REACH Field Officer- Kakuma

Department: REACH

Position: REACH Field Officer

Country: Kenya

Direct Hierarchy: REACH Senior Field Officer

Duration: Six months

Location: Kakuma with Field travels to other counties

Expected Start Date: March 2021

BACKGROUND

ACTED is a French humanitarian NGO, founded in 1993, which supports vulnerable populations, affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. ACTED provides continued support to vulnerable communities by ensuring the sustainability of post-crisis interventions and engaging long-term challenges facing our target populations, in order to break the poverty cycle, foster development and reduce vulnerability to disasters. Their interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development crises through a multidisciplinary approach, which is both global and local, and adapted to each context. Their 3,300 staff is committed in to responding to emergencies worldwide, to supporting recovery and rehabilitation, towards sustainable development.

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two INGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) 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, supporting and working within the framework of the humanitarian reform process. 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.

COUNTRY PROFILE

REACH, has been working in Kenya and regionally supporting inter-agency information management and assessment capacity since 2012. In 2012-2016 REACH supported the development of an early warning monitoring system through training of monitors and support to county analysts for the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA). Since 2017, REACH has been supporting the collection of information in Dadaab refugee camp and in border areas through technical support and assessment coordination services to NRC. In addition, REACH in 2020 conducted multi-sectoral needs assessment in Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei settlement, and plans to conduct the same in 2022. In 2020, REACH has implemented vulnerability assessments in Samburu County including needs assessment, infrastructure mapping and capacity building of County officials. In addition, REACH is a member of the Kenya Cash consortium and the Kenya Cash Urban consortium, which, in collaboration with consortium partners have facilitated the conduct of monthly market monitoring in informal settlements of Nairobi and Mombasa as well as markets in ASAL counties. In 2022 REACH is part of the Kenya Cash consortium that is responding to the effects of drought in ASAL counties of Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Marsabit. REACH will be conducting baseline, midline and endline assessments to inform the consortium activities and project progress.

FUNCTIONS

Under the direct line management of the REACH senior field officer, the field Officer is responsible for: (1) Managing of REACH field activities in Kakuma and other counties as may be required (2) Managing the activities of enumerators in the counties assigned (3) Supervise the hiring and training of enumeration teams (4) External relations in Kakuma and (5) Conducting context and situation analysis of humanitarian space in Kakuma.

1. Research Cycles

1.1 Assessment Preparation and Planning:

• The REACH Field Officer will hire, train and supervise field enumerators for qualitative and quantitative data collection
• Responsible for planning and managing all field movements and data collection in the field.
• Ensure that REACH assessment field activities in Kakuma and other counties that may be assigned are in line with relevant program objectives, IMPACT’s research cycle and other relevant guidelines.

1.2 Data collection and management

• The REACH Field Officer will monitor data collection, ensuring its correct implementation in line with agreed TORs;
• Ensure Field program activities are in compliance with ACTEDs logistics, financial and security SOPs.
• Ensure regular situation updates on data collection is properly communicated. Provide support and follow up on identified challenges during the data collection process.
• The REACH Field Officer in close coordination with GIS/DB team and enumerators will clean and manage qualitative, quantitative and spatial data collected.
• Be responsible for hiring enumerators; identify and organize respondents for focus group discussion, facilitating or co-facilitating the discussion and take proper notes.

1.3 Data Validation

• Download all data from the mobile phones at the end of each data collection day
• Spot-check online database for accuracy at the end of each day; question team leaders about any inaccuracies observed and review in daily team debriefs.
• Perform data cleaning at the end of each assessment day

2. Internal Relations

• Routine communication of all field activities, data collection progress and other key findings to management in timely and effective manner.
• Responsible for disseminating information from management to external partners in the field
• Responsible for communicating with relevant ACTED departments on upcoming and ongoing field activities to ensure smooth and timely preparation and approval of required processes.

3. External Relations

• Foster strategic partnerships with key stakeholders in the field; establish and maintain a network of Local stakeholders to ensure smooth running of field activities.
• Establish and maintain good working relationship with REACH partners in the field

4. FLAT Management and Support**

• The REACH Field Officer would be responsible for coordinating field movement, ensuring all logistical and financial requirement for data collection are timely met.
• In coordination with Assessment Officers and the REACH FLATs officer, coordinate the preparation and ensuring approval of all required logistical, financial and HR documents prior to data collection.
• Ensure a strict adherence to ACTED’s security SOPs.
• Be responsible for all REACH assets in the field (computers, GPS devices, smart phones, etc) at their operational base, and will need to work with the REACH Management and ACTED Logistics to ensure serviceability of assets

Data Confidentiality and Protection

• The Field Officer 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.

Protection mainstreaming

• Promoting of and adhering to Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy and guidelines (for site residents, ACTED staff, partner agencies, casual labours etc).

REQUIREMENTS

• Excellent academic qualifications, preferably an undergraduate degree or higher diploma in relevant discipline (development studies, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, data management or any other social sciences field).
• Atleast 3 years experience in a humanitarian context including experience in data management, field data collection coordination;
• Ability to use Microsoft excel for data management;
• Experience using ODK or KOBO for data collection desirable;
• Experience in qualitative data collection including FGDs and in-depth interviews;
• Excellent field coordination skills;
• Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
• Prior experience working in IDP/refugee displacement locations an added advantage
• Experience in supervising enumerators or daily workers for data collection desirable;
• Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
• Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Fluency in English required
• Fluency in local language required
• Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment