REACH Field Assistant at ACTED Nigeria

About REACH

• REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two INGOs (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:
  • Need and situation assessments facilitated by REACH teams;
  • Situation analysis using satellite imagery;
  • Provision of related database and (web)-mapping facilities and expertise.

Context / Country
For the better part of the last decade, and particularly since 2014, the 7 states that comprise the North West region of Nigeria have experienced increasingly deadly intercommunal conflict and organized crime resulting in the displacement of more than 200,000 people, and the death and disappearance of thousands more.

This same region has the highest poverty rate in Nigeria - some states recording poverty levels as much as 40% higher than the national average.  The North West has the highest rate of out of school children in the country, and millions are believed to lack access to health care, clean water, and childhood immunizations.  

Underlying the region’s accelerating insecurity and extreme poverty is the desertification of land brought on by climate change, which has left millions of pastoralists and farmers without their principal source of livelihood. Compounding the displacement crisis is recent flooding which since August has destroyed tens of thousands of homes, and hundreds of thousands of hectares of crops.  The overwhelming focus on the humanitarian crisis in the North East, coupled by the widespread inaccessibility and volatility of the North West, and the likely underestimation of the scale of insecurity, has resulted in a shortage of critical information needed to respond to the quickly growing crisis. As partners prepare to respond to the region’s increasing needs, they will near a clearer picture of displaced household’s needs, intentions, and demographics.

In recognition of the urgent need for data in areas of Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara, REACH intends to conduct data collection in site where the affection people can be located across the three state. Through Rapid assessment approach, to provide regular, reliable indicative tracking of humanitarian needs over time, to support in prioritization and identification of “hot-spot” areas witnessing a deterioration of humanitarian needs. To ensure this data is directly informing humanitarian response planning in the region. This data will be shared through formal coordination structures, such as OCHA, the Inter-Sector Working Group (ISWG), and relevant sectors, with feedback from partners used for both triangulations of gathered data as well as to inform research design and geographical targeting.

Summary
The REACH Field Assistant shall be responsible for:

• Cover remote data collection and quality assurance
• Local Engagement
• Managing enumeration teams
• Cover other field locations and in-person data collection when needed
• Field FLATS support (finance, logistics, administration, and security)
• Any other tasks need to ensure the success of the REACH mission in Nigeria.

Asset Management
Managing Field Surveyor Teams:

• The REACH Field Assistant will primarily be leading remote data collection but also lead enumeration teams of up to 10 individuals when needed and be responsible to providing direction, logistical and technical support to the enumerators
• They will also support the REACH Assessment/GIS Officer/Field Manager/Senior Field Officer as needed; they will directly manage enumeration teams and ensure key informant networks are developed and maintained.

Data Collection and Quality:

• The REACH Field Assistant will primarily be leading remote data collection over the phone Depending on the needs they will also cover in-person data collection in various field locations
• During remote date collection they are responsible for maintaining a good relation to local guides and other stakeholders in the field
• In case of in-person data collection they are responsible for ensuring the enumerators are following data collection procedures, conducting monthly trainings on the tool for enumerators and reporting any challenges relating to data collection or quality to the Field Manager
• They will conduct daily briefings for enumerators to address any problems identified in the email updates from the database unit and Field Manager.     

FLATS Support:

• The REACH Field Assistant will provide FLATS support to the Field Manager by filling and tracking order forms and tracking existing and incoming REACH assets in field locations as needed
• They will also provide support in organizing movement of REACH teams to and from field locations, identifying accommodations and office space, and liaising with appropriate government authorities to ensure REACH can conduct activities as needed
• In coordination with the Field Manager, they will manage the hiring process for enumerators and ensure their payments are processed
• They will in addition ensure proper documentation of working hours for local guides and that their payments are processed. They will communicate challenges relating to FLATS to the Field Manager in a timely manner.

Local Engagement:

• The REACH Field Assistant will seek to build positive relations with local governments, traditional leaders, Community based organization, partners, and other relevant stakeholders
• They will follow guidelines from the Field Manager and report challenges to the Senior Field Officer and the Field Manager.

Other Tasks

• The REACH Field Assistant will participate in other, undefined tasks that are necessary to support the REACH mission in Nigeria.

Managing Field Surveyor Teams:

• The REACH Field Assistant will support the FO in managing the organization’s assets at the call centers / field during data collection.

Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries:

• The staff member is responsible for ensuring that all relations with the communities we work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner
• Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about ACTED programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies.  This is the responsibility of every ACTED staff member.

About You

• All employees should master ACTED's core Principles: Independence,Neutrality, Non-discrimination, free and direct access to victims, Ethics, Professionalism, anti-Corruption, Transparency and Accountability

Moreover, we also expect the following:

Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum of 1 year of experience in humanitarian or development organizations, preferably in a field-based position
• Willingness and ability to work in a dynamic and fast-paced field environment for extended periods of the time required
• Strong skills with the Microsoft Office Suite
• Experience using ODK for quantitative data collection, or the ability to rapidly master the process
• Experience hiring and managing casual laborers
• Experience conducting focus group discussions, or the ability to learn rapidly
• Positive attitude and a willingness to learn
• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility
• Prior experience working in IDP settlements an asset
• Spoken fluency in English and Hausa required
• Strong written skills in English Hausa and Fulani required
• Spoken Hausa strongly preferred
• Ability to work independently
• Willingness to cover other locations when needed.

We Offer

• Contract Duration: 3 months
• Number of positions: 2
• Supervisor: Field Manager
• Locations: Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara (Base Katsina)
• Level:E1-1 (National contract)
• Start Date: ASAP