Senior Assessment Officer Cash and Markets for Ethiopia 175 views

BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

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 Senior Assessment Officer to lead our support to the Ethiopia Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) Consortium

Department: IMPACT

Position: Senior Assessment Officer, Cash and Markets

Contract duration: 6 months, with likely extension to 1 year

Location: Addis Abeba, Ethiopia

Starting Date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

IMPACT is initiating its activities in the Ethiopia context as part of the Collaborative Cash Delivery Consortium, led by Save the Children and in collaboration with ACTED, Catholic Relief Services, CARE and World Vision. The consortium will deliver life-saving humanitarian actions through emergency cash distributions to as many as 78,000 of the most vulnerable, crisis-affected individuals in areas across Ethiopia impacted by unrest, conflict and displacement expected to be triggered by the August 2020 elections. IMPACT will lead two key aspects of the consortium: the establishment of a regular, reliable and predictable consortium-level market monitoring initiative; and, an internal monitoring component consisting of a beneficiary selection verification exercise, aggregation and reporting of post-distribution monitoring and complaint monitoring system findings, and an overall outcome evaluation of the consortium’s activities. IMPACT’s activities will be implemented in close collaboration with consortium partners in a dynamic response environment – the successful candidate will need to be energetic, flexible and self-motivated, and have a strong knowledge of Cash and Markets Monitoring, to deliver expected results.

FUNCTIONS

Under the functional supervision of IMPACT’s HQ in Geneva, the IMPACT Cash and Markets Senior Assessment Officer is responsible for the management of all aspects of research cycles implemented in support of the CCD Consortium. This includes assessment and monitoring implementation, management of partnerships, output production, dissemination and programme evaluation. (S)he directly supervises the assessment, GIS, database and field staff, and plays a key role in the development and implementation of IMPACT strategy in Ethiopia.

The position will be based in Addis Ababa with 50% travel to remote field locations. In close coordination with the IMPACT Assessment Manager, the Senior Assessment Officer is responsible for:

Management of all Research Cycles

Assessment Preparation and Planning:

• Ensuring that all of the assessment and monitoring activities are planned in line with relevant project and program objectives and with IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
• Provide technical support to the Assessment team on research design, sampling, methodology and analysis plans
• Develop activity ToRs in collaboration with IMPACT country team and IMPACT HQ and ensure they are used by assessment staff and partners, and updated as required; Review and validate in close coordination with Consortium Coordination, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools;
• Direct line management of assessment, GIS and database team on requirements of research cycle/ monitoring activities;
• 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 writing and orally in a timely manner;
• Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning.

Data collection and management

• Monitor partner and IMPACT team data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
• Ensure that the CCD Consortium, IMPACT Head of Programmes (HoP) and IMPACT HQ are alerted to any issues that prevents full implementation of the methodology in line with the agreed TORs; ensure that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation;
• Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security (for IMPACT staff only) 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 CCD Consortium, IMPACT, ACTED and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process.

Product drafting

• Manage assessment staff toward timely and accurate assessment outputs (i.e. reports, factsheets, flash reports, etc.), which comply with IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
• Review and lead revision of all products before they are sent to IMPACT HoP and IMPACT HQ for validation.

Product dissemination and evaluation

• Under the direction of the IMPACT HoP and in close coordination with the CCD Consortium, engage in the dissemination of monitoring products, targeted e-mails, presentations, meetings, etc, with ECHO and other key response partners as appropriate, and in line with IMPACT Dissemination and External Communication Guidelines and Research ToRs;
• Ensure that lessons learned are gathered and documented throughout the life of the research cycles.

Grants Management and Reporting

• Liaise with Consortium finance and reporting units, with oversight from the IMPACT HoP and IMPACT HQ for timely and accurate submission of reporting documents to ECHO
• Support the IMPACT HQ and ACTED support team in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports;
• Maintain an oversight, in close coordination with the IMPACT HoP, IMPACT HQ and the Consortium Finance Manager, of budget availability and burn-rates for all data collection activities

External relations

• In coordination with the CCD Consortium and where relevant present research findings to ECHO and partners to enhance their use and impact;
• Ensure that external communications with partners and key stakeholders, including ECHO and its partners, is conducted and documented as appropriate;

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
• At least 4 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian, development or related settings such as research, evaluation, assessments and programmes;
• Fluency in cash-based transfer modalities and market monitoring
• Experience managing budgets exceeding USD 250,000;
• Experience coordinating interagency assessments or monitoring activities;
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Excellent team management skills;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Past experience in the region is desirable;
• Fluency in English required;
• Ability to operate with Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software, as well as Adobe Creative Suite Products;
• Ability to work independently and manage people remotely.

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