Assessment Officer – Cash and Post Distribution Monitoring for Moldova

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 lead on Cash and Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) for our team in Moldova.**

Department: IMPACT**

Position: Assessment Officer – Cash and PDM **

Contract duration: 6 months

Location: Chisinau, Moldova

Start date: ASAP

COUNTRY PROFILE

Following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, military hostilities have caused widespread damage to infrastructure and houses, hundreds of civilian deaths, disrupted markets and essential services, and precipitated massive displacement within Ukraine and into neighbouring countries. IMPACT is working across the region to provide humanitarian actors with rigorous data and in-depth analysis to ensure aid interventions are timely, appropriate, and relevant. As part of this, IMPACT is supporting coordination structures in Moldova on the Refugee Response, through Information Management, Border Monitoring, Area Based Assessments and a Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment.

POSITION PROFILE

Under the line management of the Cash and PDM Senior Assessment Officer, the Assessment Officer is responsible for the implementation of REACH’s PDM research cycles in Moldova, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination and evaluation stages. The AO should have previous experience of designing and implementing quantitative assessments, ideally in a humanitarian setting. The candidate should be capable of synthesizing quantitative data to write clear, engaging reports conveying the results of the monitoring assessments, and should also be comfortable representing REACH in multi-sector meetings, and be able to coordinate and liaise with external partners on technical issues. The ideal candidate will be eager to support a dynamic team in a complex humanitarian emergency, and to oversee assessments to inform the rapidly scaling-up cash-based response in Moldova. The position is based in Chisinau, Moldova, with travel in the region likely.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Assessment Officer is responsible for the following:

1) Research Planning

• Ensure that all Cash and PDM research cycles are planned in line with the country strategy, relevant research and project objectives and with IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
• Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data teams, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools using Kobo Collect and Open Data Kit (ODK).

2) Research Implementation

• In close liaison with field officers, ensure that enumerators are trained for primary data collection;
• Manage assessment logistics, including identifying assessment areas, facilitating design workshops, managing joint data collection processes, and facilitating joint analysis workshops;
• Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessments throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;
• In close liaison with the database officers, ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded; and
• Provide data analysis on primary and/or secondary data as per ToRs, ensuring that meaningful techniques are used to analyse the data collected.

3) Drafting of Research Products

• Drafting of timely and accurate outputs that consolidate the analyses from each research cycle into relevant products such as factsheets, reports, briefs, presentations, etc which comply with 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; and
• Provide support and oversight to direct reports and other members of the team in the drafting and editing of reports for other research cycles.

4) External Engagement

• Ensure that relevant partners are consulted and involved at all stages of research cycle;
• Promote an active use of datasets and research findings by partners and the broader humanitarian community for their decision making; and
• Present research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact.

5) Knowledge sharing and learning processes

• Generate and document robust lessons learned at the end of each Research Cycle; and
• Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared with other Units and teams within mission, and with HQ.

6) Project Cycle Management

• Ensure compliance to project cycle management requirements and guidelines at all phases;
• Ensure that project deliverables and requirements are tracked, met and complied to;
• Ensure that any issue in relation to project implementation is reported to the line manager, finance and grants colleagues, and HQ; and
• Support the line manager, finance and grants colleagues in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports.

7) Team Management and capacity building

• Line management of junior assessment team members possible, depending on prior experience;
• 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 project/field staff are given required training and resources to achieve their tasks; and
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping; regularly debrief team members to receive feedback on the progress of an activity.

8) ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

The AO is responsible for ensuring that all interactions with Moldovan or 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.

9) CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

The AO 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

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar);
• Years of work experience 1-2 years of relevant working experience in a humanitarian setting, such as program management, evaluation and assessments;
• Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the aid system, and the research community;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting, including proven experience in contributing to analytical briefs;
• Research skills: Excellent research and analytical skills. Experience in assessments, M&E, field research, or evaluations;
• Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software an asset; Experience with InDesign an asset;
• Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles in complex environment;
• Level of independence A self-starter with a 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 or the region is desirable;
• Language skills Fluency in English is required, competency in Ukrainian, Russian or Romanian, is 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