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 Data Officer to support our REACH team based in Hargeisa.
Department:REACH
Position: Senior Data Officer
Contract duration:12 months
Location: Hargeisa, with field travel, security permitting, as appropriate/desired
Starting Date: ASAP
COUNTRY PROFILE
Somaliland has been experiencing a multi-layered, complex, and protracted crisis over the past three decades, in particular, due to periodic natural disasters and climate-driven shocks, such as droughts and flooding. This has led to much internal displacement resulting in large IDP populations in urban areas, specifically around Hargeisa. IMPACT began working in Somaliland in 2012 in order to fill information gaps and provide timely data on the humanitarian needs of displaced and vulnerable populations.
The compound and complex nature of the crisis continues to influence displacement patterns and constrain the availability of resources, while the presence of armed groups severely impedes the level of access and support provided by humanitarian actors. Crops have been affected by large swarms of locusts in the region in late 2019 and again in 2020. These infestations have impacted large areas of the country. In addition, in March 2020, COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the country. This situation and the precautious steps taken to curb the spread of the virus have further complicated both the needs of households and the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond to needs.
Currently, the Horn of Africa is experiencing the third drought episode in a decade, following three consecutive failed rainy seasons. The drought is compounding existing food insecurity among both pastoral and farming populations, and needs are spiking across the region – between 12 and 14 million people are currently estimated to be facing high levels of food insecurity and water shortages. Historically rare climate variability, climate change, vulnerability, and exposure are creating an exceptional and extremely concerning level of risk for food security and livelihoods, which could drive rising levels of acute malnutrition and mortality through mid-to-late 2022
FUNCTIONS
Under the line management of the senior Data/GIS Manager, the Senior Data Officer is responsible for the production of IMPACT’