Career Opportunities: Information Management & Knowledge officer (NOA) - Damascus VA019-2023 (826837)

.

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles.

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

All applications should be received no later than 17 of May 2023

CONTRACT TYPE & LOCATION

Contract Type: Fixed Term NOA

Duration: 12 months

Duty Station: Damascus

Number of required employees: 1

ABOUT WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetime. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need. In 2020, WFP was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to fight hunger globally, including its work during the coronavirus pandemic.

In Syria, WFP provides food assistance to more than 4.6 million people each month. This includes families who require emergency assistance when affected by conflict and displacement and also those who need help to improve their nutrition and food security. WFP supports children across Syria with healthy meals and snacks at school, mothers with nutritious diets, and families and communities with sustainable livelihood projects.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE/ACTIVITY:

One of the core functions of the Food Security Sector (FSS) is to support communication, advocacy and resource mobilisation with a key focus on strengthening communication of specific food security information needed for decision making; reinforcing active participation in inter-cluster, inter-agency standing committee work and IASC subsidiary bodies and enhancing advocacy with national governance, international humanitarian and development organizations and financial partners. The FSS is responsible to communicate clear messages to decision makers on the situation and severity of food security needs of the affected population through informed and well-targeted situation reports.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Syria remains the largest and most complex humanitarian emergency globally with 15 million people in need of assistance. The 2023 Humanitarian Needs Overview Food Security and Livelihood Sector estimated that around 15 million people need various forms of food, agriculture, and livelihood-related assistance in Syria. The Food Security Sector (FSS) is placed under the overall architecture of Whale of Syria (WoS). The Food Security Sector, WoS works through three hubs in South Turkey {Gaziantep and Antakya}, Syria (Damascus) while also linking with key actors operating from Iraq. Each hub is supported by an information management officer who is responsible for supporting hub. level IM. services while supporting and feeding into the consolidated Whole of Syria. IN activities coordinated through the Jordan hub. Given the multi-hub nature of the operation, the persistent high needs, fluid and complex nature of the operation, a well-structured, agile and efficient III structure remains paramount in enabling the Food Security Sector to deliver on its mandate.
Information management officer is one of the core Food Security Cluster Coordination team members and plays a vital role in collecting, analysing, and sharing information that is important for the cluster stakeholders to make informed, evidence based and strategic decisions on:

1.    The food security needs of affected populations
2.    The prioritization of these areas according to Food Security indicators
3.    Where there is a need for Food Security actors and to what degree
4.    What are the key gaps in activity and need.
5.    What capacity (human, material, financial) exists to be used in support of the identified prioritized response needs

The Information management officer therefore supports the Food Security Coordinator by collecting and analysing data and information required to make programmatic decisions. As such, the Information management officer needs to be able to liaise and communicate with many different types of people and agencies and act as a ‘bridge’ between food security decision makers and technical information management (IN) staff. Fundamental to the job is the ability to collect and analyse data as well as to present information in a way that is easily understood by the sector members in HCT hub. Sometimes this is through graphic means such a mapping but also through tables, charts, and narrative writing. Other times it involves discussing the information directly with the decision makers.

The III tool facilitates data collection, processing, and response analysis. By producing project reports and maps, the IM tool can visualize gaps and overlaps of partner responses, and avoid duplication of humanitarian assistance, especially considering issues of food availability, access, and utilization. Consistent information sharing by partners facilitates project tracking and monitoring, and ultimately result in evidence-based decision making for strategic intervention and improved implementation. Furthermore, use of the IM tool enhance the dissemination of timely and accurate information by working closely with FAS partners in HCT hub. 
 

Supervision received:

This post is based in Damascus, Syria under the direct supervision of the Food Security Sector Coordinator.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (not all-inclusive)

Data collection and information analysis:

•    Report to the Food Security Sector Coordinator and respond to the sector Membership’s needs for information.
•    Provide IM support to the sector coordinator and FAS partners on a day-to-day basis as requested.
•    Provide IM services to the sector for key decision-making, including managing the FSC IM tools. These services will include data collection, cleaning, collation, analysis, and dissemination processes relevant to the needs of the sector. This may require building additional and appropriate capacity through the training of additional staff and managing, organizing, and conducting these activities.
•    Proactively gather information from sector partners and other organizations which may be of use to the Food Security sector for informing decisions.
•    Identify secondary data and information resources as needed.
•    Organize and manage the data input and initial analysis and presentation of data for the Food Security Sector, including setting up the FSC IM Data Collection Tools in accordance with the country context.
•    Create, manage, and maintain contact directories and mailing lists of Food Security Sector partners.
•    Establish, collect information for and maintain Who does What Where and When (4W) database and derivative products, such as maps and dashboards.
•    Based on collected data, conduct needs and gap identification for the sector; facilitating and agreeing benchmarks to enable prioritization within the sector.
•    Conduct inventory of and identify relevant common Cluster/Sector data sets, including population data disaggregated by age and sex.
•    Develop simple, user-friendly emergency Food Security monitoring reporting formats in consultation with the sector coordinator, providers of Food Security assistance and other key stakeholders.
•    Collect data on the humanitarian requirements and contributions (financial, material, human – as appropriate).

Other tasks:
•    Liaise with OCHA and IM Focal Points in other sectors under HCT hub – share information as appropriate and identify and gather information from other sectors which can inform Food Security response and preparedness decisions.
•    Assist in organizing and following up with FSS Meetings (including preparing and disseminating meeting minutes).
•    Disseminate information, including through e-mail updates, bulletins, etc.
•    Ensure that the FSS website is kept up to date.
•    Provide inputs for various situation reports and information inquiries as needed.
•    Conduct capacity building FAS partners in HCT hub in a regular basis, following a structured analysis on partners’ trainings needs.
•    Inventory conducted and relevant common Cluster/Sector data sets identified, including population data disaggregated by age and sex, such as Outcome monitoring with gender and age disaggregation, Rapid assessment / need assessment and other surveys such as EFSA / CFSAM/SMART, IPC, PIAF /MSNA/HNO.
•    Any other tasks that may be required (within reason) to achieve the objective of this assignment.

STANDARD MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Advanced University degree in a relevant field or discipline such as Food Security, Economics, Agriculture Economies, Crop Science, Environmental Science, Geographic Sciences, Humanitarian Affairs, Information Technology, Statistics, Information Systems, Engineering, Communications or First University degree with additional years of related work experience and/or training/courses. A first university degree with qualifying experience will also be considered.

Experience:

With an Advanced University Degree: At least 1 year of responsible post graduate relevant professional experience in a relevant  field of work, with a background and interest in international humanitarian, work experience in the humanitarian field specifically within the food security sector and other cluster coordination systems in Information Management or experience with UN agencies or NGOs in data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, databases, assessments, including the compilation and production of weekly, monthly and quarterly reports, dashboards and factsheets particularly in food security, livelihoods and nutrition or related field.

With a First University Degree: At least 3 years of responsible post graduate relevant professional experience in a relevant  field of work, with a background and interest in international humanitarian, work experience in the humanitarian field specifically within the food security sector and other cluster coordination systems in Information Management or experience with UN agencies or NGOs in data analysis, monitoring and evaluation, databases, assessments, including the compilation and production of weekly, monthly and quarterly reports, dashboards and factsheets particularly in food security, livelihoods and nutrition or related field.

Knowledge & Skills:

•    Strong knowledge of and experience in using advanced excel and data analysis software, including proficiency with databases.
•    Advanced knowledge and skills in the use of GIS/Cartographic outputs and ability to collect and organize data and support their production.
•    Ability to present information in understandable tables, charts, graphs, and maps.
•    Excellent writing, communication, and presentation skills in English.

Other technical skills that are considered desirable:

•    Ability to maintain and manage website content for the cluster.
•    Data storage and file management expertise.
•    Assessment, Survey, and Monitoring and Evaluation expertise.
•    Information Technology and networking skills
 

Language:

Fluency in both oral and written communication in Arabic and in English.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Please upload your professional CV in English in PDF format making sure to include the following in terms of “Experience”:

• Company/Organization name and scope of work of the organization
• Exact Position Title
• Contract type: part-time, full-time, volunteer, consultant, or freelancer
• Start and End date of Employment for each position: From (dd/mm/yyyy) to (dd/mm/yyyy)
• Responsibilities: To mention the main responsibilities that highlight your gained skills and experience

A proof of your experience will be required in the final stage of recruitment.

Only shortlisted candidates will be invited to the next stage of the selection process.

Candidates must get an auto confirmation email once application is submitted.

HOW TO APPLY

Follow the links below to submit your application. If any of the links do not work by clicking on it, please copy and paste it in the browser address bar: 

Ensure that your VPN is connected before clicking on the link below.

Internal candidates: 

https://performancemanager5.successfactors.eu/sf/jobreq?jobId=826837&company=C0000168410P

External candidates:

https://router.job-listing.wfp.org/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=826837&company=C0000168410P

.

Female applicants and qualified applicants  are especially encouraged to apply

WFP has zero tolerance for discrimination and does not discriminate on the basis of HIV/AIDS status.

No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), FAO Finance Committee, WFP External Auditor, WFP Audit Committee, Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP, both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.