Assessment Officer – Site Mapping and Monitoring

We are currently looking for an Assessment Officer to support our team in Slovakia.

Department:REACH

Position: Assessment Officer

Contract duration:5 months

Location: Bratislava, Slovakia (temporarily in Warsaw, Poland)

Starting Date: ASAP

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Assessment Officer is responsible for overseeing the planning, implementation and follow up of research cycles to which s/he is assigned, in close coordination with other team members and with relevant external partners. In doing so, the Assessment Officer will ensure an effective management of related projects and resources, including line-management national and international assessment staff.

More specifically the Assessment Officer is responsible for the following:

Research Planning:

1. Anticipate knowledge gaps prior to the execution of a research cycle;
2. Ensure that required secondary data review and/or analysis has been conducted in preparation of an assessment;
3. Ensure that all research cycles are planned in line with the country strategy, relevant research and project objectives and with research cycle and other relevant guidelines;
4. Design research approaches and methodologies according to REACH’s requirements and principles as well as partners’ information needs;
5. Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data teams, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools;
6. For each research cycle, prepare ToRs and ensure their validation by HQ before any data collection begins;
7. Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in research design and planning.

Research Implementation

1. Ensure that required enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;
2. Monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
3. Manage assessment logistics, including with partner organizations, identifying assessment areas, facilitating design workshops, managing joint data collection processes, and facilitating joint analysis workshops;
4. Ensure regular situation updates on data collection are produced and circulated to line manager, relevant colleagues and external counterparts;
5. Keep track of progress and delays of all assigned assessments throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;
6. Ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to ongoing and upcoming assessments are appropriately planned;
7. Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with REACH’s Data Management Guidelines;
8. Ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
9. Provide data analysis on primary and/or secondary data as per ToRs, ensuring that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected;

Drafting of Research Products

1. Draft timely and accurate outputs that consolidate the analyses from each research cycle into relevant products such as factsheets, reports, briefs, presentations;
2. 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;
3. Liaise with relevant GIS colleagues to ensure effective spatial representation of research findings in maps or interactive web-portals, as relevant.

External Engagement

1. Consult relevant partners at all stages of research cycle: assessment preparation; data collection; data analysis; review of research products; product dissemination; and lessons learnt;
2. Follow up on issues identified by partners or during meetings / working groups;
3. Promote an active use of datasets and research findings by partners and the broader humanitarian community for their decision making;
4. Present research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact;
5. Ensure that all partner engagement and all external relations are clearly documented and communicated with the line manager and relevant colleagues;

Knowledge sharing and learning processes

1. In coordination with country management, support the conduct of monitoring and evaluation for each Research Cycle, as specified in the research ToRs;
2. Generate and document robust lessons learned at the end of each Research Cycle;
3. Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared with other teams within mission, and with HQ;
4. When required, provide feedback to appropriate global organizational knowledge learning tools.
5. Project Cycle Management
6. Before project start, ensure the organization of a kick off meeting and the availability of key project management documentations to plan the efficient use of assets, financial and human resources;
7. In close coordination with line management, finance and grants colleagues, monitor and regularly update the use of assets, financial and human resources;
8. Ensure that any issue in relation to project implementation is reported to the line manager, finance and grants colleagues, and HQ;
9. Ensure that a project completion meeting is held and documented for all relevant projects;
10. Support the line manager, finance and grants colleagues in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports.

Team Management and capacity building

1. As relevant, line management of national and international assessment team members;
2. For staff under his/her responsibility, and in close consultation with line manager, conduct of appraisals, provision of regular feedback, and participation in career management;
3. Prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her;
4. For all activities, ensure that all assessment and field teams are comprehensively briefed on objectives, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy is clearly understood;
5. Support induction for new staff members, including training in basic technical competencies for research design, implementation and analysis;

Data Confidentiality and Protection

The Assessment Officer 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 degree in relevant discipline;
• Research skills Proficiencyand proven experience with research methods
• Software skills Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Advanced skills in GIS, mapping, R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software are an advantage; Experience with InDesign an asset.
• Years of work experience At least 2 years of relevant working experience. Experience in humanitarian settings highly desirable;
• Management skills Team 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, on numerous research cycles;
• 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 the region is desirable;
• Language skills Fluency in English is required, competency in Slovak, Russian, or Ukrainian is an asset;
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment