(Reference: 20/BGD/AO01)
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.
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, GIS and remote-sensing. 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, which allows particularly IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.
We are currently looking for multiple REACH Assessment Officers to join our team in Bangladesh.
Department: REACH
Position: REACH Assessment Officer
Contract duration: 6 months
Location: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Starting Date: March 2020
In successive waves over four decades, stateless Rohingya refugees have been fleeing to Bangladesh from Rakhine State, Myanmar, where they have suffered systematic, ongoing persecution. Since August 2017, an estimated 745,000 refugees have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, bringing the total number to more than 900,000. The displacement marks the latest stage in one of the world’s most complex ongoing human rights crises. While they have found safe haven from persecution in Bangladesh, the Rohingya have faced new constraints on building self-reliant and dignified lives. Refugees are currently confined to 34 crowded spontaneous settlements, with limited freedom of movement, heavily restricted access to livelihoods and cash, and no provision of formal education. As a consequence, they remain in a highly precarious situation, dependent on humanitarian assistance to cover their basic needs, and vulnerable to natural disasters, and the activities of criminal groups. At the same time, Cox’s Bazar District is among the most deprived areas of Bangladesh. The local community have expressed concerns that the refugee influx may have exacerbated the existing burden of unemployment and difficulties accessing essential services in the region. In areas where refugees and host communities live side by side, many are now accessing the same services and depend on the same labour markets, creating potential sources of tension as well as common vulnerabilities to hazards and shocks.
Since September 2017, IMPACT’s REACH Initiative has been deployed to Bangladesh to help meet the information needs of humanitarian actors operating in Cox’s Bazar District and build a better understanding of the needs of displaced and host populations. Supported by assistance from ECHO, UNICEF, and UNHCR, REACH is carrying out the following activities:
In the coming year, REACH programming will focus on a continuation of the above projects, with an increased focus on building Sector and partner capacity to implement assessments autonomously, and to better close feedback loops by involving affected populations in research design, data collection, and dissemination.
Under the supervision of the REACH Research Manager, the Assessment Officer is responsible for the management and implementation of REACH assessments within the Rohingya Response in Bangladesh, including their preparation, implementation and follow-up. He/she will also be responsible for related logistics, partner coordination, reporting and finance requirements and will be required to provide input to the strategic development of REACH in Bangladesh.
Summary
The Assessment Officer shall be responsible for:
The Assessment Officer, in close coordination with REACH GIS/Data and Field teams, is responsible for designing the assessment approach and methodology according to REACH requirements and principles as well as partners’ information needs. This will specifically include ensuring usage and understanding of the common methodologies, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more), and analysis and contexualization of assessment data to contribute to activity outputs such as factsheets, reports, and other data visualizations.
The Assessment Officer will oversee the planning, implementation, and follow-up of REACH assessment activities conducted in country. The Assessment Officer shall manage logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to their portfolio and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED support department.
The Assessment Officer is responsible for assessment logistics with partner organisations, identifying joint assessment areas, facilitating design workshops, managing joint data collection processes, and facilitating joint analysis workshops. This includes both direct assessments by REACH teams and indirectly by assisting with the implementation of the collaborative assessments conducted by partners.
The Assessment Officer is responsible for consolidating all analyses 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 interactive web map or static map format, as relevant.
The Assessment Officer 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 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 the areas.
The Assessment Officer is responsible for day-to-day management of project staff. He/she is expected to guide and direct REACH staff and prepare and follow up workplans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her. The Assessment Officer may be required to take the lead in the recruitment of other assessment staff in coordination with the ACTED HR Department and REACH Country Coordinator. This will include the preparation of ToRs, observation of recruitment procedures by planning recruitment needs in advance, and undertake interviews.
The Assessment Officer 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.
The Assessment Officer is responsible, in coordination with the IMPACT Country Coordinator, for the development and implementation of capacity training plans for REACH assessment and field team members. He/ she is responsible for setting clear and personalised development goals, and designing training and mentorship plans to assist team members in professional development.
Representation of IMPACT/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.
The Assessment Officer may further represent IMPACT vis-a-vis current and potential donors and communicate relevant information to the IMPACT Country Coordinator. 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 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 and ACTED’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.
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 REACH programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.
Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus
Additional monthly living allowance
Free 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
This vacancy is archived.