDU Research Manager (RM) and thematic experts in the Ukraine mission, s/he will support the identification of knowledge gaps on the humanitarian impact and recovery implications related infrastructural and environmental damage, design new assessments to address those gaps, and engage with a range of external stakeholders to ensure our data is appropriately informing response and recovery efforts.

Specifically, the candidate will be responsible for the development and implementation of a research cycle aiming to increase our understanding of external factors (disaster and climate risks, environmental damage, access restriction due to landmines) likely to compound humanitarian needs and hinder recovery in selected settlements in Ukraine’s East and South. This will involve leading a multi-disciplinary team with up to (5) five direct reports. The ideal candidate will be eager to work in a dynamic and fast-paced organisation, with opportunities to help build the mission’s portfolio.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The SAO is responsible for the following:

1. RESEARCH PLANNING:
   • Ensure that research cycles are planned in line with the country strategy, relevant research and project objectives and with IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines;

• Design new research approaches and methodologies or update existing ones according to IMPACT’s requirements and principles as well as partners’ information needs;
• Proactively engage externally to understand the needs of different stakeholders and how data from IMPACT assessments is being used;
• Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data teams, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools;
• For each research cycle, prepare or update ToRs and ensure their validation by HQ before any data collection begins.

1. RESEARCH IMPLEMENTATION
   • In close liaison with field and database officers, ensure that required enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;
   • In close liaison with field officers and database officers, monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed ToRs;
   • 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;
   • Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
   • Provide data analysis on primary and/or secondary data as per ToRs, ensuring that meaningful techniques are used to analyse the data collected;
   • Ensure that all data and analysis are validated by IMPACT HQ before the product drafting stage.
2. DRAFTING OF RESEARCH PRODUCTS
   • Draft 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 impact in line with their intended use including data visualization methods.
3. STAFF MANAGEMENT

• Be responsible for the day-to-day management of up to (5) five staff; guide and direct staff and prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member;
• 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;
• Ensure that project/field staff are given training and complete all the necessary documentation in line with program requirements set by IMPACT. Be responsible for capacity building and staff development of Junior Assessment Officers (JAO) and Assessment Officers (AO).

1. EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT
   • Ensure that all 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;
   • Follow up on relevant issues identified by partners or during meetings / working groups;
   • Engage with external partners to identify areas where environment-related findings can be actively utilised;
   • After validation by line manager, present research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact.
2. KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND LEARNING PROCESSES
   • Generate and document robust lessons learned at the end of each research cycle;
   • Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared with other team members, and units within mission, and with HQ.
3. PROJECT CYCLE MANAGEMENT
   • Ensure compliance to project cycle management requirements and guidelines at all phases;
   • Ensure that project deliverables and requirements are tracked, met and complied to;
   • Ensure that any issue in relation to project implementation is reported to the line manager, finance and grants colleagues, and HQ;
   • Support the line manager, finance, and grants colleagues in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports;
   • Other tasks as requested by supervisors.

DATA CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTION

The 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. S/he 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

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
• Research skills Proficiency and proven experience with research methods. Excellent analytical skills in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies;
• Software skills Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Skills in R, or other statistical analysis software, are an advantage; Experience with InDesign an asset.
• Years of work experience At least 3 years of relevant working experience. Experience in humanitarian settings required, experience in complex humanitarian crises desirable.
• Experience in or advanced understanding in damage impact analysis, environmental assessments, disaster risk reduction, climate change or other relevant fields.
• Previous experience of team management, ideally in an INGO at field level.
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting.
• Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles.
• Level of independence Proven ability to work independently.
• Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility.
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Ukrainian or Russian an asset.
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• For this position, salary between 2’820 CHF and 2’880 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.
• 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.