REACH Assessment Officer for Bangladesh

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 a REACH Assessment Officer to join our team in Bangladesh.

· Department: REACH

· Position: REACH Assessment Officer

· Contract duration: 6 months

· Location: Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

· Starting Date: March 2022

COUNTRY PROFILE

In successive waves over four decades, stateless Rohingya refugees have been fleeing to Bangladesh from Rakhine State, Myanmar, where they have suffered systematic, ongoing persecution. Since August 2017, an estimated 745,000 refugees have arrived in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, bringing the total number to more than 900,000. The displacement marks the latest stage in one of the world’s most complex ongoing human rights crises. While they have found safe haven from persecution in Bangladesh, the Rohingya have faced new constraints on building self-reliant and dignified lives. Refugees are currently confined to 33 crowded spontaneous settlements, with limited freedom of movement, heavily restricted access to livelihoods and cash, and no provision of formal education.

As a consequence, they remain in a highly precarious situation, dependent on humanitarian assistance to cover their basic needs, and vulnerable to natural disasters, and the activities of criminal groups. At the same time, Cox’s Bazar District is among the most deprived areas of Bangladesh. The local community have expressed concerns that the refugee influx may have exacerbated the existing burden of unemployment and difficulties accessing essential services in the region. In areas where refugees and host communities live side by side, many are now accessing the same services and depend on the same labour markets, creating potential sources of tension as well as common vulnerabilities to hazards and shocks.

Cox’s Bazar district is exposed to storm surges, high winds, and heavy rainfall that often cause flash flooding and trigger landslides. The location, living conditions, and status of the Rohingya make them highly exposed and vulnerable to such hazards. As such, disaster risk management is vital to manage the risk of an emergency within the emergency. REACH contributes to the response through the development of natural hazards related hazard analysis products and information management coordination support.

Since September 2017, IMPACT’s REACH Initiative has been deployed to Bangladesh to help meet the information needs of humanitarian actors operating in Cox’s Bazar District and build a better understanding of the needs of displaced and host populations, supported by assistance from ECHO, UNICEF, and UNHCR, REACH is carrying out the following activities:

· Joint multi-sector needs assessment (MSNA): in collaboration with the inter-sector coordination group (ISCG), REACH works to implement comprehensive MSNAs of both refugee and host community populations to provide a rigorous evidence base for the humanitarian response planning process in line with the commitments of the Grand Bargain.

· Support to disaster preparedness: REACH’s technical specialists have supported the ISCG’s Natural Hazard Risk Assessment Task Force to produce hazard and risk maps identifying areas of refugee settlements exposed to greater risks of natural hazards such as landslides and flooding. This work has been critical in ensuring site planners have the information they need to mitigate the risks posed to refugees by the monsoon and cyclone season.

· Integrated support to the Cox’s Bazar WASH sector: Since 2017, REACH has been providing a package of assessment, monitoring, and analysis to support to the WASH sector at all points in the humanitarian programme cycle. Activities have ranged from regular household assessments, mapping and monitoring of almost 100,000 infrastructure points, and carrying out targeted thematic assessments on issues such as menstrual hygiene management.

· In-depth thematic assessments: REACH works regularly with key sector working groups to implement thematic assessments in response to identified information needs. This has included a Joint Education Needs Assessment, periodic monitoring of safety and access to services for the protection sector, and a Child Protection Needs Assessment.

In the coming year, REACH programming will focus on a continuation of the above projects, with an increased focus on disaster risk reduction and third-party monitoring.

FUNCTIONS

Under the supervision of the REACH Research Manager, the Assessment Officer is responsible for the management and implementation of REACH assessments within Bangladesh, including their preparation, implementation and follow-up. Throughout research cycles, the Assessment Officer engages with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact. S/he also ensures an efficient and transparent use of resources required for project implementation. This can include the direct supervision of assessment teams.

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.

More specifically the Assessment Officer is responsible for the following:

Research Planning:

• Anticipate knowledge gaps prior to the execution of a Research Cycle;
• Ensure that required secondary data review and/or analysis has been conducted in preparation of an assessment;
• Ensure that all 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;
• Design research approaches and methodologies according to IMPACT’s requirements and principles as well as partners’ information needs;
• Compose and construct, in close coordination with GIS and data teams, qualitative and quantitative data collection tools;
• For each research cycle, prepare ToRs and ensure their validation by HQ before any data collection begins; and
• Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in research design and planning.

Research Implementation

• In close liaison with field officer(s), ensure that required enumerators are identified and trained for primary data collection;
• In close liaison with field officer(s), monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
• In close liaison with field officer(s), manage assessment logistics, including with partner organizations, identifying assessment areas, facilitating design workshops, managing joint data collection processes, and facilitating joint analysis workshops;
• In close liaison with field officer(s), ensure regular situation updates on data collection are produced and circulated to line manager, relevant colleagues and external counterparts. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process;
• Ensure that the line manager and IMPACT HQ research department are alerted to any issues that prevents full implementation of the methodology agreed in the approved TORs. Ensure that all changes to the methodology are documented throughout implementation, and that any change is formally validated by IMPACT HQ;
• 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;
• In close liaison with field officer(s), ensure logistics, financial, administration, security and HR processes directly related to ongoing and upcoming assessments are appropriately planned, implemented and coordinated with the relevant ACTED departments;
• Ensure that all collected data is stored in line with IMPACT’s Data Management Guidelines and with the ToRs;
• In close liaison with field officer(s), ensure that data is revised and cleaned, and that all revisions are recorded;
• In close liaison with data colleagues, provide data analysis on primary and/or secondary data as per ToRs, ensuring that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected;
• Ensure that data and its analysis are validated by IMPACT HQ before product drafting stage; and
• Ensure that data and its analysis do not contain personal information and are validated by IMPACT HQ before sharing to external parties.

Drafting of Research Products

Ensure the 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;

Liaise with relevant GIS colleagues to ensure effective spatial representation of research findings in maps or interactive web-portals, as relevant;

Follow the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported in writing and orally in a timely manner;

Maintain regular communication with country Management and IMPACT HQ on progress and deadlines for written products; and

Ensure that all written products are validated by IMPACT HQ before external release.

External Engagement

• 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;
• After validation by the line manager, represent IMPACT in relevant meetings/ working groups;
• Follow up on issues identified by partners or during meetings / working groups;
• Promote an active use of datasets and research findings by partners and the broader humanitarian community for their decision making;
• After validation by line manager, present research findings to relevant third parties in order to enhance their use and impact;
• Ensure that all partner engagement and all external relations are clearly documented and communicated with the line manager and relevant colleagues; and
• 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.

Knowledge sharing and learning processes

• Ensure all documents, tools, scripts and outputs produced throughout the research cycle are recorded and filed in the central server to ensure continuous knowledge management;
• In coordination with country management, support the conduct of monitoring and evaluation for each Research Cycle, as specified in the research ToRs and in line with IMPACT Guidelines;
• Generate and document robust lessons learned at the end of each Research Cycle;
• Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared with other Units and teams within mission, and with HQ; and
• When required, provide feedback to appropriate global organizational knowledge learning tools.

Project Cycle Management

• For relevant projects, ensure compliance to project cycle management requirements and guidelines at all phases;
• 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;
• In close coordination with line management, finance and grants colleagues, monitor and regularly update the use of assets, financial and human resources, in full compliance with IMPACT’s guidelines; this includes maintaining an oversight of budget availability and expenditure for assessment activities;
• 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;
• Ensure that a project completion meeting is held and documented for all relevant projects;
• Support the line manager, finance and grants colleagues in drafting of relevant project narrative and financial reports; and
• Other tasks as requested by supervisors.

Team Management and capacity building

• As relevant, line management of national and international assessment team members;
• 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;
• Prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her;
• Conduct regular meetings with relevant national and international assessment staff members to assess progress in relevant research cycles and to review work plan;
• 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;
• Ensure that project/field staff are given required training and resources to achieve their tasks in line with IMPACT and project requirements;
• Be available to provide regular support and technical backstopping; regularly debrief team members to receive feedback on the progress of an activity;
• In coordination with line manager, contribute to conduct induction for new staff members, including training in basic technical competencies for research design, implementation and analysis; and
• Support to the line managers and specialists in the development and implementation of capacity training plans for team members.

Internal Coordination

• Actively participate in regular team meetings;
• Ensure regular coordination and exchange with relevant colleagues; and
• Engage in the development and implementation of IMPACT’s strategy in (country).

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. S/he 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.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

The staff member is responsible for ensuring that all relations with the communities we work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about REACH programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a Master degree in relevant discipline;
• Research skills Proficiency and proven experience with research methods. Excellent analytical skills with quantitative and qualitative data, and a good understanding of sampling techniques.
• Software skills Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Advanced skills in R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software are an advantage; Experience with InDesign an asset.
• Years of work experience At least 1.5 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 Bangladesh or surrounding region is desirable; and
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Rohingya, Chittagonian, or Bangla an asset.