REACH Database Officer (DBO) at ACTED NIGERIA

ACTED has been committed since 1993, to immediate humanitarian relief to support those in urgent need and protect people’s dignity, while co-creating longer-term opportunities for sustainable growth and fulfilling people’s potential. ACTED, headquartered in Paris, France is present in four continents and our teams intervene in 37 countries towards 18million people, responding to emergency situations, supporting rehabilitation projects and accompanying the dynamics of development. Over 5,000 staff are dedicated to implementing and developing our projects.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: REACH Database Officer (DBO)

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Employment Type: Full-time

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.

Country profile

• In North East Nigeria (NEN), the ongoing crisis continues to have a profound impact on the population, leading to displacement both within and out of the region and high rates of unmet needs among internally displaced persons. The conflict additionally exacerbates prior unmet needs among non-displaced and host communities. While the primary driver of the conflict remains violent conflict, including ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province), JAS (Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad) and associated armed opposition groups (AOGs), other underlying factors, such as climate change, poverty, and disease outbreaks, exacerbate need and further complicate aid delivery.
• Against the backdrop of this protracted crisis, the humanitarian situation in Northeast Nigeria remains one of the world’s most severe. Out of the Northeast’s Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) state’s total population of 13 million people, an estimated 7.9 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. [1] Borno state remains the epicentre of the crisis, containing over 80% of the region’s over 2 million internally displaced persons.[2] Major incidents throughout 2019 have led to continued mass displacements and severely affected the provision of humanitarian assistance in the region.
• The sudden influx of arrivals added strain to the existing infrastructure of the humanitarian community, resulting in high rates of unmet needs, overcrowding in camps, and exposure to protection risks for vulnerable groups. The congestion status of the camps has resulted in over 60% of IDPs residing outside of camps within host communities, further complicating service delivery.[3] The intensity of needs within Maiduguri and the instability of the security situation in more remote regions has resulted in increased focus on populations in accessible areas; however, populations in the less accessible areas are presumed to have even greater needs.
• These hard-to-reach areas are estimated to contain around 971,000 persons.[4] Very little is known about the specific conditions and needs of the populations living in these areas, but they are presumed to have little mobility, limited essential services, and little or no access to humanitarian aid. The same threats that severely limit the ability of humanitarian actors to conduct thorough assessments also immediately affect the population living in the region. REACH’s Humanitarian Situation Monitoring (HSM) assessments in the Hard-to-Reach areas of Borno state have found that people in these inaccessible areas lack of access to basic services including health facilities, access to livelihoods and have decreased access to foods, access to improved water sources and access to humanitarian services.[5]
• As such, the needs for evidenced-based Humanitarian Aid and information on populations in both accessible and inaccessible areas is paramount to a coordinated response. REACH has been present in Nigeria since 2017, providing a growing evidence base for humanitarian response planning through sectoral, multi-sectoral and area-based assessments as well as information management services. In 2019, REACH is looking to continue to provide the humanitarian community with relevant and reliable information to strengthen strategic programming and needs-based targeting in Northeast Nigeria.

Responsibilities

• Under the direct line management of the REACH Research Manager with supervision from the IMPACT Deputy Country Coordinator and in close coordination with the REACH GIS Officer(s), REACH Assessment Officer(s) and REACH Field Manager, the REACH Database Officer (DBO) is responsible for managing all processes related to data cleaning and analysis, product creation (i.e. R and Tableau) and data management in-country. They will ensure regular communication with REACH Assessment teams in-country to support the ongoing assessments accordingly, and liaise with IMPACT HQ on data analysis validation.
• In his/her mission, the REACH DBO will be hosted by ACTED and will fall under the responsibility of ACTED’s Country Director and his/her delegates. S/he and will fully abide to ACTED’s Security, HR, Administration and Logistics rules and regulations.

Functions
The REACH Data Officer will fulfill the following functions:
Data Management and Analysis Activities:

• Monitor accuracy of data collected
• Cross check data collected in the field, ensure regular updates and solve eventual discrepancies
• Manage, update and deploy monthly questionnaire.
• Maintain, update and expand R-based systems of data management and analysis for data dissemination and reporting;
• Serve as a focal point for statistical analysis and quantitative reporting on REACH assessments
• Maintain, update and expand R systems from automated data analysis and map production for factsheets

Technical Support:

• The REACH Data Officer will contribute towards the identification and implementation of effective and adapted technical solutions for assessments and projects for REACH NIGERIA. The REACH Data Officer will provide technical support for assessments and analysis for REACH Nigeria information products.
• These responsibilities will include creation and management of data collection tools (ODK or KoBo), training on data cleaning and management techniques, support for data analysis (specifically conducted in the R environment).

Internal Communication Processes:

• The REACH Data Officer will liaise with IMPACT in Geneva to guarantee a quality product that suits the needs of the field office.
• He/she will respond to information requests from IMPACT Initiatives and keep Geneva informed of the data activities in the field.

Confidentiality and Data Protection:

• The REACH Data Officer will maintain the strictest confidentiality of data and processes. He/she will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of information and data.

Working relations

• Internally, the Data Officer will work closely within the GIS/Data unit and provide analytical support to the REACH Assessment staff and Country Coordination. The Data Officer will liaise with technical backstopping, in specific the HQ Data Unit. These relations will also extend to ACTED country staff including Program Development, AMEU and Area Coordinators.
• Externally, the Data Officer will be expected to liaise with national and international partners, notably IM focal points in NGOs, UN agencies and clusters.

Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries:

• The staff member is responsible for ensuring that all relations with the communities REACH and partners work are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner.
• Due attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about REACH programme objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every REACH staff member.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Data Analytics, Data Sciences, Computer Programming or a related discipline;
• 2 years of experience in Database management, preferably in humanitarian context;
• Considerable experience analysing complex data with R mandatory (specifically operating, editing, and developing entire automated data analysis scripts; experience producing high-quality maps in R & producing dashboards in R Shiny is advantageous); knowledge of other statistical programming languages and packages and Tableau are a plus;
• Previous experience with mobile data collection (ODK, ONA, KOBO);
• Knowledge of the Adobe Suite, particularly Illustrator and InDesign;
• Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements;
• Prior knowledge of the region an asset;
• Fluency in English required;
• Ability to operate Microsoft Word, Excel and Project Management Software;
• High level of autonomy and willingness to spend time in field locations
• Ability to work independently to short deadlines and high research standards.

We offer

• Contract length: 6 months with the possibility of extension
• Level: D2-1 (national contract)
• Start date: ASAP
• Location Borno and other field locations when needed.

Application Closing Date
18th January, 2021.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should
Click here to apply online

Important Information
Carefully observing the details as follows:

• Cover Letter and an updated CV should be a single document (not exceeding 4 pages) in English
• Contact details (name, position, email address and tel. no.) of 3 professional references must be provided, whereas 1 must be for the latest employer including that of the HR/Admin person. Please do not attach any written recommendations.
• Applications should be addressed to The Recruitment Manager.
• Only motivated applicants who are able to perform the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications will be considered. CV’s – 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, it may not be considered
• Due to the large numbers of expected applicants, only short-listed candidates will be contacted and invited for an interview. We apologies for the inconvenience.
• ACTED considers all applicants based on merit without regard to race, sex, colour, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability.
• CVs will be review on rolling bases
• For general information about ACTED, please consult: www.acted.org