REACH Research Manager (Public Health Unit) at IMPACT Initiatives

Reference No: 21/NGA/RM01
Location: Abuja / Maiduguri, Borno
Department: REACH
Contract Duration: 12 months
Starting Date: ASAP

Position Profile

• The Public Health Unit Research Manager will be responsible for providing oversight over of the Public Health Unit research cycles, under the supervision of the IMPACT Deputy Country Coordinator and IMPACT HQ in Geneva.
• He/she will be responsible for the implementation and completion of the various work streams within the  Public Health Unit and the provision support to other Assessment Officers in the unit.
• He/She will be responsible for engaging with cluster partners, assisting, and reviewing in related tool design, and provide technical support in validating and analysing Public Health Unit products and research cycles.
• He/She will be responsible for engagement with technical forums and workshops and other relevant technical working groups.
• He/she will also contribute to related Public Health Unit partner coordination, reporting, grants management, and finance requirements as needed by the IMPACT Country Coordinator.

Functions

• Under  the  supervision  of  the  IMPACT  Deputy  Country  Coordinator  (DCC)  in Nigeria and of IMPACT’s HQ in Geneva, this IMPACT Research Manager (RM) will be responsible for the management and implementation of all Sectoral assessments.
• S/he will be responsible for oversight of ongoing research cycles, including managing all Unit staff, assessment, database/GIS officer(s), and field staff to support with the production of outputs.

Responsibilities
The REACH Research Manager’s responsibilities include:

• In coordination with the DCC, supporting in designing and implementing REACH sectoral assessment  strategy and research cycle(s);
• Directly line-managing REACH Assessment Officer(s), GIS/Data Officer(s) and the Field Manager to ensure smooth and timely implementation of activities;
• Facilitate engagement and feedback on research design with external partners, including implementing partners and the donor;
• Supporting the development and revision of assessment strategies, reports or new proposals;
• Provide technical backstop and guidance for other REACH Assessment Officers.
• Lead on designing the methodology, tools, and data analysis plan according to REACH requirements and principles;
• Coordinate external partners and internal teams during data collection;
• Support in organizing and facilitating joint analysis workshops, as applicable;
• Oversee the data analysis and drafting information products, which comply with REACH’s guidelines;
• Implementing and monitoring the REACH assessment strategy in coordination with the DCC; Supporting the development/revision of assessment / programme strategies, reports or new proposals;
• In coordination with the DCC and Country Coordinator (CC), external representation of REACH with donors, partners, and the wider aid community through clusters and sectoral working groups;
• Liaising with programme staff of other ACTED departments to ensure close coordination and information sharing is maintained;
• Coordinate timely and accurate reporting to IMPACT HQ along with the DCC and CC.
• In coordination with the Country Coordinator external representation of REACH with Donors, Partners and the wider Aid Community through clusters and sectoral working groups;

Key Reach Public Health Unit RM Objectives  
Objective: Oversight / Expansion of Sector Specific Research Cycles and Grants:

• The RM will be responsible for ensuring that all current research cycles are effectively implemented and meet contractual deliverables.
• The RM will ensure that all ToRs / information products / disseminations meet the quality standards and  requirements set by the Country Coordinator and IMPACT HQ.
• Furthermore, the RM will work with partners to ensure that research cycles remain relevant and useful for the informing humanitarian response and in collaboration with the Country Coordinator and Unit Managers, ensure that Public Health Unit RCs are utilized in all appropriate forums .

Objective: Oversight over Northeast Nigeria Famine Monitoring System in Inaccessible Areas

• The RM in collaboration with the CH Inaccessible Taskforce focal points and other REACH Assessment Officer, will be responsible for overseeing the Famine Monitoring System initiative that monitors FSL, Nutrition, WASH, and Health indicators and carries out in-depth analysis between CH workshops to flag areas for high-risk for catastrophic food insecurity or acute malnutrition.

Objective: Oversight over Nutrition monitoring and Analysis Project:

• The RM will be responsible for managing the team carrying out a nutrition monitoring, information management (IM), and analysis project that includes biannual regional SMART surveys for Northeast Nigeria, routine MUAC screening at IDP camps, IM and analytical support for the biannual IPC for Acute Malnutrition workshop, and sentinel surveillance at nutrition sites across Borno State.
• The RM will need to provide technical insights and review of the project as well as support the Nutrition Senior Assessment Officer with budget and grant management.  

Objective: Engagement with Cadre Harmonisé (CH) Taskforce/Working Groups and Workshops

• The  RM  is  responsible  for  regular  attendance  and  participation  in  the  bi-annual  Food  Security  CH  workshop, providing support for the group in analysing Nigeria-wide food security, across multiple datasets and in accordance with the IPC Analytical Framework.
• He/She will also be responsible for planning and providing guidance to other REACH Assessment and field officers for the CH workshops.

Objective: Engagement with Relevant Technical Agencies and REACH Units:

• The RM is responsible for active engagement with technical agencies as well as supervision of Assessment Officer in  the  unit  with  their  external  engagement  with  agencies  like Sector working  groups, Cash Working  Group, key partners,  donors,  and  other coordination  bodies. 
• Also,  in  close  coordination  with  the  IMPACT Deputy Country Coordinator and other REACH Unit Managers, the RM is responsible for coordinating cross cutting research cycles and information, to support a more integrated approach. Additionally,
• He/She with regularly engage with relevant technical agencies or bodies to identify, support and add value to both data collection and analysis.

Assessment Management and Coordination
Management of Assessment Processes:

• The RM is responsible for designing the methodology and tools associated with each assessment, according to REACH requirements and principles. He/she will manage the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all REACH  and  project  specific  assessment  activities  conducted. 
• The  RM  shall  manage  logistics,  financial, administration and HR processes directly related to REACH and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED counterpart. 
• He/she is directly responsible for the implementation of proper REACH and  ACTED  FLAT procedures.  

Implementation:

• The RM is responsible for contributing to the implementation of assessment projects, and providing support to the  development of assessment, database  and  GIS tools with the REACH  team. 
• This  will  specifically include, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more); development or review of databases; contributing to GIS data collection procedures; and analysis of information to contribute to reports.  

Coordination:

• The RM shall provide technical support to the DCC and CC in terms of the preparation of new project proposals, development  of  programme  strategies,  implementation  of  project  activities,  and  any  other  required  reporting mechanisms.
• The RM is responsible for 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. 

Technical Representation:

• The RM is responsible for regular attendance and participation in the bi-annual Cadre Harmonize (CH) workshops, providing support for the group in analysing Nigeria-wide food security, including REACH humanitarian situation monitoring data, market data, and other data sources to provide FSL and nutrition cluster understanding of priority areas for FSL and nutrition responses.
• He/She will also be responsible for planning and providing guidance to other REACH Assessment and field officers for the CH workshops.

Reach Reporting

• The  REACH  RM is responsible for consolidating  all  analysis  and  conclusions  from  each  assessment into REACH products such as factsheets, reports and briefs using standard formats.
• He/she will liaise with Geneva and  Regional  GIS/DB  Specialists  in  order  to  represent  data  in  static  map  formats,  as  relevant.
• The RM is responsible  for  following  the  designated  timeline  of  reports  to  be  submitted  to  project  partners  and  donors.
• He/she must ensure the writing of timely assessment reports and factsheets, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality 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 Nigeria for all organisations working in the region.
• The  RM will also store, organise and disseminate assessments, project documents and best practices among partners.
• He/she will coordinate timely and accurate reporting to REACH.

Staff Management

• The  RM  is  responsible  for  day-to-day  management of assessment  staff,  Data/GIS  staff  and field manager. 
• He/she is expected to guide and direct REACH staff and prepare and follow  up work plans  with  each  staff member that directly reports to him/her.
• The RM will 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  complete all  the  necessary documentation in line with program requirements set by  REACH.
• He/she will also be responsible for capacity building and staff development of enumerators, Field Officers and Junior Assessment Officers.

External Engagement

• The RM is responsible for the representation of REACH in cluster and multi-sector meetings/technical working groups in country, and is expected to follow up on technical issues identified in meetings.
• 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.
• The RM will further represent REACH vis-a-vis current and potential donors and communicate relevant information to the IMPACT DCC and 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.  

Confidentiality:

• The REACH RM 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 in a respectful and consultative manner.
• Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about IMPACT  programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria,  and methodologies.
• This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.

Requirements

• Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s Degree in relevant subject;
• 2 - 3 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting;
• Excellent team management, coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including an ability to manage large workloads, oversee multiple teams and effectively meet deadlines, through an excellent ability to multi-task and prioritise;
• Experience working with Food Security, Nutrition, WASH a strong asset.
• Experience with external engagement (donors, partners and other key stakeholders) required;
• Familiarity with the humanitarian coordination system required;
• Ability to operate R a strong asset.
• Ability to operate basic GIS is an asset.
• Familiarity with the IPC / CH – Level 1 certification an asset.
• Excellent communication and drafting skills required for effective report writing;
• Excellent analytical skills required- ability to situate findings within a wider context;
• Solution-oriented, flexible, and open-minded, including ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment required;
• Fluency in English required;
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel required;
• Experience with mobile data collection (ODK, ONA, KOBO) required;
• Knowledge of the Adobe Suite software, particularly Illustrator and InDesign an asset.

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 organisation’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