Senior Assessment Officer

We are currently looking for Senior Assessment Officers to support our team in Poland

Department:REACH

Position: Senior Assessment Officer

Contract duration:6 months

Location: Warsaw (Poland) with field deployments

Starting Date: ASAP

FUNCTIONS

The Senior Assessment Officer (SAO) is responsible for the implementation of REACH’s research cycles in PSH, including the preparation, data collection, analysis, drafting, dissemination and evaluation stages. Throughout research cycles, the SAO engages with partners to promote their participation and maximize their impact. He/she 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 SAO will be hosted by our 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.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The SAO’s responsibilities include the following:

ASSESSMENT MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION

• designing the methodology and tools associated with each assessment, according to IMPACT requirements and principles. He/she will manage the planning, implementation, and follow-up of all IMPACT and project specific assessment activities conducted under the UNHCR program in Poland. The SAO shall manage logistics, financial, administration and HR processes directly related to these assessments and liaise accordingly with the relevant ACTED counterpart.
• implementation of assessment projects, and providing support to the development of assessment, database and GIS tools with the IMPACT team. This will specifically include, designing of data collection tools (household surveys, focus groups, and more); development or review of databases; contributing to GIS data collection procedures; and analysis of information to contribute to reports. The SAO is responsible for investigating information gaps across Poland, and will coordinate and conduct ad hoc assessments in Poland according to identified needs.
• timely and accurate preparation of narrative and financial reports related to IMPACT activities in country through close liaison with the Project Development and Finance departments. The SAO shall liaise with other IMPACT Officers in the region and throughout IMPACT Initiatives’ and ACTED’s networks to provide and receive support in the expansion of IMPACT globally.

REPORTING

• consolidating analysis and conclusions from each assessment into IMPACT products such as factsheets, reports and briefs using standard formats. He/she will liaise with Geneva HQ and with Whole of Ukraine GIS/DB Specialists in order to represent data in static map formats, as relevant.
• following the designated timeline of reports to be submitted to project partners and donors. He/she must ensure the writing of timely assessment reports and factsheets, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality of collected information. He/she will ensure that assessment reports contribute to aid coordination and planning and add to the general base of field knowledge in Poland for all organisations working in the region.
• store, organise and disseminate assessments, project documents and best practices among partners and potential partners. He/she will coordinate timely and accurate reporting to IMPACT.

STAFF MANAGEMENT

• day-to-day management of project and field staff both directly and remotely. The Assessment team is a growing team, and could include up to five contracted staff across Poland, along with large teams of service contract enumerators.
• guide and direct IMPACT staff and prepare and follow up work plans with each staff member that directly reports to him/her.
• ensure that all field teams are comprehensively briefed on the objective, expected outputs and that the overall implementation strategy of any given activity is clearly understood. He/she will ensure that project/field staff are given training and complete all the necessary documentation in line with program requirements set by IMPACT.
• capacity building and staff development of Junior Assessment Officers and Assessment Officers.

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

• representation of IMPACT in cluster and multi-sector meetings/technical working groups in country and is expected to follow up on technical issues identified in cluster meetings. This specifically will include liaising with external partners to identify potential for data sets to be integrated into existing databases and mapped to support the coordination of the broader humanitarian community.
• represent IMPACT vis-a-vis current and potential donors and communicate relevant information to the IMPACT Country Coordinator. He/she will participate in inter-NGO meetings and those of UN agencies and any other relevant inter-governmental institutions at the national or provincial level. More generally, the SAO is expected to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation, notably through the application of IMPACT’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITIES AND BENEFICIARIES

• ensuring that all interactions with Ukrainian communities in Poland are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about IMPACT programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every IMPACT staff member.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic University level education in social sciences, political sciences, research or relevant field
• Research skills Excellent research design and analytical skills;
• Software skills Ability to operation Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software; 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 4 years of relevant working experience in applied research / information management;
• Management skills Excellent interpersonal and team management skills; Ability to manage and prioritise conflicting priorities; Motivation and ability to independently grow professional capacities through self-training
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting; Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements
• Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles; Willingness to learn about geographic information systems
• Level of independence Proven ability to work independently; Proactive and problem solving personality
• Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Experience in geographical region Experience working in local governance issues or decentralization an asset; Prior knowledge of the region an asset;
• Language skills Fluency in English and Polish required, competency in Ukrainian and Russian an asset
• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment