Field Officer – ACTED

Job Description

ACTED Vacancy Announcement for position of 

REACH Field officer(s) in ETHIOPIA

BACKGROUND ON REACH

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two International NGOs (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.

We are currently looking for a (6) six Field Officers to support our REACH team in Ethiopia.

Department:                 REACH

Position:                         REACH Field Officer (FO)

Supervisor:                    REACH Research Manager

Number of positions:   (6) Six

Contract duration:        One Year

Starting Date:                 Immediately

Location:                      We are opening 6 FO positions in 6 different locations of Ethiopia –   see list below. Every duty station includes regular and frequent travels in the area of intervention/deployment.

·         Duty station FO 1:  Semera, Afar region, Ethiopia

·         Duty station FO 2: Bahir dar, Amhara region, Ethiopia

·         Duty station FO 3: Jigjiga, Somali region, Ethiopia

·         Duty station FO 4: Assossa, Oromia region, Ethiopia

·         Duty station FO 5: Adama, Oromia region, Ethiopia

·         Duty station FO 6: Awassa, Sidama region, Ethiopia

COUNTRY PROFILE

Ongoing conflict, crisis-level food insecurity, flooding, drought, locust infestation and COVID-19 are some of the multiple and often overlapping crises that continue to strain the lives and livelihoods of an estimated 12.8 million people across multiple regions in Ethiopia. Nearly 3.95 million people are currently displaced across Ethiopia. Issues of security and humanitarian access are preventing access to basic services, including telecommunications, fuel, electricity and banking services. The poor macroeconomic conditions are driving a high annual inflation rate and depreciation in the Ethiopian Birr (ETB) in the whole country. According to the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSAE), the national inflation rate increased to 24.5 percent in June from 19.7 percent in May. Price spikes together with significant population displacements, lost harvests, depletion of food stocks, and market dysfunctions disrupts significantly the food security and livelihood in the country, as well as threatening to sharply escalate humanitarian need for vulnerable populations.

While aid actors have conducted market monitoring through past efforts, no efforts have included nation-wide, ongoing monitoring that harmonizes strategies across cash actors. To address existing information gaps and consolidate existing data collection efforts, REACH is working in close collaboration with the Ethiopia Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) Network and has launched a Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI). The initiative is helping to develop an evidence base for the wider use of cash and voucher assistance (CVA), as well as facilitating discussions of changes in critical market dynamics, which are an integral part of cash feasibility considerations.

POSITION PROFILE

Under the overall management of the Research Manager and the direct supervision of the Field Manager, the REACH Field Officer (FO) is responsible for the overall management and implementation of all REACH field activities across his/her area of intervention/deployment.

FUNCTIONS

1.       Assessment Preparation and Training

·         Context and situation monitoring of regional displacement dynamics;

·         Undertake preliminary planning missions in assessment sites;

·         Lead on all planning details related to data collection (field schedule, team planning, procurement, logistics, and administration) according to each activity’s specified methodology;

·         Coordinate, plan, and facilitate assessment team training jointly with the assessment teams.

  1. Data collection and validation

·         Act as the primary focal point for partner data collection agencies;

·         Provide regular technical support to internal and partner team leaders through the provision of daily or regular team debriefs;

·         Accompany data collectors in the field to ensure accurate data collection as specified in the methodology, particularly in the case of any direct measurement (MUAC, etc.);

·         Ensure care of all REACH inventory including daily check of assessment mobile phones;

·         Download all data at the end of each data collection day and spot-checking online database for accuracy at the end of each day.

3.       Internal Coordination and management

·         Manage internal work plans of REACH FO in the area of deployment cluster-based areas of FO;

·         Highlight day-to-day and long-term issues to the Field Manager and in case of being necessary to REACH Research Manager.

  1. External Coordination

Under the supervision of, and in collaboration with the Field Manager:

·         Coordinate field operations with participating agencies;

·         Report regularly to agency focal points about assessment progress and any changes to the plans;

·         Prepare and dissemination assessment results and presentations in relevant coordination forums and meetings.

  1. Reporting

·         Prepare final assessment reports including lessons learned, incidents and time frame;

·         Assist in preparation of assessment fact sheets and consolidated reports.

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 ACTED programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies.  They will also be responsible with printing and delivering REACH products directly to those providing REACH with the data. This is the responsibility of every ACTED staff member.

Job Requirements

·         At least 4 years of experience with increasing responsibilities in management and coordination of field staff;

·         At least 2 years of experience working within data collection teams;

·         University degree in Statistics, Agriculture, Economics, Sociology, or other relevant fields of study;

·         Excellent team management and problem-solving skills;

·         Excellent experience using Open Data Kit (ODK) for quantitative data collection, or the ability to rapidly master the process;

·         Experience creating ODK questionnaires, or ability to learn rapidly;

·         Flexible, self-motivated, and independent with an eye for improving internal processes;

·         Experience in representation and coordination with government, communities, and partner agencies;

·         Ability to produce contextual situation analyses and subsequent project recommendations;

·         Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;

·         Ability to operate Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software; and,

·         Fluency in English and required local languages (listed below)

·         By duty station: Fluency required and/or desired in the following languages – see table below.

 

No.

FOs

Duty station

Language requirement in deployed regions
Required Desirable
FO 1 Semera, Afar region Afar Tigray
FO 2 Bahir dar, Amhara region Amharic and Bene Other local language in Benshangule region
FO 3 Jigjiga, Somali region Somali Oromo
FO 4 Assosa, Oromia region Oromo and Neuyer Other local language
FO 5 Adama,Oromia region Amharic & Oromo N/A
FO 6 Awassa, Sidama Region Amharic & Sidama Welayeta & other local language in SNNP region
How to Apply

Qualified national persons with the required skills are invited to submit their applications accompanied by detailed curriculum vitae and cover letter as a single document i.e. with the cover letter being on the first page and the CV starting on the second page, detailing three work related referees and contacts to ethiopia.jobs@acted.org and received on or before 5.00PM on 27TH October 2021 with the subject line “REACH Field Officers

Please do not attach any other documents while sending your applications, if required they will be requested at a later stage.

Please note that ACTED reserves the right to shortlist on ongoing basis. Please note that only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ACTED will at no stage of recruitment process request candidate to make payments of any kind. Further, ACTED has not retained any agent in connection with recruitment.

ACTED is committed to protecting beneficiaries within our programmes from exploitation and abuse and any kind of misconduct. ACTED has specific policies, including PSEA and Child Protection, which outlines the expected behaviour and the responsibility of all staff, beneficiaries, consultants and other stakeholders and has zero tolerance towards misconducts. Any candidate offered a job with ACTED will be expected to sign ACTED’s organizational Policies and Code of Conduct as an annex to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents.

ACTED is an Equal Opportunity Employer.