Data Specialist – Humanitarian Planning and Prioritisation Unit

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 works 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, analysis, and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarters 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 Specialist to support our team in the Global Humanitarian Planning & Prioritization Unit in our Geneva Headquarters office.

Department: REACH Global Programmes

Position: Data Specialist

Contract duration: 12 months with the possibility of extension

Location: Geneva, Switzerland (with the possibility of up to 20% travel)

Starting Date: December 2024

POSITION PROFILE

The Data Specialist will be part of the REACH Humanitarian Planning & Prioritization Unit based in IMPACT HQ, supporting the Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) Workstream under the supervision of the unit Manager. Specifically, the Data Specialist will work in close collaboration with the HPPU Research and Development (R&D) team and Training, Learning and Country (TLC) Team to (1) develop packages to increase efficiency in key parts of the MSNA research cycle, (2) provide dedicated quantitative analysis support and guidance to REACH country teams implementing MSNAs, and (3) support the cross-crisis analysis, which brings together data from up to 18 MSNAs. This is a high visibility research programme including multiple projects, and many of the processes are currently manual or not interoperable. There will be the potential to support with further automation and efficiency in collaboration with IT and automation specialists as the organisational automation work and policies progresses.

FUNCTIONS

The REACH Data Specialist will fulfill the following functions:

• Develop packages to increase efficiency of the MSNA research cycle.
  • For instance, developing packages related to converting questionnaires to XML formats (Kobo format) or data visualisation packages to effectively synthesize and present MSNA findings, especially cross-crisis comparisons.
  • Most tools for the MSNA are written using R, but it may be possible to use other software such as Python as long as the packages are interoperable. Examples of interoperable tools include rpy2, data interchange formats like CSV/JSON/Parquet, the reticulate package, and Jupyter Notebooks.
  • Build the capacity of country teams to use, adapt, and operationalise MSNA efficiency/automation/standardisation tools in close collaboration with the R&D team.
  • Ensure the above tasks are conducted in accordance with IMPACT data protection standards and policies and in collaboration with teams across IMPACT, including R&D, TLC, IT, and the research department.
  • Potentially support further automation in collaboration with IT and automation specialists as the organisation's automation work and policies progress.
• Country support (up to 30%) – dedicated data support to REACH country teams.
  • Provide dedicated data cleaning, processing, and analysis surge support to REACH country teams implementing inter-sectoral research programs.
  • This support will be ad hoc in nature but anticipated to focus primarily around supporting with MSNA quantitative analysis during the peak analysis period (1-2 months) each year, to ensure critical in-country milestones are met.
  • This support may be provided remotely and/or through a field deployment, depending on the extent of support required and the specific needs of the country team.
• Supporting the cross-crisis analysis.
  • The cross-crisis analysis is a high visibility and heavy workstream that brings together the data from multiple MSNAs to compare needs across different countries.
  • In close collaboration with the research leads in the R&D team of HPPU, the data specialist will support with data preparation, analysis, and visualisation of findings. They will also support the wider R&D team in developing and testing new methods in cross-crisis analysis.
• Internal Knowledge sharing, Learning and Capacity Building.
  • Contribute to generating and documenting robust lessons learned at the end of relevant Research Cycle.
  • Ensure knowledge and learning processes are shared across country missions.
  • Continuously seek to innovate around efficiency for IMPACT assessments, information products, and processes.
  • More generally, contribute to creating a culture of rigour, innovation, and learning within IMPACT’s operations.
• Data Confidentiality and Protection.
  • The Data Specialist will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes and adhere to all relevant regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). They will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorized sharing of any information and data belonging to IMPACT and its partners or collected during his/her assignment with IMPACT.

Required qualifications.

• Academic: Excellent academic qualifications, preferably including a master’s degree in a relevant discipline, e.g., data science, computer science, economics, statistics, biology.
• Years of work experience: At least 4 years of relevant working experience.
• Research skills: Excellent research and analytical skills required, including a sound understanding of sampling frameworks and their application, an ability to analyse large data sets, as well as conduct temporal or spatial trend analysis. Demonstrable experience of data science. Excellent data analysis skills. Prior experience with and good understanding of quantitative data processing and analysis methods, including descriptive and inferential statistics.
• Software skills: Advanced knowledge of R, Julia, Python, or equivalent statistical software (R preferred). Knowledge of ArcGIS is an advantage.
• Training skills: Proven experience in conducting training and capacity building for teams and partners on assessment methods, including the ability to mentor.

Desired qualifications.

• Database management skills and experience working with database languages such as SQL. Experience in coding data collection tools for mobile data collection platforms is a strong asset.
• A self-starter with a proven ability to work independently.
• Working knowledge of Arabic, French, Spanish, or another relevant language.
• Familiarity with the humanitarian aid system.
• Experience in needs assessments, monitoring & evaluations, information management in field research settings, or other field work in an international context.

• For this position, gross salary between 6’000 CHF and 6’300 CHF monthly (before income tax).
• Insurance covering professional and non-professional accidents throughout the period of employment with IMPACT.
• Health insurance, life insurance, and repatriation assistance in case of field visits/temporary deployments.
• Enrolment in IMPACT Initiatives Research Foundational Learning Programme within the first 3 months from the start of the contract.
• Applicants must hold a valid work permit for Switzerland or be EU/EFTA citizens.
• Up to 40% of remote work on a weekly basis.