Assessment Officer

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 an Assessment Officer to support our team in Bangladesh, based in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Department:REACH

Position: Assessment Officer

Contract duration:6 months (with potential to extend)

Location: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Starting Date: March 2023

Country Profile

Since August 2017, an estimated 770,000 Rohingya people have arrived in Bangladesh. By December 2022, more than 920,000 refugees were living in the 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar district. Hundreds of thousands remain dependent on humanitarian aid and the crisis has also affected Bangladeshi host communities, placing pressure on services as well as social cohesion.

The REACH Bangladesh team – split between Cox’s Bazar and Bangkok – has been supporting the humanitarian response in Bangladesh since 2017, with various activities including the mapping and monitoring of infrastructure in support of camp coordination, climate and natural hazards projects, as well as sectoral (including WASH, shelter, education, child protection, age and disability) and multi-sectoral assessments.

In 2023, REACH is planning to implement a Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.

FUNCTIONS

IMPACT is seeking a candidate who has previous experience in conducting primary data collection and/or producing analytical outputs, to lead the implementation of the MSNA in Bangladesh. Under the line management of the REACH Research Manager (based in Bangkok), the Assessment Officer is responsible for the implementation of the MSNA program including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination and evaluation stages. Throughout the implementation of the MSNA, the Assessment Officer will engage with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact.

In his/her mission, the Assessment Officer will be hosted by IMPACT’s global partner ACTED and will fall under the direct responsibility and management of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates for all Administrative, Security, and relevant Logistics and Finance issues. S/he will therefore fully abide to ACTED’s Security, Administration, and relevant HR, Logistics and Finance rules and regulations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The AO’s responsibilities include the following:

Research Planning & IMPLEMENTATION

• Lead on the development of the MSNA methodology, developing project TOR in line with partner’s and IMPACT’s requirements and principles;
• Design of assessment tools (i.e. household survey), jointly with relevant external stakeholders
• Development of training materials for field teams alongside project officers
• Ensure field testing of tools and sampling to ensure robustness of approach prior to rollout of data collection
• Monitor ongoing data collection, and conduct daily data follow-up to ensure correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
• Lead data cleaning process with support from data colleagues;
• Provide support to the data specialist for quantitative analysis;
• Manage logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to IMPACT, and liaise with ACTED counterparts accordingly.

Drafting of Research Products

• Lead on the drafting of relevant outputs (e.g. factsheets, reports, briefs) for the MSNA according to the designated timeline, and in line with partners requirements and IMPACT’s guidelines and quality standards;
• Ensure that products accurately reflect the information collected and that information is conveyed in a way that maximizes their impact in line with their intended use;
• Maintain regular communication with country Management and IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products.

Team Management and capacity building

• Direct line management of national Project Officer;
• Conduct regular meetings with relevant national and international assessment staff members to assess progress in relevant research cycles and to review work plan;
• Ensure that all field teams are comprehensively briefed on objectives, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy is clearly understood;
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping; regularly debrief team members to receive feedback on the progress of an activity.

EXternal engagement

• Under supervision of the Research Manager, support with engagements with relevant external actors including ISCG, Sectors, Cross-Cutting Issues Working Groups.
• Ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved at all stages of research cycle: assessment preparation; data collection; data analysis; review of research products; product dissemination; and lessons learnt;
• Present research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact;
• More generally, contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organization, notably through the application of IMPACT’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic: Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master’s degree in relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar);
• Research skills: Proficiencyand proven experience with quantitative and qualitative research methods. Excellent analytical skills, experience in assessments, M&E, field research, evaluations an asset.
• Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential. Experience with Adobe InDesign is an advantage. Advanced skills in R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software are an asset;
• Years of work experience: At least 1 year of relevant working experience. Experience in humanitarian settings highly desirable;
• Management skills: Project management experience and skills highly desirable;
• Communication/reporting skills: Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Multi-tasking skills: Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, in a complex environment;
• Level of independence: Proven ability to work independently;
• Cross-cultural work environment: Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Experience in geographical region: Past experience with the Bangladesh or Myanmar context, or South-East Asia region is desirable;
• Language skills: Fluency in English required, competency in Bangla / Bengali 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