Regional Assessment Specialist – Multi-Sector Needs Assessment for Panama

IMPACT Initiatives

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 Regional Assessment Specialist with experience, knowledge, and technical expertise in humanitarian research and needs assessments.

Title: Regional Assessment Specialist**

Location: Panama, with regional travel**

Contract duration: 12 months

Start date: June 2022

REGION PROFILE

IMPACT Initiatives (IMPACT), through its initiative REACH, has been present in LAC since 2019, with country teams in Colombia, Venezuela and Haiti leading multi-sectoral assessments and humanitarian research programmes across 13 countries in the region. More broadly, IMPACT has an extensive field presence in 28 countries globally, and have supported OCHA in 16 countries across Africa, Middle-East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, particularly in support of the annual HNO/HRP process within these countries.

IMPACT is scaling up its presence in the region – specifically providing technical support capacity to OCHA Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) based in Panama. OCHA ROLAC covers Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela, and aims to strengthen humanitarian coordination and response preparedness in the region. Additionally, through its base in Panama, OCHA ROLAAC is able to deploy specialized personnel in evaluation and coordination to any crisis in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) within 12 to 48 hours, thus arranging a first line of support to governments and humanitarian partners during the initial phase of a response.

POSITION PROFILE

REACH is seeking an Assessment Specialist (AS) to be based in Panama, to provide dedicated technical support and capacity to OCHA ROLAC office, as well as OCHA country offices through the region. Additionally, the RAS may support the HNO/HRP processes through dedicated support with methodologies, People in Need (PiN) calculations or Multi Sectoral Need Assessments (MSNAs) where needed. Additionally, the role would provide capacity for standby support for responding to sudden onset or natural disasters, and for supporting preparedness measures.

The AS will work closely with OCHA ROLAC, the regional team in Colombia, as well as IMPACT’s global research and programmes teams based in Geneva HQ. Past experience conducting humanitarian research, especially humanitarian needs assessments, is essential. Fluency in Spanish and English is required, along with quantitative analysis skills, and effective coordination and communication skills.

FUNCTIONS

Under the supervision of the Country Coordinator based in Colombia, the REACH Regional Assessment Specialist will perform the following functions (as required) in support of OCHA ROLAC:

  1. Support OCHA ROLAC and OCHA Country Teams with technical capacity and training, as well as the development of assessments, methodologies and IM, where needed.

  2. Support OCHA ROLAC in a technical capacity within regional coordination mechanisms and fora where necessary (i.e. REDLAC, coordination with R4V platform, etc.).

  3. Dedicated technical support for HNO/HRPs across region, scoping and identify ongoing or worsening crises within the ROLAC where MSNAs could be conducted to fill critical information gaps and support inter-sectoral humanitarian needs analysis for the HNO/HRPs. Support Country Officers with standardised methodologies where MSNAs are not currently being run.

  4. Respond to sudden onset emergencies/natural disasters with sufficient assessment and analysis capacity in the immediate aftermath of such events.

  5. Participate in the training on multisector rapid needs assessment teams through Preparedness missions to make partners ready to respond to potential emergencies

REQUIREMENTS

  • Excellent academic qualifications, including a Masters degree in a relevant discipline such as research methods, social sciences research, humanitarian studies, international development, or similar;
  • At least 3 years of relevant working experience in humanitarian settings;
  • At least 2 years of experience conducting field-based primary research, humanitarian research, or humanitarian needs assessments;
  • Regional expertise/experience in the region, in particular knowledge of the central American countries, desired;
  • Familiarity and experience with the Humanitarian Programme Cycle and humanitarian coordination system;
  • Familiarity and experience with research methods best practices, social science statistics, and quantitative data analysis;
  • Excellent analytical skills;
  • Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting;
  • Strong external engagement and verbal communications skills;
  • Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
  • Fluency in Spanish and English required;
  • Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Knowledge and experience in R or other statistical analysis software and Adobe InDesign a plus
  • Ability to multitask with tight deadlines
  • Ability to work independently
  • Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment

CONDITIONS

  • Salary defined by the IMPACT salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus**
  • Free 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.**

How to apply

Please apply at the following link: Regional Assessment Specialist – Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) | Impact (impact-initiatives.org)


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