Senior Assessment Officer – Emergency Rapid Needs Assessment

We are currently looking for a Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) to lead our Emergency Rapid Needs Assessment Team in Ukraine.

Department: REACH

Position: Senior Assessment Officer

Contract duration: 12 months

Location: Dnipro, Ukraine

Starting Date: ASAP

FUNCTIONS

IMPACT is seeking an SAO to lead a small team of specialised assessment and field staff conducting multi-sectoral Emergency Rapid Needs Assessments in hard to reach and newly accessible areas of Ukraine. This team is a new initiative for REACH in Ukraine, and therefore will require a proactive, creative, and strategic profile to lead its development. This SAO will be responsible for engaging in relevant coordination structures tasked with responding to emergency needs, to identify information gaps and ensure geographic targeting, developing assessment methodologies, overseeing data collection, and drafting reports. The SAO will be required to regularly present findings of these assessments and engage externally with senior staff from the UN, NNGOs, and INGOs to ensure findings are received and understood by key stakeholders. Finally, the SAO will be expected to adapt and improve qualitative and quantitative assessment methodologies to ensure they remain relevant and responsive to the rapidly changing context.

This position is based in Dnipro, Ukraine, with regular travel throughout conflict-affected areas in the South, North and East of the country. As such, the ideal candidate will be someone who has previous experience operating in high-security contexts and has a high degree of demonstrated autonomy and decision-making in the field. Fluency in Ukrainian and/or Russian is a strong asset.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The SAO’s responsibilities include the following:

ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION

Objective 1.1: Management of the Assessment Process

The SAO is responsible for designing the methodology and tools associated with Emergency Rapid Needs Assessments, according to IMPACT requirements and principles. He/she will manage the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all assessment activities conducted in country. This will include going on frequent field missions to oversee and conduct data collection exercises in-person. Additionally, the SAO will manage security, logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to the activities they oversee and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED counterparts as needed. He/she is directly responsible for the implementation of proper IMPACT and ACTED FLATS procedures in all IMPACT interventions.

Objective 1.2: Implementation

The SAO is responsible for leading the implementation of assessments and providing support to the development of assessment, database and GIS tools with the rapid needs assessment team. This will specifically include designing data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more); development or review of databases; contributing to GIS data collection procedures and mapping through ARC GIS and other ESRI products; and analysis of spatial and other information to contribute to reports.

REACH REPORTING

The SAO is responsible for consolidating all analyses and conclusions from each assessment into IMPACT products such as factsheets, reports and briefs using standard formats. Timeliness of reporting is key to Emergency Rapid Needs Assessments, and the SAO will manage designated timelines of reports for project partners. He/she must write and/or oversee 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 area.

HR MANAGEMENT

The SAO is responsible for day-to-day management of project and field staff both directly and remotely. He/she is expected to guide and direct IMPACT staff and prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her. The SAO will be required to take the lead in the recruitment of IMPACT assessment staff in coordination with the ACTED HR Officer. This will include the preparation of ToRs, observation of recruitment procedures by planning recruitment needs in advance, and undertaking interviews. The SAO will ensure that all field teams are comprehensively briefed on the objective, expected outputs, and overall implementation strategy of each activity. He/she will ensure that project/field staff are given training and complete all the necessary documentation in line with program requirements set by IMPACT.

REPRESENTATION

The SAO is responsible for representing IMPACT in cluster and multi-sector meetings/technical working groups in country and following-up on technical issues identified in such meetings. This will include liaising with external partners to identify potential areas to conduct rapid needs assessments, as well as engaging with operational partners as needed or data collection purposes.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

The SAO is responsible for ensuring that all interactions with Ukrainian communities 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.

DATA CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTION

The SAO will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes, ensuring full compliance with IMPACT’s data protection policy and SOPs. 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.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Policial Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar);
• Research skills higher education degree, and proven experience with complex research methods. Excellent analytical skills, including the ability to synthesise information, draw conclusions, and relate research back to the broader humanitarian response;
• Software skills Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience with InDesign an asset.
• Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the aid system is required; programmatic humanitarian experience is an asset.
• Years of work experience At least 3 years of relevant working experience;
• Experience in multi-sectoral work Experience conducting multi-sectoral research and field work in a complex political and security environments an asset;
• Management skills Proven team management experience and skills; ability to build assessment capacity of team through training and mentoring;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• 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 in Ukraine is an asset;
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Ukrainian and Russian a strong asset;
• Security environment Experience and ability to operate in a complex and highly challenging security environment.