Senior Assessment Officer – OPT

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 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.

COUNTRY PROFILE

Following the attacks on 7 October 2023, and Israel’s subsequent aerial and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) has deteriorated markedly. The 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip are facing severe humanitarian challenges, with urgent needs that must be addressed to avert further loss of life. Additionally, the hostilities in Gaza have heightened tensions in the West Bank, impacting freedom of movement, livelihoods, and the broader humanitarian context.

Against this backdrop, IMPACT Initiatives is planning a range of research activities to support an evidence and needs-based humanitarian response. In previous years, IMPACT Initiatives has facilitated inter-agency Multi-Sector Needs Assessments (MSNA) as well as sector-specific research in the oPt.

We are currently looking for a Senior Assessment Officer to support our team in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt):

Position: Senior Assessment Officer

Contract duration:12 months

Location: Amman, Jordan / Jerusalem, oPt

Start Date: ASAP

POSITION PROFILE

Under the line management of the Research Manager, the Senior Assessment Officer is responsible for the implementation of IMPACT oPt research cycles, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination, and evaluation stages. Throughout the research cycle, the Assessment Officer engages with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact. They also ensure an efficient and transparent use of resources required for project implementation.

This position requires strong research skills, 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:

RESEARCH CYCLE MANAGEMENT

• Understanding research cycles and how they contribute to strategic response objectives;
• Managing relevant research cycle, including oversight of research design, data collection, or analysis.

CONTEXTUAL UNDERSTANDING

• Keeping up to date with the shifting oPt context.

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.

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING

• Promoting capacity building across the IMPACT oPt 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 workstream.

COORDINATION

Internal Coordination

• Interacting autonomously with HQ departments and may serve as 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.

  External Coordination

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

REQUIREMENTS

• Years of work experience 3 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting, such as assessments, monitoring and evaluation, research design and analysis, etc.;
• Research skills Excellent quantitative and qualitative research data analysis experience required;
• 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 in oPt / region 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 (e.g. international studies, development, humanitarian response, data science, political science, 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.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• 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 a guesthouse. 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.