IMPACT Initiatives
BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH
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.
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.
BACKGROUND ON JIAF
The Joint Intersectoral Analysis Framework (JIAF) is a methodologically new approach to analysing the multiple needs of populations in crisis. Since 2020, all countries preparing humanitarian responses within the Humanitarian Programme Cycle have been using this enhanced approach to inform their country ‘Humanitarian Needs Overview’ [HNOs].
The JIAF provides: An estimation of the magnitude of a crisis: how many people have been impacted; An estimation of severity: how severely people have been affected; An analysis of vulnerability and geography: which population groups and geographic areas have been most affected and an explanation of the drivers and impact of the crisis: why and how populations have been affected, and how their needs overlap, co-exist and interrelate. All these outputs look across traditional sectors to give a ‘people-centred’ overview of needs. This shifts the focus from the sectoral lens of aid providers to the experience of affected populations.
In January 2021, an interagency Project Management Unit (PMU) was established to coordinate the ongoing work of the JIAF, together with a multi-partner team of technical specialists from across the humanitarian community.
Following an independent review of the JIAF methodology in 2021, the JIAF Steering Committee approved an 18-month plan to revise and strengthen the current JIAF methodology. Assuming that JIAF 2.0 is proven to be fit for purpose during its testing phase in 2022, the product will be released globally to all HPC countries as part of the 2024 Humanitarian Programme Cycle guidance in June 2023.
REACH is a key partner in supporting the JIAF development, including by providing technical assistance and support to the JIAF Project Management Unit.
We are currently looking for an Assessment Specialist to join the Global Inter-Sector Unit in HQ.
Title: Assessment Specialist**
Location: Geneva with travel (up to 20% field deployment)**
Contract duration: 6-months
Start date: May 2022
POSITION PROFILE
Under the supervision of the Global MSNA Focal Point, the AS will lead and support on various initiatives contributing to inter-sectoral analysis and to the Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) work stream. The individual’s assignment will be split into two parts. For the period May-August, the specialist will work 100% directly seconded to the Project Management Unit (PMU) – to support the development of JIAF 2.0 – and will report in this capacity to the JIAF Lead Analyst The individual fulfilling this role will play a critical function in providing technical, programmatic, and strategic support to a high profile and impactful work stream on the global REACH team and the JIAF PMU team. For the following three months the specialist will work on the global MSNA workstream, contributing to the development of global research standards, global intersectoral analysis and country MSNA support.
Functions and responsibilities
Under the supervision of the global MSNA focal point based in Geneva HQ, and the JIAF Senior Project Manager, the REACH AS will support the below core areas of work under the global MSNA/JIAF workstream:
1) Secondment to the JIAF Project Management Unit (90% from May to end July)
a. Support the coordination of the JIAF 2.0 severity sprint activities under the supervision of the JIAF Lead Analyst
b. Provide technical support and guidance to the development of the JIAF 2.0 severity analysis component
c. Draft the methodology JIAF 2.0 severity analysis component as agreed with the sprint team members
d. Actively engage with the JIAF Methodology Technical Working Group (M-TWG)
2) Informing global decision makers (30%)
a. Producing global MSNA analysis products – consolidating country datasets, performing quantitative analysis to identify key global trends and findings from the data, and producing short briefs, dashboards, and other similar products for global audiences
b. Supporting communications and dissemination activities at global level – including website articles, social media, webinars, and other similar activities
c. Direct external engagement with global stakeholders, donors, and other REACH partners
3) Country support and engagement (20%)
a. Technical support and guidance to REACH MSNA country teams at various stages of the research cycle, including research design and sampling methodologies; data collection planning; data processing, cleaning, and management; quantitative data analysis; and the reporting and dissemination of inter-sectoral findings
b. Ad hoc surge support including country deployment up to 20% – this support may be provided remotely and/or through a field deployment, depending on the extent of support required and the specific needs of the country team
Requirements
- Excellent academic qualifications, including master’s degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. development, humanitarian studies, international relations, research methods, social sciences, environmental studies, epidemiology, public health)
- At least 5 years of experience in the humanitarian sector and/or field-based roles in fragile or development contexts, preferably with humanitarian information management.
- Experience with designing and implementing primary research, in particular large-scale quantitative surveys and/or humanitarian needs assessments
- Experience developing and refining quantitative and qualitative indicators to measure humanitarian need
- Prior experience leading the design or implementation of MSNA or support to HPC analysis
- Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting
- Excellent interpersonal skills, include strong external engagement and coordination skills
- Familiarity with the humanitarian system and global humanitarian policy frameworks, in particular the Grand Bargain and the JIAF
- Willingness to engage in short term field deployments, including to complex and challenging security environments
- Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility
- A self-starter with proven ability to work independently
- Fluency in English required; proficiency in French, Spanish or another relevant language an asset
- Ability to operate Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software
- Ability to operate Stata, R, SPSS, or related statistical programming an asset