Assessment Support Officer

CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND Lebanon today hosts 1,133,834 Syrian refugees with a registered or pending status and 53 070 Palestinian Refugees from Syria (PRS), all spread across over 1600 localities. The majority of the population (68%) is distributed across the Bekaa, second highest being Mt Lebanon, and the number of Syrian new arrivals continues to fluctuate depending on restrictions at the Lebanon/Syrian border. Considering that Lebanon’s overall population is four million inhabitants, the pressure on the country at every level is very high and impacts directly and indirectly the development of the country, being shelter capacity, access to WASH services and basic assistance. However, the government of Lebanon (GoL) continues the prohibition of the establishment of Syrian refugee camps and transit camps elsewhere to a ‘border refugee camp’ which has been rejected by the international community. In Lebanon, WASH services largely dependent on their location as defined by shelter type, geography and administrative area. Furthermore, given the geographic spread and variance of context it is quite difficult to conduct assessments, need identification, and define response. Furthermore, refugees living in substandard shelters in Lebanon are projected to reach 55% of the total caseload by end of 2014. Considered the most vulnerable in terms of shelter quality, they are assumed to comprise the 29% socio economic most vulnerable refugees. SIF is seeking to hire an assessment coordinator for a period of 21 days (with possible extension) to facilitate   the work of the Assessment and to oversee the delivery of technical advice/assistance from SF technical staff HIERARCHICAL LINKS The Assessment Support Officer will report to the Programme Coordinator, with daily interaction with the SIF Technical and Management teams.  JOB PURPOSE The Assessment Support Officer will undertake the following activities: Drafting assessment report and recommendations Take stock of existing assessment initiatives and capacities of the areas to be assessed Review the recommendations of the Inter-agency coordinated assessment preparedness mission and engage in further consultations on these with the Information management group in Lebanon.      Work with Assessment team members to develop and adjust the assessment work. Actively encourage the participation of relevant national and international actors in achieving the Assessment work plan.   Identify and call on additional technical support required by the Assessment team.  Monitor the implementation of the Assessment work plan, and update partners on progress. Ensure that the work plan is carried out in a timely fashion, and as agreed by the Programme Coordinator Undertake any additional tasks required, under the guidance of the Programme Coordinator. Liaise regularly with the Coordinated Assessment Support team and on technical matters and lessons learned. . KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS At least 2 years of experience in humanitarian context with increasing levels of management responsibility and Extensive experience in drafting quality reports Familiarity to assessment and research practice and environment in Syrian and Lebanese  context is most desireable. Management experience in humanitarian development, including experience leading multi-disciplinary, multinational teams in complex environments. Extensive experience in undertaking and managing complex, large scale humanitarian needs assessments. Extensive experience in representational roles, including engagement with country Teams, government officials, local civil society, and donors. Experience of assessment design and data management related to large scale agency or sectoral needs assessment in complex environments. Significant experience in assessments conducted at the household level, with knowledge of different data collection methodologies. Experience in designing, conducting and analyzing large surveys in a developing country context.  Language:  Fluent in written and spoken English. Familiarity with Arabic is a strong asset Knowledge: Background in humanitarian political context, and working in humanitarian environments. Knowledge of assessment indicators for monitoring and evaluation in disaster contexts, including SMART, SPHERE, and Cluster/Sector specific indicators used elsewhere. Solid understanding of the principles of emergency preparedness, response and early recovery. Considerable experience in the workings humanitarian operations across a variety of geographic areas. Knowledge of the Needs Assessment tools and guidance. Other skills and competencies: Computer literacy. Proven interpersonal and negotiating skills, including with people of different backgrounds Proven ability to undertake activities through a participatory, inclusive and consultative process. Demonstrated ability to effectively work in emergency and/or complex operations within a multi-cultural environment.  Excellent drafting skills