BACKGROUND ON IMPACT

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization 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 Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) 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, supporting and working within the framework of the humanitarian reform process. 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.

ACTED is a French humanitarian NGO, founded in 1993, which supports vulnerable populations, affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. ACTED provides continued support to vulnerable communities by ensuring the sustainability of post-crisis interventions and engaging long-term challenges facing our target populations, in order to break the poverty cycle, foster development and reduce vulnerability to disasters. Their interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development crises through a multidisciplinary approach which is both global and local, and adapted to each context. Their 3,300 staff are committed to responding to emergencies worldwide, to supporting recovery and rehabilitation, towards sustainable development.

We are currently looking for a Cash and Markets Assessment Officer to lead our support to the DRC Cash Working Group (CWG)

Department: IMPACT

Position: REACH Assessment Officer, Cash and Markets

Contract duration: 6 months

Location: Goma, DRC – with regular field travel

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

Since 2016, REACH - currently present in Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu and Kalemie - has been providing assessment, information management and mapping services to inform humanitarian planning in the DRC. REACH has considerably scaled up its multi-sectorial assessment portfolio in recent months, notably through the set-up of Humanitarian Situation Monitoring activities in Tanganyika and South Kivu province since mid-2020, providing response actors with regular monitoring of the evolution of the humanitarian situation in a highly fluid context. Ensuring data is available for displaced populations living in host community settings and those in camps alike, REACH has also rolled out multi-sectorial camp profiling in Ituri and other provinces. Linked with REACH’s HSM activities, REACH also maintains a rapid assessment capacity allowing on the ground verification assessment of alerts by partners or those flagged by HSM with results feeding into the rapid response mechanism (RRM). REACH has supported the RRM through the re-design of the new multi-sectorial rapid assessment toolbox, designed and validated in close collaboration with the inter-cluster at national level and OCHA. Under its sectorial portfolio, REACH is supporting the cluster system with information management activities through the secondment of two information management officers to the Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) and Shelter/NFI Clusters and provides stand-by analytical support to OCHA. Given the importance of cash as a response modality in the rapid response system in DRC, REACH and partners, and closely coordinated with the CWG, have also provided joint market analysis products in recent months. All REACH DRC information products can be accessed on the REACH Resource Centre.

The DRC continues to face an acute and complex humanitarian crisis. Recurrent conflicts in provinces in the eastern part of the country, health shocks and natural disasters, as well as chronic poverty suffered by a large part of the population are all reasons for the sustained high level of humanitarian needs. According to the Humanitarian Needs Overview 2020, 15.6 million people (including 5.01 million displaced persons) in DRC are in need of humanitarian assistance. Whilst cash has been a dominant modality in delivering assistance to vulnerable populations in DRC in recent years, with 55% of assistance provided in cash and vouchers in 2019 according to OCHA, key information gaps remain for cash and voucher actors: to date only limited information exists in terms of the regular monitoring of prices and availability of non-food items. Further there are key gaps in providing consolidated market data analysis to help inform the tracking of the costs of the Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB), and contribute to ensuring more effective planning of cash-based interventions. IMPACT’s planned cash and market activities will be implemented in close collaboration with the DRC Cash Working Group (CWG) and other cash and market partners in a dynamic response environment – the successful candidate will need to be energetic, flexible and self-motivated, and have knowledge of Cash and Markets Monitoring, to deliver expected results.

POSITION PROFILE

REACH DRC is seeking an Assessment Officer (AO) to provide support to the Cash & Markets portfolio. Building on REACH DRC’s existing cash-related analysis work and REACH’s global experience implementing market monitoring, under the supervision of the DRC Country Coordinator, this role be will be lead in setting up and implementing the DRC Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI). In this role, under the supervision of the IMPACT Country Coordinator, the AO will be responsible for directly liaising with the Cash Working Group (CWG) and other cash response partners on matters related to assessments, monitoring, and general Information Management (IM). Tasks will include tool development, indicator review, design of trainings, coordination of data collection, data analysis, output production, and IM platform design (as relevant).

This support will be provided for several assessments and monitoring exercises, based on the needs of cash response partners and as determined through close collaboration with REACH.

FUNCTIONS

Under the supervision of IMPACT’s Country Coordinator in DRC, and in close collaboration with the Data and Research Units in IMPACT HQ (Geneva) and the DRC CWG, the REACH Cash and Markets Assessment Officer is responsible for the implementation of research cycles implemented in support of cash response partners. The position will be based in Goma with up to 50% travel to field locations for data collection purposes, as well as partner engagement and training. In close coordination with the IMPACT Country Coordinator, the AO is responsible for:

Implementation of Research Cycles

Assessment Preparation and Planning:

• Ensuring that all of the assessment activities are planned in line with relevant project and program objectives and are in line with IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
• Develop research TORs entailing research design, sampling, methodology and analysis plans for relevant assessments in line with REACH global standards, ensure TORs are reviewed and validated by cash response partners
• Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessment throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in a timelymanner;
• Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning.

Data collection and analysis

• Ensuring correct implementation of all stages of relevant data collection exercises in line with agreed TORs, including tool design, coordination of data collection with partners and REACH field team, data cleaning and data analysis.
• Ensure logistics, financial, administration, and HR processes directly related to data collection activities have been appropriately implemented and coordinated with the relevant ACTED departments;
• Ensure regular situation updates on data collection have been produced and circulated to the IMPACT Country Coordinator. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner

Product drafting

• Under the supervision of the REACH Country Coordinator, and in collaboration with the IMPACT Data and Reporting Units and cash response actors, the AO will be responsible for producing all relevant outputs related to the aforementioned data collection exercises. These outputs may include cleaned datasets, factsheets, situation overviews, bulletins, reports, and online dashboards;
• 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;
• Ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release.

Product dissemination and evaluation

• Under the supervision of the REACH Country Coordinator, the AO will be responsible for coordinating implementation of the various stages of the research cycle of above data collection exercises with cash response partners
• Ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented throughout the life of the research cycle
• External relations
• In coordination with the IMPACT Country Coordinator and CWG 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;
• Follow up on issues identified by partners or during meetings / working groups;
• Promote an active use of datasets and research findings by partners and the broader humanitarian community for their decision making;
• 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.

Grants Management and Reporting

• Support the IMPACT Country Coordinator in the production of timely and accurate project narrative and financial reports;
• Ensure that any issue in relation to project implementation is reported to the line manager, finance and grants colleagues, and HQ;
• Other tasks as requested by supervisors

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master degree in international development, development economics, or another relevant discipline;
• At least 1.5 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian, development or related settings such as research, evaluation, assessments and programmes;
• Familiarity with cash-based transfer modalities and market monitoring highly desirable;
• Experience coordinating interagency assessments or monitoring activities, including survey tool design and implementation
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting and coordination;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility and ability to work remotely with colleagues and partners;
• Past experience in the region is desirable;
• Fluency in French required;
• Ability to operate with Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software, as well as Adobe Creative Suite Products such as Adobe InDesign and Illustrator;
• Skills in SPSS and/or R, STATA or other statistical analysis software an advantage;
• Ability to take ownership over assigned tasks, work independently and be a dynamic team player.

CONDITIONS

• Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus
• Additional monthly living allowance provided in country by IMPACT’s partner ACTED
• Food and lodging provided at the organization’s guesthouse/or housing allowance (depending on contract length and country of assignment)
• Transportation costs covered, including additional return ticket + luggage allowance
• Provision of medical, life and repatriation insurance + retirement package