REACH Junior Assessment Officer (MSNA) for Nigeria at IMPACT Initiatives

Location: Maiduguri, Borno Nigeria, with field travel, security permitting, as appropriate/desired
Department: REACH
Contract Duration: 6 months
Starting Date: ASAP

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 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 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.
• We are currently looking for a Junior Assessment Officer to support our REACH Multi- Sector Needs Assessment team in Nigeria.

Country Profile

• In North East Nigeria (NEN), the ongoing crisis continues to have a profound impact on the population, leading to displacement both within and out of the region and high rates of unmet needs among internally displaced persons.
• The conflict additionally exacerbates prior unmet needs among non-displaced and host communities. While the primary driver of the conflict remains violent conflict, including ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), JAS (Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad) and associated armed opposition groups (AOGs), other underlying factors, such as climate change, poverty, and disease outbreaks, exacerbate need and further complicate aid delivery.
• North West Nigeria (NWN) – particularly states of Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina – has in recent years seen a deterioration in the security situation, marked by an increase in banditry and violence such as extortion, kidnapping, indiscriminate killings and lootings. This surge in insecurity has not only killed thousands of people, but also induced widespread displacement – with nearly 280,000 IDPs tracked in the three states as of January 2021.
• The 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) identified 7.9 million individuals in the three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (collectively, the “BAY” states) to be in need of humanitarian assistance.1 Partners have faced increasing access restrictions to these areas since the middle of 2019. This situation has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020. As a result, the humanitarian community has experienced decreased capacities to comprehensively identify the scale of needs in North East Nigeria. Providing an updated evidence-based needs overview of populations in the BAY states is, therefore, vital to inform partners’ strategic planning.
• The third Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) of the BAY states was implemented in 2020 under the direction of theUnited Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Inter-Sector Working Group (ISWG), and facilitated by REACH. The objective of the MSNA is to identify and compare sectoral and intersectoral needs across population groups affected by the protracted crisis in all accessible areas in the BAY states. As such, the MSNA aims tosupport evidence-based planning and decision-making by humanitarian actors in Nigeria and, more specifically, to inform the 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and the update of the current multi-year Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).
• As the humanitarian response has focused on the BAY states, the needs of communities and IDPs in the northwest remain under-researched, dimly understood, and underserved. Towards the end of 2021, REACH is planning to conduct the first-of-it-kind baseline MSNA in the Northwest to inform the humanitarian response that is beginning to materialize.
• 1 OCHA. Nigeria: 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview. April 2020
• As an initiative deployed in many vulnerable and crisis-affected countries, REACH is deeply concerned by the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the millions of affected people we seek to serve. REACH is currently scaling up its programming in response to this pandemic, with the goal of identifying practical ways to inform humanitarian responses in the 20+ countries where we operate, including Nigeria.

Position Profile

• IMPACT is seeking a candidate, with experience designing and implemented quantitative and qualitative assessments, to support REACH’s Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment Team.
• Tasks will include supporting the full research cycle including consolidation of secondary data, engagement with humanitarian partners, selection of indicators, creation of analysis tools, coordination of data collection, data analysis, and output production.

Functions:
The REACH Junior Assessment Officer will fulfill the following functions:

• Under the supervision of the Assessment Officer and Inter-sectoral Unit Research Manager in Nigeria and of IMPACT’s HQ in Geneva, the REACH Junior Assessment Officer will support the research design and implementation of the Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment as well as other reach research cycles, including their preparation, implementation, analysis, report writing and follow-up. S/he will also support related logistics, partner coordination, reporting, and finance requirements and will be required to provide input to the strategic development of REACH in country.
• In his/her mission, the REACH Junior Assessment Officer will be hosted by ACTED and will fall under the responsibility of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates. S/he and will fully abide to ACTED’s Security, HR, Administration and Logistics rules and regulations.

Responsibilities
The REACH Junior Assessment Officer’s responsibilities include:

• In coordination with the Research Manager and Assessment Officer, designing and implementing REACH assessment strategy and research cycle;
• For each assessment, create ToRs, ensure that they are approved by management (including Geneva
• HQ) and the humanitarian co-ordination system (ISWG, AAWG and HCT).
• Facilitate engagement and feedback on research design with external partners, including clusters, IM focal points and agency representatives;
• Coordinate external partners and internal teams during data collection;
• Support in organizing and facilitating joint analysis workshops, as applicable;
• Support the analysis and presentation of data using excel, R, tableau and other software.
• Ensure the writing of timely and accurate assessment reports and factsheets, which comply with REACH’s guidelines;
• Supporting the development/revision of assessment / programme strategies, reports or new proposals;
• In coordination with REACH Country Coordinator, external representation of REACH with Donors, Partners and the wider Aid Community through clusters and sectoral working groups;
• Other tasks falling within REACH’s functions as requested by supervisors.

REACH Assessment Management and Coordination:

• Objective 1.1: Management of assessments process:
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer is responsible for supporting the design of the methodology and tools associated with each assessment, according to REACH requirements and principles. He/she will support the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all REACH and projects specific assessment activities conducted in country. In operations in which REACH is a project component of a wider ACTED intervention, the REACH Junior Assessment Officer is required to contribute to the preparation and follow up of the Project Management Framework and ensure that activities are properly coordinated and implemented as per the Project Cycle Management.
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer shall manage logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to REACH and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED counterpart.
  • He/she is responsible for supporting the implementation of proper ACTED FLAT procedures in all REACH interventions.
• Objective 1.2: Implementation:
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer is responsible for contributing to the implementation of assessment projects, providing support to the development of assessment and database and GIS tools with the REACH team.
  • This will specifically include, with the GIS/DB team, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more) as well as the development, analysis and review of databases.
• Objective 1.3: Grants Management:
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer shall provide technical support to the relevant ACTED department in terms of the preparation of new project proposals, development of programme strategies, implementation of project activities, and any other required REACH input to ACTED projects for added-value.
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer is responsible for supporting the timely and accurate preparation of narrative and financial reports related to REACH activities in country through close liaison with the Project Development and Finance departments.
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer shall liaise with other REACH Officers in the regionand throughout IMPACT Initiatives’ and ACTED’s networks to provide and receive support in the expansion of REACH globally.

REACH Reporting:

• Objective 2.1: Assessment Reporting:
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer is responsible for supporting the consolidation of all analyses and conclusions from each assessment into REACH products such as factsheets, reports and briefs using standard formats. He/she will liaise with the in country assessment team, Geneva and in-country GIS/DB Officers in order to represent data in interactive web map or static map format, as relevant.
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer is responsible for supporting the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. He/she must ensure the writing of timely and accurate assessment reports and factsheets, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality and protection of collected information.
  • He/she will ensure that assessment reports contribute to aid coordination and planning and add to the general base of field knowledge in the country for all organisations working in theareas.
• Objective 2.2: Programmatic Reporting:
  • He/she will also support the drafting of narrative reports and contribute to the development of financial reports through regular budgetary follow-up, in coordination with the REACH Country Coordinator.
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer will also store, organize and disseminate assessments, project documents and best practices among ACTED and IPs. He/she will support timely and accurate reporting to IMPACT Headquarters.

Team Coordination:

• Objective 3.1: Staff Coordination:
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer will liaise on day-to-day management of project and field staff both directly and remotely. He/she is expected to help guide and direct REACH staff and prepare and follow up workplans related to the assessment.
  • The REACH Junior Assessment Officer will help 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. He/she will ensure that project/field staff are given training and support the completion of all the necessary documentation in line with program requirements set by REACH.

External Engagement:

• Representation of ACTED/REACH in cluster and multi-sector meetings/ technical working groups in country and follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings in other parts of the country. This specifically will include liaising with external partners to identify potential for data sets to be integrated into existing databases and mapped to support the coordination of the broader humanitarian community.
• He/she will participate in inter-NGO meetings and those of UN agencies and any other relevant inter- governmental institutions at the national or provincial level.
• More generally, the REACH Junior Assessment Officer is expected to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation, notably through the application of REACH mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.

Confidentiality

• The REACH Junior Assessment Officer will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes.
• He/she 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.

Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries:

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

Requirements

• Excellent Academic qualifications, including a Master Degree in relevant discipline;
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytical skills;
• At least 2 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian settings;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for reporting and external coordination;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Ability to implement multi-sectoral assessments, both qualitative and quantitative
• Excellent external engagement skills preferred
• Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
• Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment;
• Fluency in English required;
• High level of autonomy and willingness to travel to the field if necessary
• Advanced skills in Excel as well as SPSS, R or related statistical programming;
• Knowledge of qualitative analysis and related analytical software (e.g. NVivo) beneficial;
• Ability to work independently.