Information Management Specialist

Mission and objectives

UNICEF Ethiopia is implementing a 5-year country programme 2020-2025 which is fully aligned with the UNSDCF. UNICEF will work collaboratively within the UNSDCF on a joint strategy to strengthen national systems for data collection, analysis, monitoring and applying adjustments to promote equity. Evidence will be used to monitor the situation of children, tracking progress towards equity and scale, and to inform advocacy to adjust policies, strategies and budgets. Monitoring and corrective actions will be undertaken through UNICEF staff, partners and third-party monitoring, and through mechanisms for community feedback and accountability to affected populations.

Context

Following the declaration of the UNICEF L3 emergency for Northern Ethiopia, and the announcement from the Regional Education Bureau on the re-opening of schools as of the week of 25 October, 2021, UNICEF, as cluster lead for Education Cluster is looking for a national United Nations Volunteer to support the Information Management function under Education Cluster covering the Tigray Region. While the post will be based out of Mekelle, Tigray the IM Specialist (UNV) will also provide support for the Shire Education sub-national cluster to standardize reporting and provide capacity support to partners reporting to the Education sub-Cluster. In Shire and Mekelle Field Offices, the sub-national Education Cluster in Shire and Mekelle is co-led by UNICEF, Save the Children and the Bureau of Education The crisis in Northern Ethiopia is deteriorating humanitarian situation in this complex operating environment. Approximately 1.4 million children were out of school across the Tigray Region for over 18 months due to Covid-19 and conflict. Over this period, children have not accessed any form of learning, Despite that the REB announced schools to open on October 25th, 2021, the ongoing conflict continued to cause even further damage to education facilities and parents are hesitant to send their children to school due to fear of airstrikes and insecurity. Secondary schools remain closed. A lack of telecommunication services, cash and fuel to support regular monitoring and needs assessments means information on the current status of learning is extremely limited across the region. The cluster approach ensures clear leadership, predictability, and accountability in international responses to humanitarian emergencies by clarifying the division of labour among organizations and better defining their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors of the response. It aims to make the international humanitarian community better organized and more accountable and professional, so that it can be a better partner for the affected people, host governments, local authorities, local civil society and resourcing partners.

Task description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of Education cluster coordinator his/her designated mandated representative(s), the UNV [IM specialist] will:

1. Support Service Delivery/Outputs

• Adapt existing in-country information management approaches for collecting, analyzing and reporting Cluster activities and resources, and identifying information gap

• In consultation with the Education Cluster partners, Regional Government, and sub- national Education Coordinators (Mekelle and Shire), develop key humanitarian IM products and information databases that consolidate, analyse and report/disseminate information critical to decision making

• Support the Education Cluster Coordination team and the UNICEF Education in Emergencies Response team to conduct a mapping of all current and potential actors (including government, national and international humanitarian organizations, as well as national institutions and the private sector) through the provision of regular inputs/updates on the clusters’ 5 W’s response matrix and other tools.

• Work with Education Cluster members to conduct needs assessments and identify information gaps at national and sub-national levels and propose ways to bridge those gaps.

• Facilitate information sharing between the Education Cluster members and UNICEF implementing partners by documenting best practices and sharing response data between the national and sub-national cluster(s) and OCHA.

• Provide information management leadership in assessments and monitoring for the education programme, including joint assessments and leading on the preparation of SitRep inputs with emphasis on cluster plans, targets, and achievements

• Provide key capacity building, training, technical and monitoring support for each of the focal points identified under the satellite cluster system for each zone ensuring the satellite cluster structure is functional and effective.

2. Web Maintenance and knowledge management

• Maintain and update information on the website including information/situation updates on the Humanitarian Response in consultation with the Chief of Field Office, Cluster Coordinators (Shire and Mekelle) and the Communications team.

• Establish and maintain a secure data filing system for the Education Cluster(s) in Shire and Mekelle with approval levels for partners to access information as required (cloud based/offline options should be available).

• Ensure sensitive information is not recommended for sharing through the Education Cluster websites and implement SoPs for critical (confidential) information to be shared with relevant stakeholders.

• Support education cluster members to upload reports and documentation into online OCHA/humanitarian reporting systems. Liaise with OCHA on technical issues related to website maintenance or updates.

3. Informing Strategic Decision-making of the HC/HCT for the Humanitarian Response

• Manage a database that contains relevant EiE Response and Cluster information including an up-to-date cluster contact list, bi-weekly reports, multi-sectoral assessments and surveys, standards, and guidelines from the Regional education bureau, etc).

• Provide information management support in calculating the caseload, severity mapping and identifying population in need and critical target populations for Education interventions.

• Work with the OCHA Information Management Specialist to develop appropriate supportive IM strategies for inter-cluster collaboration. Ensure timely submission of required reports to the OCHA IM Specialist on a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly basis.

• Collect regular reports from cluster members on operational constraints (cash, fuel and supplies) and status of activities.

• Support the Education cluster with prioritization exercise(s), grounded in response analysis, and Core Education Cluster functions.

• Use GIS for map production (where possible) and geographic data to produce maps in a timely manner as needed.

• Participate in the Inter-cluster IMWG and represent interests of the Education Cluster in working groups.

4. Monitoring and Reporting

• Support and provide input into the preparation of situation reports with emphasis on the Education Cluster and UNICEF EiE Response achievements by providing relevant and up to date information.

• Support the Education Cluster in Shire and Mekelle to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for the of the cluster response plan and support the development of indicators that the cluster needs to monitor, linked to the response plan.

• Undertake regular monitoring visits to review the UNICEF EiE and Cluster response and provide oversite for quality control of partners’ reporting.

• Ensure the cluster response plan is updated, with new indicators reviewed on a quarterly basis (or as required based no cluster response plan revisions).

• Maintain/streamline monthly & weekly collection of reports from partners (including indicators); work with partners to identify issues with regards to reporting, gaps in service delivery, and devise ways to solve them together with the Education Cluster partners.

• Ensure gender, age, displacement status and disability disaggregated data is available from partners.

5. Build National Capacity Building for Preparedness and Contingency Planning

• Promote and provide training and capacity building activities of the Education Cluster partners in Shire and Mekelle on reporting, data analysis, excel and the use of the IM outputs, etc.

• Support the Education Cluster coordination team in Shire and Mekelle, and partners on preparedness and contingency planning: consolidation of inputs by partners for the ERP, maintenance/update of the Education database to ensure quick access to data for analysis, and other IM tools, etc.

• Provide training and capacity building support for satellite cluster focal points and Regional Education Bureau staff on data collection, information management and reporting.

6. Accountability to Affected Population

• Support the Education Cluster in Shire and Mekelle coordination teams and cluster partners in setting up and maintaining a cluster complaint and feedback mechanism based on the inputs/guidance/feedback provided regularly to the cluster partners.

• Prepare advocacy materials and information materials for sharing with external audiences not the situation of education in the Tigray region, and the needs of beneficiaries.

• Prepare key messages, briefing notes and guidelines or SOPs in Tigrinya to be shared with the Affected population as necessary.