REACH Research Assistant

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two INGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Field (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.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: REACH Research Assistant
Job Location: Borno

Context / Country
REACH is initializing operations in Nigeria to respond to the ongoing IDP crisis in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. Activities will contribute to an improved humanitarian emergency response and enhance evidence-based decision making by providing support to operational actors with localized and operational response planning. REACH will provide a complementary support to existing information management (IM) efforts by IOM, OCHA and sectors, focusing on supporting operational actors in given locations.

The REACH Field Assistant (FA) will be based in a to-be-determined field location and will be primarily responsible for data collection activities in those areas.  He/she will travel, as necessary and when security permits, to multiple areas of the country to identify and collect information from Key Informants. The FA will be responsible for identifying and reporting on humanitarian conditions in their focus areas (as defined by operational needs and base of assignment) and other areas as necessary. He/she will also be responsible for identifying and reporting emergent displacement trends in their area of focus (and other areas – as necessary).

The RA will also be responsible mission-related logistics, data analysis and cleaning, focus group discussion facilitation, participatory mapping session facilitation, collection of locational data using GPS devices, leading enumeration teams and any other reasonable tasks need to ensure the success of the REACH mission in Nigeria.

Chain of Command
Under the authority of:

• In country: ACTED Country Director
• In country: REACH Country Focal Point
• In country: REACH Assessment Officer
• In country: REACH Senior Field Officer
• In country: REACH Field Officer

Responsible for:

• Their own activities
• REACH Field Assistants
• Enumerators
• Working Relations

Internal Relations:

• ACTED Country Director
• REACH Country Coordinator
• REACH GIS/ Assessment/ Database Officers

Summary of Functions
The REACH FA shall be responsible for:

• Establishment and management of key informant network
• Communication with partner organizations
• Collection of locational data using GPS devices
• Facilitation of participatory mapping sessions
• Data cleaning and entry
• Hiring, training and leading enumeration teams
• Focus group discussion facilitation
• Logistics support
• Any other tasks need to ensure the success of the REACH mission in Nigeria

Managing Key Informant Network:

• The REACH FA will work in collaboration with REACH assessment staff to identify potential Key Informants for AoO, build their informant profiles, and execute month recurring and systematic data collection.

Communication with partner organizations:

• The REACH FA will work in collaboration with REACH assessment staff to communicate findings and coordinate activities with partner organizations operating in the area of focus

Collection of locational data using GPS device:

• The REACH FA will collection locational data, such as the location of new or existing IDP locations, using hand held GPS devices.

Facilitation of participatory mapping sessions:

• The REACH FA will facilitate or co-facilitate participatory mapping sessions to help understand, identify and visualize common displacement routes of IDPs.

Data cleaning, entry and analysis:

• The REACH FA  will clean and manage qualitative and spatial data collected by the REACH team and enumerators

Hiring, training and leading enumeration teams:

• The REACH FA  will be responsible for hiring enumeration teams, training them on the use of data collection tools (ODK) and methodology, and leading the teams in the field

Focus group discussion facilitation:

• The REACH FA  will be responsible for identifying and organizing respondents for focus group discussion,  facilitating or co-facilitating the discussion and recording results

Logistic Support:

• The REACH FA  will have custodial responsibility for all REACH assets (computers, GPS devices, smart phones, etc) at their operational base, and will need to work with the REACH team and ACTED Logistics to ensure serviceability of assets and availability of consumables (printer ink, paper, pens, etc…)

Any other tasks need to ensure the success of the REACH mission in Nigeria:

• The REACH FA may be called upon to work on other REACH programmes in various locations in Nigeria including, but not limited to, remote LGA capitals, as the security situation allows

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. This is the responsibility of every ACTED staff member.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's Degree with a strong focus on both quantitative and qualitative Field methodologies preferred
• Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite
• Experience collecting information using hand-held GPS devices
• Experience using ODK, or other mobile data collection technology, for quantitative data collection
• Experience hiring and managing casual laborers
• Experience conducting focus group discussions, or the ability to learn rapidly
• Knowledge of creating kml/ kmz files in Google Earth
• Positive attitude and a willingness to learn
• Excellent communication skill
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility
• Prior experience working in IDP displacement locations
• Fluency written and spoken fluency in English and Kanuri a must; additional fluency in Hausa preferred
• Ability to work independently

We offer

• Contract length: 6 Months possibility of extension
• Level: E1-1 (national contract)
• Start date: As soon as possible Desirable

Note

• CV and Cover Letter indicating and explaining the suitability to the position applied.
• Provide contact details (name, position, email address and tel. no.) of 3 professional non-related references, whereas 1 must be for the latest employer. Please do not attach any written recommendations.
• Applications should be addressed to: The Recruitment Manager.
• Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications, sent together with a CV, will be considered. CV-only applications will not be considered. Please note: The position title and location must be written in the subject line of the e-mail otherwise not considered.
• CVs will be review on rolling bases, Interview could be held before closing
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