Information Management Officer (ASSIST)

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

Information Management Officer (ASSIST)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative, at Branch Office Baghdad, and reporting daily to the Coordinator and the Senior Operations Manager in Erbil, the incumbent will act as a focal point in the KRI for the global pilot of the ASSIST database for IDP, assistance-tracking coordination in KRI and coordinate to assure a harmonized uniform approach across Iraq with the ASSIST coordinator based in Baghdad.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- Data sharing agreements and data privacy safeguards are in place; data quality assurance & control processes are established in line with country-specific common data standards and are promoted them with partners.

Responsibility
- Design and deliver trainings for UNHCR staff and partners; including production of training materials, tailoring ASSIST to meet the needs of partners, clusters and offices; in coordination with the IM working group and all relevant coordination platforms, ensure technical focal points and local focal points have in-house capacity to support partners and ASSIST user.
- Develop data collection standard operating procedures for targeting and assistance tracking.  Establish data quality assurance & control processes.
- Ensure data sharing agreements and data privacy safeguards are in place; establish data quality assurance & control processes in line with country-specific common data standards and promote them with partners.
- Liaise and coordinate with the MENA regional office in regard to further developments in the use of ASSIST in Iraq and in IDP contexts; collaborate with regional IMOs, to ensure ASSIST data meet regional analysis needs. Liaison with regional data analysis group DAG on new features development and bug fixes.
- Consult with and support functional units¿ for the implementation of projects involving or requiring the use of ASSIST (e.g. CBI, multi-sectoral household assessments for IDPs, IDP returnees¿ assessment, etc.), through developing appropriate tools, providing technical support and delivering training needed. 
- Reach out to operating partners and promote the use of ASSIST and RAIS (if needed) and operationalize country-specific common data standards and promote them with partners and staff. Manage accounts on ASSIST / RAIS (if needed) for partners, users and distribution sites in coordination with ASSIST / RAIS focal points in the field.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Information Technology, Demography, Statistics, Social Science or any related field plus minimum 6 years of previous work experience relevant to the function. Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master'ss) plus 5 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 4 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- Knowledge of the UN system and the humanitarian community.
- Knowledge of protection related guidelines, standards and indicators.
- Proven skills of analyse statistical information.
- Advance excel skills (e.g. pivot tables, functions, ect¿)
- Ability to formulate IM-related technical requirements and operations procedures.
- Ability to translate planning-specification into technical briefs of data capture and analysis and vice-versa.
- Ability to compile and holistically analyse diverse datasets.
- Experience with handling confidential data.
- Demonstrated understanding of different data collection methodologies.
- Excellent written and oral presentation skills.
- Excellent knowledge of English and working knowledge of another UN language.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Successful participation in the Operational Data management Learning Program.
- Experience with relevant software such as ArcGIS, SPSS, Epilnfc6, HTML, PHP, ASP, Java, Ms Acess, SQL, and Progress).
- Relevant coding experience.
- Proven expertise in C-Sharp (.Net) programming language and SQL database management systems.
- Experience in web design and software development is an asset.
- Knowledge of Arabic. C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X003L3 - Technological Awareness Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3

For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage colleagues to read the country specific security and welfare profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Staff Resources (Duty of Care). These profiles have been specifically designed to answer some of the key questions (on security conditions, medical provisions, staff welfare, living and working conditions) potential applicants might have before deciding to apply. Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care. This project is still in the pilot phase, and as such some of the information leaflets are being produced as we speak and might not be available yet. They will be soon, so keep checking. 

Under the supervision of the Deputy Representative, at Branch Office Baghdad, and reporting daily to the Coordinator and the Senior Operations Manager in Erbil, the incumbent will act as a focal point for the global pilot of the ASSIST database for IDP assistance coordination, and will perform the following functions assuring a harmonized uniform approach across Iraq.

The future incumbent of the position, should ideally demonstrate:

- Experience with relevant software such as ArcGIS, SPSS, Epilnfc6, HTML, PHP, ASP, Java, Ms Access, SQL, and Progress)
- Proven skills of analyse statistical information.
- Advance excel skills (e.g. pivot tables, functions, ect¿)
- Ability to formulate IM-related technical requirements and operations procedures.
- Ability to translate planning-specification into technical briefs of data capture and analysis and vice-versa.
- Ability to compile and holistically analyse diverse datasets.
- Experience with handling confidential data.
- Demonstrated understanding of different data collection methodologies.
- Experience in web design and software development is an asset.
- Relevant coding experience.
- Proven expertise in C-Sharp (.Net) programming language and SQL database management systems.
- Successful participation in the Operational Data management Learning Program is desirable.
- Relevant coding experience and Arabic speaker desirable. At present, UNHCR¿s caseload in Iraq consists of more than 230,000 Syrian refugees, three million internally displaced Iraqis, tens of thousands of Iraqi refugee returnees, long-standing Palestinian, Iranian and Turkish refugee communities, and thousands of stateless persons. More than 97 percent of Iraq¿s Syrian refugees are hosted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KR-I) in Erbil, Dohuk and Sulaymaniyah. Approximately 39% of registered refugees stay in nine refugee camps, while the remaining 61% live outside camps, many in precarious conditions in sub-standard shelters, with limited access to basic services. At the same time, the KR-I hosts nearly one million IDPs displaced since 2014, including nearly 112,000 IDPs displaced from Mosul. It is expected that other military operation will take place which could lead to further displacement into KR-I. With the Syrian conflict having continued for more than six years, many Syrian refugees have exhausted their savings and are becoming increasingly vulnerable. Some refugee families who have been living in urban, peri-urban, and rural locations outside of camps, finding themselves unable to provide for their basic needs without assistance, have entered waiting lists to move into camps. Syrian refugees also face increasing obstacles to regularizing their legal status: formal registration of asylum-seekers in the KR-I has become more difficult since 2016 as a result of security-related and administrative requirements. UNHCR continues to advocate for registration of Syrian asylum-seekers and for their access to legal and physical protection, and to ensure the overall coordination of emergency response operations, including through the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP). At the same time, 3.35 million Iraqis are internally displaced, with nearly one million of them hosted in the KR-I. Countrywide, 23 % of IDPs live in 167 formal IDP camps, (35 of which are in the KR-I); 13 % in collective centres across Iraq (e.g. religious buildings, informal settlements, school buildings, and abandoned/unfinished buildings); and 64% in other locations (e.g., rented houses, host families, hotels/motels). With the end of the operation to recapture Mosul, military operations in other areas are expected to further contribute to internal displacement in 2017. At the same time, the reduction of fighting in some areas has prompted spontaneous return, notwithstanding sporadic security incidents and the presence of uncleared ordnance. UNHCR, as the lead agency for Protection, CCCM and Shelter/NFI Clusters, assures a coordinated approach in the implementation of activities throughout Iraq related to protection and assistance for IDPs. Working and Living Conditions:

- Erbil is Category D Duty Station.
- Staff members assigned to Erbil are residing in the individual residential apartments inside the security cleared hotel complex
- Basic food and other commodities are widely available in the local shops and markets. Banking facilities are rather underdeveloped; therefore cash is the main means of settlement of various bills.
- Both local currency (Iraqi Dinar) and USD are equally accepted for any payments.  No specific dress-code applies and casual European style clothes are worn.
- Eight weeks R&R cycle applies for staff assigned in Erbil. Security Considerations:

- Security Clearance for travel to Iraq is covered under TRIP. With the recent changes in the Security SOPs for Iraq, all staff are required to submit their security clearance process for travel to country, including KR-I through TRIP  a) security clearance should be submitted through TRIP (please visit http://undss.org);
- The SSAFE (Safety and Security Approaches in a Field Environment) course must be undertaken by all international staff members to allow them to travel outside of Erbil the country. If a staff has conducted a SSAFE (Safety and Security Approaches in a Field Environment) course within the last three years there is no need for attendance; he/she only require attending the FSCOs briefing on arrival. If he/she has not attended a SSAFE course in the last 3 years he/she will be required to attend the new mandatory SSAFE course conducted in Erbil.
- Subject to the advice received from the security unit, some movement of UN international staff within Kurdistan Region of Iraq may be undertaken in the convoy of two UN vehicles.
- Travel to border areas as well as disputed areas whereas newly displaced persons are concentrated is allowed in a convoy of two armored vehicles only.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the Add.1 to the September 2017 Compendium is Tuesday 9 January 2018 (midnight Geneva time).